Quick Tip: Fix defects in pine

When working with pine you have to be very selective about the pieces you buy, but sometimes buying pine with defects is unavoidable. Here's a quick fix for very visible knots in pine.

26/07/2017

When buying pine for your projects, sometimes you end up with pieces that have large knots in them. It's hard to disguise these, and wood filler alone is not recommended as a strong filler. Wood filler on its own will crack, and possibly even fall out of the gaps later on as a result of expansion and contraction of the wood. Additionally, wood filler doesn't take stain well and will leave a very visible finish.

Where you need to fix and disguise knots in pine, first apply a thin bead of wood glue into any gaps. Let this settle into the hole for about an hour and then apply more wood glue to fill up gaps - topping this off with pine sawdust and pressing down.

Let this dry overnight before sanding smooth. Using pine sawdust allows you to stain or seal over knots without any visible defect showing through.