In today’s post, I am going to share a secret that I don’t give out lightly.
I am going to share with you the absolute best wood grain filler for oak cabinets and how to use it to virtually eliminate all oak grain from showing after you paint your kitchen cabinets.
This product and method fills the grain quicker than any other product on the market, sands quicker, lasts longer, and is cheaper and easier than any other wood grain filling method for painting.
NOTE: This method is NOT for staining wood (hopefully, that is obvious).
If you’re looking for the best cheap sprayer for kitchen cabinets, my favorite is the Wagner Flexio 5000.
What Product Do I Use?
(any why should you listen to me?)
Drywall Joint Compound.
Specifically, I use Plus 3 Drywall Joint Compound.
But wait, before you homeowners go slapping joint compound on your cabinets and you painters insisting I don’t know anything, let me explain how this works.
How I Developed This Method
First, I have painted over 100 sets of oak kitchen cabinets.
I did a lot of cabinet pre-finishing from 2007-2010, but with the market crash, I found a great niche in painting existing cabinets (mainly oak) in 2012. This was the vast majority of my work for the next 7 years (probably 75% of my painting work is cabinets).
When I first started painting oak cabinets, everyone wanted them as smooth as possible and to look nothing like oak when they were finished. So I was always looking for a better way to do things and how I could improve my final product.
To eliminate the grain from the final finish, I tried every product on the market.
Some completely didn’t work. Some worked ok. Some worked great but added way too much time to my projects.
So I started doing my own experimenting.
Prefer Watching?
The Final Results
Rather than tell you my trials and errors, I’ll jump to the final result.
I found that if I mix a batch of joint compound with water until it gets creamy (a bit thicker than paint), I could actually brush it onto my cabinets.
I take my joint compound mixture and literally brush it onto the cabinets. I make sure to get it into all the corners and everything.
By brushing it onto the cabinets (using a stiff bristle brush), you force the compound deep into the oak grain.
Next, what’s really great about using Plus 3 Compound is that it sands off really easily.
Many grain fillers do not get all the way into the grain, and then they are impossibly hard to sand.
Not joint compound.
It gets deep into the grain; then it sands smooth incredibly easily.
Does The Joint Compound Hold Up Over Time?
Yes, it does.
After you send off the excess compound, you’ll see that the joint compound that is left behind is minimal. It is just in little lines in the grain of the oak cabinets.
After the grain is filled and sanded, it is then covered with primer and two topcoats of enamel (at a minimum). Enamel is basically incredibly hard paint.
This means that the tiny bits of joint compound is sealed in using incredibly hard paint.
Think of it like this:
Your walls have huge amounts of joint compound in them covered by a soft wall paint, and yet that joint compound is holding up just fine for decades.
How much more do you think the compound in your cabinets will last?
I’ve been painting oak cabinets for 10+ years and have never had a warranty issue.
The Best Wood Grain Filler For Oak Cabinets Conclusion
In my opinion, which is based on painting over 100+ sets of cabinets, the best wood grain filler for oak cabinets is joint compound mixed with water and brushed on using a stiff bristle brush.
Hopefully, this helps you solve the problem of filling the oak graining of your kitchen cabinets.
Not Sure? Here Are Some Alternatives:
Aquacoat White Cabinet Grain Filler – Highest Rated on Amazon
Aquacoat Clear Wood Grain Filler
Old Master’s Wood Grain Filler
GoodFilla Wood Filler
For more cabinet painting help, check out my other kitchen cabinet painting posts:
- How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets Like A Pro
- How Much Does It Cost To Paint Kitchen Cabinets
- How To Prep Cabinets For Painting
- Benjamin Moore Advance Cabinet Paint Review
- The Best Paint Sprayers For Every Painting Project
- The Best Paint Respirators
Ready To Learn More?
Check out our Painting Kitchen Cabinets hub page for everything you could want to know about cabinet painting including costs, how-tos, reviews, and more.
Plus 3 Joint Compound Ready Mixed
Features
- Sheetrockplus 3 lightweight all purpose wallboard joint compound, ready-mixed, 4.5 gallon - ri-01275
- This is highly durable
- This is manufactured in United states
Which grit of sand paper should be used when taking off the joint compound?
How many layers does this take? Just one?
Hi Corinne,
Yes, I brush on one layer. Let it dry and then sand. Works amazing!
Hi Janine,
I typically use 120 – 150 grit paper or medium grit sanding sponges to sand the grain filler. After the primer is on, I use 180 to sand the primer (or fine grit sponges. Then after the first topcoat, I use 220 grit or extra-fine sponges.
Hope that helps!
Fascinating. I’m gonna give this a try! Do you have a favorite primer that sticks equally well to the oak and joint compound? Like Stix or BIN?
Hey Jeff,
I’ve tried a handful of different primers over the years and had pretty good luck all around. Any decent primer should bond to roughed up oak and drywall compound. Kilz Original is cheap and works amazingly well. Only problem is the oil smell. Kilz 2 works ok, but doesn’t always seal the bleeding tannins. Benjamin Moore Advance primer works really well, but costs a lot of $$. Sherwin Williams’ Easy Sand Primer is probably my favorite though. It is a bit expensive, but it seals everything beautifully and sands amazing. Again, only problem is that it is oil.
Thanks, Ryan! Because I’ll only need one gallon, I think I’ll go with Advance primer. I should try to avoid oil because of my wife’s respiratory sensitivities. Also, I think I’m going with a satin Advance color as the topcoat. I used it in our master bathroom renovation and was very happy with it. I really appreciate your advice!
Any thoughts on a good stiff bristle brush for applying the joint compound? Definitely plan on trying this method. Thanks! Your site has a ton of helpful info!
Hi Theresa,
Honestly, any stiff bristle brush works just fine. You don’t have to buy an expensive brush for this. Just don’t buy a soft bristle brush, stiff work a lot better.
Good luck. Check back in and let me know how it went!
Hi Ryan! This sounds easy! Should you sand the cabinets before “painting” on the drywall compound?
Hi Kathy,
Absolutely sand the cabinets before you apply the compound. I sand and vacuum mine before applying the compound (oftentimes will wash them with warm water and dawn if they are greasy from cooking).
Hi! I’m trying this now on a table with wood grain. After I applied the compound, I sanded, then wiped down with a damp cloth. But I’m having trouble getting rid of all the dust and gritty particles. And I’m worried about wiping away the compound in the grain. Do you recommend a tack cloth instead? How do you get it perfectly clean before priming?
Hi Lisa,
Sorry to hear that you are having trouble. First, don’t wipe down drywall compound with a damp rag (and don’t use tac cloths, they cause more issues than they solve). A damp rag will end up reconstituting the compound and pulling it out of the grain. When I am done sanding, I simply vacuum with a shop vac and a brush attachment. Anything more than that is unnecessary. You do not need it perfectly clean, just shop vac clean. You still have to apply primer (then sand and vac), then after you apply your first top coat and sand that, that is when you shoot for a flawlessly clean surface. Still, a shop vac usually gets that good enough, but you can absolutely wipe things down with a wet rag after your first top coat if you wish.
Hi Ryan,
Love your postings: how to prep cabinets and how to paint cabinets. We are religiously following your steps, including the brilliant idea to use drywall compound. We intend to use Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne paint in the final step. So here’s our question: after sanding, should we use a tack cloth to get all small grits? (We are vacuuming also.) We were planning to use tack cloth, but someone in paint department at Home Depot said not to because tack cloth has oil in it and we are using a waterborne paint. Would love to get your take on how to clean up all residue from sanding after drywall step, after primer, and between coats of paint. Thank you, and we’ll send you a before and after when we are done. –Beth from NJ
Hi Beth,
I would LOVE to see any before and afters of your project when you’re done!
After I sand the grain filler (drywall compound), I simply use a shop vac and a brush attachment to clean off the dust. Any dust left after a good vacuuming will be so fine that it won’t cause any issues, I can promise you that (I’ve done hundreds of kitchens). You definitely do not want to wipe down the cabinets with a wet rag or tack cloth after sanding the filler. A wet rag will reconstitute the compound and pull it out of the grain and a tack cloth can cause issues in the finish. So just stick to a good vacuuming with a shop vac after the filler.
Once you’ve sanded the primer, do the same thing. Use a shop vac and brush attachment to clean everything up before your first top coat. Even after sanding the first top coat, I clean everything with a shop vac and brush attachment. After the first top coat though, if it makes you feel more confident, go ahead and wipe things down with a wet rag. Honestly though, anything left from a good vacuuming won’t affect your finish.
How many containers of joint compound do you normally use?
Hi Robert,
It depends on the size of the kitchen, but the compound actually goes really far. I buy it in 5 gallon buckets due to how much work I do, but I would imagine that a quart would get most people through their kitchen.
What about BIN Shellac Primer? From all my research it seems to be the most recommended for cabinets.
Hey Steve,
BIN Shellac Primer is great. It is a fantastic primer. But it has a VOC content of 539 grams / liter, which is absolutely huge. It carries a super high health risk and even a high flame risk. When I was younger, I always chose performance over safety, then I started looking for the best mix, now, my safety is number one. But I won’t use BIN in any situation these days as I don’t want to compromise my long term health. I actually just did a review post on Zinsser Smart Prime which has a 25 g/l VOC content (which is fantastic) and this is a great primer I use all the time.
I am in the middle of trying this method and am sanding with 150-220 grit to sand off the dried joint compound. I’m not seeing much of the white streaks in the grain. They were previously stained cabinets that we sanded down with 120 first.
Could I be sanding too much/too hard? or could it just be that the old stain filled the grain enough so not much of the joint compound can get in?
Hi Lauel,
My guess is this could be one of three things.
You may not have much of a deep graining issue on your cabinets if the original clear coat is already filling it in nicely. Occasionally I will run into oak cabinets that have such a thick clear coat (maybe it was brushed in as well) that the grain is already filled quite nicely with clear coat and doesn’t take much filler.
It could be that you didn’t work the filler into the grain enough before sanding.
Or It could be that you are over sanding. This grain filler sands easily (which is why I love it) but this can result in over-sanding.
My guess is the first one. You probably filled the grain just fine. Often times you don’t see much of the filler left behind, but even those little bits you do see can really help improve the finished look of your cabinets.
Good Luck!
What grit paper do you use to sand the cabinets before applying the joint compound?
Hello Keith,
I always use 3M Medium grit sponges to sand down the cabinets before I apply the grain filler. After the grain filler and after the primer coat, I use 3M Fine grit sponges. After the first top coat, before the final coat, I use 3M Extra Fine sponges. I believe for a grit comparison, this is roughly 100 – 150 – 220.
Hi Ryan,
This post has such good info, thank you! I am planning to start the process to paint our oak cabinets soon. I had a question. Our oak cabinets have outer sides that feel like thin boards. Some of them are even peeling like paper. They don’t feel like the rest of the cabinets. They just feel smooth. My guess is they were usually added on the outer edges to make the cabinets look smooth.
I am sure you have experience with painting those. What do you recommend? Should I attempt to peel the paper then sand and paint, or just sand, prime and paint? Thanks!
@Ryanc,
Thank you so much for the reply! That does help. I have ordered the joint compound and should start working on the cabinets this week. Excited but nervous!
Hi Sady,
I have dealt with this a handful of times. I cut off any peeling with a razor blade, but keep everything that isn’t peeling. Then I prime the sides an extra time before beginning the process on everything else. Then skim the sides with grain filler, sand smooth, then prime again with the rest of the cabinets and go from there.
That should make the sites look good and smooth. Hope that helps!
So I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting with grain fillers on oak and other open grain woods this past year. I’ve tired aqua coat, dap pink top drywall spackle, Crawford’s green labeled vinyl spackle(thinned out some) and have a new product from DAP my Hirshfields store gave me to try that is specifically for grain filling that can be thinned as well, but am afraid of sand ability as it states it gets hard enough to put new screws in for cabinets. I was thinking about trying to use drywall mud, (Proform light blue) to fill some grain on some oak stair risers this week to test out this theory. A true tannin stain blocking water based alkyd has eluded me however. Which is why I’ve stuck with shellac, literally, and figuratively. PPG Gripper worked well on some test oak doors, great adhesion, but after a few weeks started to yellow from some tannin/ stain bleed through. Which Makes me nervous, as in that it took weeks for it to rear its ugly yellow head. I’ve sprayed BM Impervo, Emerald urethane, and have heard great thing of advance but have really dialed in on PPG Breakthrough for its hardness, supremely smooth finish, extremely fast dry time and absolute awesome adhesion. After my long winded paragraph, I have a couple questions. 1. I know you say you’ve never had any warranty issues, but what climate do you work in? I live in Minnesota where extreme hot and cold are both very viable issues throughout the year and I have concerns of expansion and contraction of wood substrates with a drywall mud in them. Have you ever had cracks in the skim coat of mud show up after priming and top coats? Lots of homes can be poorly insulated in our region. 2. Do you dabble in other top coats other than Advance? Have you ever used breakthrough and if so have you used smart prime beneath it? Obviously talking specifically in the white pallet top coats for color in all of this as well as that’s where we will see the worst of bleeds. 3. What type of tip do you spray smart prime with? I typically spray a 210 or 310 Graco FFLP for both primer( shellac because I’m scared of water products) and my breakthrough topcoat. Final question is, do you ever clear your topcoat for additional longevity, and if so, what would you go, 100? 200? 300? Sorry for the extensive paragraph, but I too have found myself with lots of kitchen cabinet redos as of late and am trying to hone my process. Speaking of which, mine goes as follows. Degrease/clean, sand, vac, sand, skim coat, sand, vac, prime ( twice before sanding) sand primer, vac, caulk, then topcoat, then light sand before clear if I do. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great article.
@Ryanc, Thank you for your very in depth reply. Sharing expansive product knowledge from years of testing helps build people like I and others confidence In products a cut above from store clerks and sales reps product suggestion IMO without any or little actual field credibility. Funny enough that I had recently come across a 115 cap spray that i had already been eyeballing this past year, at a very lucrative price so I snatched it. Still in testing stages with its abilities atm, but needless to say, it sprays beautifully. Just tested your grain filling method on some oak cabinet faces with an alkyd hybrid primer and first coat of BM Advance today. Sprayed flawless, with minimal thinning, roughly a few ounces a quart on the advance out of a #3 projector set. Do you typically spray your primer coat with your hvlp or go airless prior to? Just curious on primer integrity and adhesion on thinning your water based primers you use? Or would going to a 4 or 5 projector set be able to atomize it nicely with little or no thinning at all if you’ve tried?
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the kind words. Congrats on finding a good deal on the Titan 115, it is an awesome sprayer!
When I’m spraying cabinets or anything else, I bring multiple cup/gun sets (I have 2 Maxum II’s and 1 Maxum Elite). I have one set up with primer, one with top coat, and a third with an accent color if the client has one. I don’t use a separate airless sprayer. I’ve never had any issues thinning the primers I use. Currently, I am using Zinsser Smart Prime most often and I thin it down 20% with zero issues.
Having one gun set up with a number 4 or 5 would actually be a really good idea and allow you to thin your primer less theoretically. I’d love to hear how that works for you.
Hey Adam,
Gald to hear you liked the article and hopefully I can help you eliminate some of those callbacks. All I can give you is my experience, but I am pretty confident in my process. Like I’ve stated here, I haven’t had a kitchen cabinet callback in years (honestly I don’t remember one in the last 10 years).
I actually live in MN as well, NW of Minneapolis.
I don’t use shellac or any solvent-based products anymore as I have had concerns for my health over the last 10 years. Also, I don’t use airless sprayers on cabinets. They create too much overspray and waste too much product. I switched to HVLP sprayers for cabinets and honestly, nothing beats spraying cabinets with a Titan Capspray 115 HVLP, they are amazing and produce the best finish possible. Just a quick bit on this. An airless sprayer (let’s say Graco 395) is going to spray between 2000 – 3300 psi. That’s a LOT of pressure. A dialed-in HVLP is going to spray at 10-15 psi. Also, the overspray is drastically less with an HVLP. Usually an airless has 20-30% overspray where an HVLP is between 5-10%. So I use a #3 tip in a Maxum 2 gun with product thinned by roughly 20% on average.
I have made the mistake of using grain fillers that are way too hard to sand. I would stay away from the DAP grain filler. Honestly, thinned Plus 3 mud works amazing and I have NEVER had an issue (other than people not believing me that drywall mud works amazing for grain filler). I sand it down until it just fills the grain, nothing else. You don’t want large patches of mud sitting on the surface. I know that with the dry winters here and humid summers, we get some serious expansion and contraction of wood. But, ff the door is painted on all sides, the expansion and contraction of the wood should be minimal and not present any issues. This is why when I am doing doors (normal doors, not cabinet doors), I always make sure to prime and paint the tops and bottoms.
Tannins are a problem, especially in oak. I started using Smart Prime (the link will take you to a review I recently wrote on it) and have been extremely happy with it. I do still bring a can of aerosol Kilz along on jobs just to hit any bleed through that makes it through the Smart Prime. Then two coats of Advance (my review of that as well). As long as I am diligent about addressing the bleed through before I get to the topcoat, I have not had any calls of tannins bleeding through after the job is completed. I use these two products because they perform amazingly well and both have extremely low VOC levels which I and my clients like.
Top coating your enamel. I never do this. Advance is made to be a top coat and doesn’t yellow. Most clear coats will yellow more over time than Advance, so I avoid them. Plus adding a clear topcoat creates a touch-up nightmare for the homeowner in the future. If they have a small brush and the Advance paint I used, they can easily touch up and big dings or scratches that they create in the future. A clear coat makes fixing issues like that much more difficult and they simply don’t blend.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other question I can help with!
Hi Ryan,
We are embarking on a huge home reno and the house is filled with a TON of trim and window casings with deep wood grain. I’d love to show you a pic to get your opinion on whether or not this method would work! If so, my husband and I might attempt to do this!
@lauren, we just purchased a farm house built in 98. We are in the middle of redoing all the oak cabinets. About half way through in 4 days with myself there 12 hr a day and several others helping out off and on. Once cabinets are done then moving onto all baseboards, windows, door trim. It is A LOT of work. But if it turns out good then it is all worth it.
Hi Lauren,
Feel free to share the image, I’d be happy to share my thoughts.
I believe a powder drywall compound such as “Durobond”, a hot mud, would be the correct product instead of regular drywall mud. Durobond, once hardened will not re-soften with moisture like regular drywall compound. I used it on some particle board stair treads and it is holding up fantastic.
@Ryanc,
Thanks for the reply and insight…much appreciated!
Hey Tim,
Durobond is a great product, just not for cabinets in my opinion. It is a great drywall product that is good for first coats. I wouldn’t use it on a top coat due to how hard it sands (it literally has glue in it). When looking for a grain filler, you only need to fill tiny little holes in wood. You want something that sands really easy and honestly, being able to wash it off areas has been incredibly helpful to me over the years.
Been back and forth about whether to try this myself or hire someone. A local kitchen remodeled said they’ve tried filling wood grain several times, didn’t say which kind of filler they used, but it always started cracking later. How has this method held up over time? Any so called cracking a couple months in?
@Ryanc, thanks for the quick reply
Hey Jay,
I have been doing this method on clients cabinets for over 10 years. I have literally never gotten a call back due to cracking of the filler. The filler has never failed me. There could be a lot of reasons that the remodeler’s finish cracked and I couldn’t say without knowing more. But this method does work. Hope that helps
Hello, I’m trying your method. Right now, it’s hard to tell if I’ve successfully filled the grain (after sanding).
I’m at the primer stage. If I see grain after the first coat of primer is applied, am I able to re-apply the joint compound, re-sand, then apply another coat of primer?
Thank you!
Hi Stacey,
You can absolutely apply another round of filler, but if you do, you MUST apply another coat of primer. I will often find spots of missed grain after primer. If it is small, I will fill these with caulking and wipe it clean with a wet rag (since I already have the caulk out to fill corners and larger gaps). If it is a bigger area, I will re-apply the drywall compound and then re-spray that area.
I just did my first coat of watered down plus3, sanded with 220 and after first coat of primer a lot of the grain is still showing. I’m wondering what I did wrong? I am going to do another coat tomorrow and maybe not sand as much? A lot of work. Hope the next coat works!!!
@Ryanc, no way for me to send a picture on this
@John, send them to [email protected]
Hi John,
Feel free to send pictures if you keep having issues, I’ll do my best to help you find the issue.
How long do you let the plus3 compound dry before sanding it off? Do you wait the full 24hrs?
@Ryanc, I needed up putting two more coats of grain filler on the cabinet doors. They now look pretty good. May have put it on to thin? I let the grain filler stay on for the full 24 hrs for the cabinet bases and put it on much thicker. They look pretty good. We will c once I prime them.
Hi John,
Since the compound is put on quite thin, it usually takes maybe an hour to dry (not even if the humidity is low).
Can you put up a home depot or amazon link of an example stiff brush? I want to make sure I am getting the right one as these brushes don’t look like they are for painting but more for scrubbing.
@Ryanc, perfect, and to confirm this is for the joint compound correct?
On a shaker oak cabinet door, how do we prevent cracking in the future at the seam?
If you’re referring to the seam between the panel and the frame on a shaker, that’s a bit tricky. The panel on a shaker door is going to expand and contract differently than the frame over the course of a year, that is why the panel is floating inside the frame, to allow for expansion and contraction separately from the frame. I typically tell clients that I don’t fill that seam and it just is what it is. If you’re doing it yourself and want to try filling it, I would recommend caulking it versus filling it with compound. Caulk allows for more expansion and contraction.
Sure. This is the Purdy Pro Extra Glide 2.5″ Stiff brush: https://amzn.to/396U8ic
It is my absolute favorite brush, works great for this project, and will last years if you take care of it.
I am getting ready to do our bathroom cabinets. I think they are ash but look a lot like honey oak. My question is can I use the joint compound to fill in the little groove that is on the cabinet ?
Hi Susan,
You can absolutely use joint compound (this method) for filling in the groove on the cabinet. Make sure to sand out the groove good before applying compound though. If the groove is really big/deep, and the cabinets get abused a lot, moving to a harder drying wood filler wouldn’t hurt.
I have 23-year-old golden oak cathedral cabinet doors. I am wondering if I could use the joint compound to completely fill in the “cathedral groove” so the cabinet doors are flat and we could potentially turn them into painted shaker doors?
@Kelley,
Hey, Ryan; Just wondering if you had a chance to experiment will filling some “cathedral groves” yet?
@Ryanc, Excellent, I can’t wait to see your results.
Hi Kelly,
Believe it or not, I have actually been asked this same question 3 times in the last week! So here is what I am going to do, I am going to grab a few of these style doors and a few different wood fillers and see what works best for eliminating that large groove in this style of door.
In the meantime, I recommend thoroughly sanding the groove with a 100 – 120 grit paper, filling it with joint compound, sand and fill again as the compound will likely shrink, repeat until flawlessly smooth. Prime with Smart Prime, and top coat.
I will try to have this new post ready in 2 weeks. Hopefully I can give some concrete advice on the best way to tackle this issue.
We are getting ready to start our kitchen remodel, which will be my hubby making cabinets above our existing cabinets (old oak cathedral style) and hiring an Amish guy to paint our new shaker doors and crown moulding so they are nice and smooth and I searched online for something to fill in wood grain on our cabinet boxes and came across your article. We are doing the cabinet boxes ourselves, though. I have a couple of questions. I was under the understanding that we needed to buy the “dry” compound to make it somewhat the consistency of paint, but since I read you buy it by the bucket, I assume we can use it premixed….is that correct? Premixed is in buckets, and the powder is in a box. Can we use it premixed? Do we just thin it out or is it good right from the bucket? Also, besides using it on my cabinet boxes, I want to use it on the ends of my cabinets on both sides of my sink and that is actually 3/8″ pressed wood with a plastic grain covering it, so we can’t sand that without tearing the plastic can we…can we just cover those ends with the compound, too or do we need to do something else with it? We’ve thought about covering those panels with beadboard if there would be a problem with filling in the grain marks (even thought it’s not real wood, it still has grains).
We are painting the cabinet boxes ourselves and hopefully we can cover up everything we don’t want painted and my hubby can use his sprayer for the primer and paint for a finish with no brush or roller marks. Any suggestions for taping off and/or spraying. We are just do it yourselfers who like to try new things so we are thinking we can do this. Any suggestions are welcome!
@Ryanc, We are trying to follow your ideas step by step and am reading your articles. We are planning to buy a wagner sprayer that you suggested and are planning to use Zinnzer Smart Prime (if we can find it locally) Menards doesn’t carry it. When you mention thinning it out, do you thin with water or do you use a product called Floetrol and do you thin both the primer and the paint?
Hi Penny,
I like to buy the premixed Plus 3 in a bucket rather than the powder. Just add water to get the consistency. You could use either, but the powder tends to cure faster and be harder to sand.
I would think that you shouldn’t have a problem filling the ends of your cabinets with compound. Just make sure to clean them and sand them before application.
As far as suggestions, I have a lot of useful posts on here for kitchen cabinet painting (and I’m always working on more!):
How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets Like a Pro – A large guide on painting kitchen cabinets.
Benjamin Moore Advance Review – My favorite cabinet paint.
Zinsser Smart Prime Review – My favorite cabinet primer.
Painting Over Oil Based Finishes
Paint Calculator – Estiamte how long and how much your cabinet project will cost.
How To Prep Cabinets For Painting.
I hope this helps! Good luck with your project.
Hi Ryan,
I was looking for an alternative to the grain fillers that I don’t have access to in my area and came upon your article. I live in Canada and don’t have a store close by that carries the drywall compound you use. Would this( https://www.homedepot.ca/product/cgc-synko-ultralight-drywall-compound-13-5-l-pail/1000712847 ) be a good equivalent to it? Or can you suggest another product ? Thanks for your help.
Hi Rhonda,
I haven’t used the ultralight in that link, but I would recommend just ordering some Plus 3 online. That ultralight may work, but I cannot say yes or no.
Where do you buy the Smart Prime? Only place I can find is Amazon and the reviews on there say theirs arrived chunky and appears old.
@Ryanc, none of the stores sell Smart Prime. Checked Menards, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart and even our local Sherwin Williams store and that person has never heard of it. I’ve done a search online as to stores around me that sell it, but that only brings up stores that sell Rustoleum products such as auto parts stores..So I guess my next option is to switch back to the Benjamin Moore Advanced Primer that you talked about before you mentioned Smart Prime. I am waiting on an answer from Rustoleum as to where I could possibly buy it. (note: I can find it online in just a handful of places but I’m afraid with the cold weather it could possibly freeze before arriving to me)
@Ryanc, well we ordered smart prime on Amazon and it arrived today… Can had leaked some during shipping because of their lack of protection inside the box, but not a lot. Hubby checked to make sure it wasn’t chunky and it’s not, just very very thick. I also bought him the wagner spray tech sprayer and that should arrive Wednesday. Did I read to thin the primer 20%??
Hi Penny,
I actually really like the BM Advance Primer. It is a good product. I would be confident moving forward using that as my primer.
Smart Prime should be available at most Home Depot and Lowes stores. Sometimes when you get paint, it can show up chunky/old, this is not usually the manufacturer’s fault. It is usually the store selling it. They may have let it freeze in their trucks, stored it too long, or something else. Smart Prime is great, just make sure to buy it from someone who sells enough and will take a return if anything shows up not on par.
My kitchen cabinets were oak and have already been painted. You can still see a lot of the grain and imperfections from the oak. Could I use this method over the painted cabinets before repainting to obtain a smoother finish? Any other tips, advice or suggestions if I do this? Thank you!!!
Hi Lynn,
I have used this method over painted cabinets without any problems. Make sure to go through all the steps I lay out in my How To Paint Cabinets Like A Pro post and you should be fine.
Do you use latex enamel or a Hybrid Enamel on your cabinets?
Hi Ryan, Do o you use a acrylic Enamel on your cabinets? I’m retired, owned a collision repair shop and did auto body repair and paint for 50 years. I sprayed my crown and base boards with acrylic enamel… they came out slick. (Used an airless). When I painted the drawer faces I used an HVLP (Wagner). I couldn’t get it to layout. It went on heavy, no runs, but didn’t flow out at all. I thinned it and added flotrol. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Mike
@Ryanc, Hey Ryan, ThankYOU for getting back to me and for the info. I have the Wagner Flexio 4300. It came with gravity feed and suction feed guns. It was $200, had I known what I know now, I would have spent a little more for a better sprayer. I’m still torn on wether to use this or my airless. The airless is a graco UltraMax. I have a 210 tip (4” fan), but they still overspray way worse than the HVLP. One other question, my cabinet doors are raised panel (wish I could send a picture). I have them prepped..I completely stripped them. There are a lot of small crevices, (where they were assembled). I was going to caulk those, will it matter if the mud gets in those cracks? Do you think that will be a place that will fail later? Thanks again, Mike
Hey Michael,
Just got an email from you. I’ll reply in email.
Hey Michael,
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. I have used acrylic enamels, though these days I typically use water-based alkyds (or hybrids) such as Benjamin Moore Advance. To get an acrylic enamel to spray and level (flow) well with an hvlp, I’ve found that thinning about 20% is usually required. I don’t use flotrol as I’ve typically had good luck with thinning with just water at 20%. The Wagner sprayers are significantly under-powered compared to professional turbine hvlps or compared to using a compressor. So make sure your air is turned all the way up and dial back the fluid flow rate. I like to start with no fluid and slowly turn it up. If you still aren’t getting good atomization and flow, thin it a bit more. I did write a pretty in depth guide on using the Wagner Flexio 2000 you might want to check out. Let me know how it goes.
For finished oak cabinets do you sand first and how much prior to adding joint compound?
Hi Cathy,
Yes, whether they are painted, clear coated, or unfinished, I always start by cleaning, then sanding. The level of sanding will always depend on the condition of the cabinets, but you need to sand enough to at least de-gloss the surface, rough it up, and remove any previous imperfections. Hope this helps!
Hey Ryan, I have all the grain filler on my doors. I only primed one, so I if there was an issue I could address it now. I broke through the primer in a couple of places, would it be ok to use a rattle can of Zinzer to spot prime those of do I need to recoat the whole door? I have emailed 3 pictures to you, I’m not sure what’s going on. The primer is not real smooth, I sanded with 150. Thank You, Mike
@Ryanc, Thanks Ryan. I sent the pics on Match 16. That might make them easier to find.
Hey Mike,
I carry a rattle can of Kilz with me on all jobs. Perfect for spot priming anywhere I accidentally sand through or where tannins bleed through. Just make sure to sand the area after spot priming as those cans leave a rough finish. I’ll look for the email with the pics and respond there.
Hi Ryan, I sent 3 pictures of a cabinet door that I primed. I broke through the primer when sanding(used 150). Can I uses spray can of Zinzer to spot prime, or should I just re-cost the whole door? If you enlarge the pictures, the primer looks irregular. Thoughts??
Thank You, Mike
Hello! I’m about to start updating my kitchen. I have *lovely* (dated) cathedral style red oak cabinets and paneling/bases and uppers. I want to remove or hide as much of them as possible. Will this technique work for filling in the cathedrals on the cabinets or is it only advised for the small pores of the wood grain?
TIA!
Hi Tia,
I’ve been meaning to test this method on Cathedral doors but have not yet had the chance. So I really cannot say yet. However, I have had a lot of people ask about this. So, I have it on my to-do list to go and get some old cathedral doors at the re-use store and test it out. I will make sure to let you know when I have my results.
What’s the best brand of brush and when you say “stiff” do you mean like a mortar brush?
I personally love Purdy brushes and Wooster. Those are pretty much all I use. I don’t have any experience with a mortar brush, but when I say stiff, I mean in relation to other paint brushes. Most brushes will say if they have a stiff or soft bristle.
Hi Ryan,
Thank you for all of the amazing information! I was going to go with aqua coat but it is very expensive so I appreciate the effort you put into to this to educate us. My question is, I am going to be doing all of these steps to my oak cabinets & drawers. However, the handles that I am wanting to use are larger than what I had one before so I am needing to drill new holes. I have already used TSP and paint stripped them, should I go ahead and drill the new holes and fill the old ones, then sand, then do the filler? What would you recommend?
Thank you so much!
Carli
Hi Carli,
If your new holes are in a completely new location not adjacent to the old holes, then you can fill the old holes with the normal grain filler. Make sure to put on two to three coats as it will shrink a little bit and cause a small dimple if you don’t. If your new holes are right next to the old ones or even touching them, then you will need to fill the old holes with something stronger like bondo or a hard wood filler. These are stronger than the drywall grain filler and will allow you to drill into or next to them without any issues. Hope This Helps!
Hi Ryan! I absolutely love your posts on doing kitchen cabinets. We hope to get this project done over the next year. We have golden oak and will be doing all the tips and tricks you suggest for a smooth finish. My question is (and I’m sure it’s somewhere in your posts), is it a satin or semi-gloss finish for the topcoat that would look like the ones from a cabinet shop? Thanks!
Hi Jan,
I ALWAYS use Satin. I never use semi-gloss. It is just too much and looks tacky in my opinion. Good luck on your project!
I’ve TSPd stained oak cabinet fronts. So do I need to lightly sand the lacquer finish next before I grain fill with mud or go directly to grain filling and sand all when it dries?
Hi John,
I would recommend sanding before you apply the mud filler. It’s quick and easy and the potential benefits are huge. Hope this helps.
Using this method now for oak cabinets as it worked very well for a media built-in. What can be done about the cabinet doors slightly warping/twisting after applying the drywall compound while doing the work in the garage? In your experience will they go back to flat at some point?
Hi Michael,
Sorry to hear that you are having some issues with your cabinet doors. The drywall compound wouldn’t cause them to warp as there isn’t enough moisture to cause warping from that. My guess is that it was too humid in your garage and having the doors sit in there for an extended period caused the warping. I would bring them inside and make sure that your humidity is low. Give them a week and see if they go back to normal. Good Luck!
Hi Ryan I Am a painter by trade but don’t specialize in wood furniture( most of the cabinets I paint are painted many times so I rarely run into this issue) I’ve recently started re purposing furniture and have been running into this grain problem. my question is will the pre mixed dust control drywall compound I use every day at work hold up once sanded primed and painted or do I need to go with a bit harder such as a 20,45,90 thanks.
I’ve used the pre-mix dust control, it works great. I wouldn’t use the 20-45-90, I don’t think it offers any benefit and is just harder to sand and you tend to waste mnore.
Can you use oil based primer over the joint compound? Thank you.
Absolutely