Aqua Coat Water-Based Clear Wood Grain Filler Gel, Fast-Drying, Low Odor, Low VOC, Sandable, Stainable & Paintable, Easy Water Cleanup, Glossy Finish, 16 oz

I was hesitant at first. Thought I was probably doing it wrong but my wood projects turned out BEAUTIFUL. I used it on Walnut. Finished with brushed on Lacquer. Came out beautiful! When I run out I will buy it again.

Applied with a body filler spreader, this stuff goes on smoothly, dries quickly to a completely clear finish, sands to a fine white powder with no clogging of sandpaper, and cleans up with water. Grain filling is uniformly excellent. I’ve used this only with shellac- and water-based finishes, so I can’t comment on its use with oil based finishes. Most highly recommended.

I've read the reviews, which are for the most part pretty positive. A few folks had trouble but most did not.My experience with Aqua Clear is generally good. It's not a magical "practically does the job for you" kind of product. It is a grain filler, if you've worked with oak then the need for grain fillers should be somewhat familiar. This product works but it does what it does progressively. It's a water based product so when you apply it the grain in the wood will "rise", that's normal with most woods. After application and a suitable drying time you have to sand it. Some complained that if you use sand paper you sand right through it. That is perfectly okay, the majority of the product is supposed to sand off leaving the product in the "lower" pores and grain. You build the product on the wood through successive layering until you reach the smoothness you are looking for. For very porous woods the directions suggest sealing with an unwaxed shellac first to seal the wood. I can see that as helpful.Sealing wood is not an "effortless" process, no matter what you use. Aqua Clear isn't cheap but it does work if you use it correctly. I use an old PETCO rewards card as an applicator and I give the product ample time to dry. It takes several coats to get the degree of smoothness I like.

Great product. Painted oak cabinets and used this to fill open grain. Takes multiple coats but does work great.

I’ve used a handful of wood grain fillers over the years, and this one was honestly pretty frustrating to work with. The texture is very thick—almost jelly-like—and that made it tough to spread evenly across the surface. It didn’t level into the grain the way other fillers I’ve used have, which really affected the final result.I ended up applying three layers, and even then, the wood grain was still clearly visible through the finish. If you’re going for a perfectly smooth, glassy surface, this might not be the best choice. Fortunately, I was planning to relic this particular project, so the imperfect grain showing through wasn’t a total dealbreaker—but if I had wanted a clean, polished finish, I would’ve been disappointed.To its credit, it does harden up nicely once dry, and it sands pretty easily. But the effort it takes to apply—and the lack of complete grain fill even after multiple coats—makes me hesitant to use it again.Bottom line:If you’re okay with some texture showing through or doing a distressed/relic-style finish, this might work for you. But if you’re after a super smooth, professional-grade surface, I’d recommend going with a filler that spreads more easily and fills more effectively on the first or second pass.

I wish I would have found this product a long time ago for my wood projects. Easy to apply. Easy to sand. And a decent price as well. This will be my go to wood/pore filler.

The best thing about this filler for me was its soft gel texture. It's not so loose that it flows but not so viscous that it's hard to spread. I applied it easily with a shop towel, working it into the grain with a circular motion. It dried quickly - I typically gave it 45 minutes but could have probably sanded sooner. One mistake I made was that I applied/sanded 3 coats of filler before any seal coat on my finished piece and that prevented some of the end grain in particular from absorbing my finish and taking on the darker color we see when we apply our first coat of finish. That left my piece a bit splotchy until I gave it a vigorous sanding and then re-applied my wax oil finish. My plan for future will be to apply a coat of shellac or finishing oil, then proceed with the Aqua Coat filler until smooth before putting on my final finish coats. I've always found the texture of filler to be a pain - too runny or too stiff - and this product really hits the sweet spot for me.

I've use a similar product for filling wood grain before painting. I wanted to try this product to fill layer lines on a 3d print before painting the piece. The results were excellent! It is a big plus that the product is easily cleaned up with soup and water.