Debate: Should we fill nail holes before staining or just leave them?

I was working on a red oak table last week in my shop near Denver and left the nail holes unfilled for a reclaimed look. Client loved it, but my old mentor said I was lazy. What do you all think, is it a style choice or a shortcut?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alex11d ago

lol your mentor said that? That's harsh. But I get where he's coming from, old school guys think everything has to be perfect. For a reclaimed look though, leaving nail holes makes total sense. That's a deliberate style choice, not just ignoring them. I've done it on a few oak projects and people love the texture. Plus if you're using ring shank nails or something like that, the holes add character. Your mentor is just used to the old way of doing things, but times change.

abby_morgan1810d ago

Three years back I did a whole kitchen island out of reclaimed barn wood and left every single nail hole in it. @the_alex you nailed it (pun intended) about ring shank nails too, those little spiral marks are like a fingerprint that makes each piece unique. My mentor would have a heart attack if he saw it but that kitchen has gotten more compliments than any perfect piece I've ever built. It's funny how older guys get stuck in that mindset of hiding everything when the whole point of using reclaimed wood is to show its history. People pay extra for that texture now and I think that's way better than trying to make it look like something it's not.

emma_garcia9d ago

Haha right? My mentor would disown me, I leave every dent in.