Which Outdoor Wood Filler Is Most Suitable For Semi-Transparent Stain?

The best exterior wood stains for protecting wood structures, siding, or furniture are Minwax Stainable Wood Filler, Elmer’s E887Q Stainable Wood Filler, Elmer’s E913 Carpenter’s Color Change Wood Filler, FamoWood 40022126 Latex Wood Filler, Aqua Coat Clear Wood Grain Filler, and Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler. These products offer ideal color and transparency while being easy to use and weather resistant.

Stainable wood fillers, such as Durham’s Water Putty, can patch small holes and gaps but are designed to absorb stain and blend into the surrounding wood. If staining over wood filler, use a solid stain. A semi-transparent stain will not hide it and no stain will do a perfect job of covering it.

Intergrain and Cabot’s have a range of exterior wood filler specifically made for outdoor decks, which can be shellac-based sticks or other fillers as long as you can mix in pigment or stain. Epoxy repairs are some of the strongest and most long-lasting ways to patch wood, as they are structural and can be used anywhere.

Oil penetrating stain won’t work on most “stainable” wood fillers, so use an acrylic stain like Saman odorless wood. Mix redwood sawdust with a good quality exterior glue such as Titebond III to fill the void and leave it a little. Bondo Wood Filler can also be stained, though it’s unlikely that it will absorb stain the same as the surrounding wood. A 1-quart can of Bondo Wood Filler with a 1-quart can of stain is recommended.