What is stainable wood filler?

Stainable wood filler can be colored with a penetrating dye after it has been used to repair defects in a wood surface. Wood filler is made of various materials to fill nail holes, cracks, gouges or other imperfections in unfinished wood surfaces.

Some cellulose wood-filler products accept stain well. Minwax’s Stainable Wood Filler was developed specifically to accept color well with either oil-based or water-based stains to match the repaired wood. Gypsum-based fillers can be painted but not stained and should be used only indoors, since these materials absorb water. Carpenters and woodworkers traditionally made their own fillers with fine sawdust from the same wood as the project, mixing it into a paste with carpenter's glue, shellac or hide glue. The hide glue is easiest to stain.