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If you plan to use an entire can of filler at one time, you can thin it right in the container. This will keep dri ed filler from gathering on the rim of th e can , making it hard to close. The main thing to keep in mind is the filler sho uld be the con sistency of cream. If it is too thick, it will be hard to work , may dr y too fast, and won 't fill small pores very well. If it is too thin, it will be easier to apply and take a bit longer to dry, but it won 't fill large pores as well. Always add small am ounts of thinner to the filler, stirring it tho roug hly after th e liquid is adde d.

However, in deeply grained wood you may need to apply a seco nd coat of filler. Pores with f iller slightly below surface •• .... • Wood Water-based filler s are usu ally dry eno ugh to sand and topcoat in two to three hours. When sa nd ing, th e idea is to rem ove the filler from the surface of the wood, leaving it only in th e pores. In most cases, I use 220-grit or 320-grit 48 Chapter Four wet/dry pap er , bu t occasiona lly if I have applied too much filler I may have to resort to 180 grit or even 150 grit.

In order for early waterbased finishes to work, th e entire finishing system either had to be water based (or at least water com patible) or required th e use of sealers to bond the water-based product to solvent-based u ndercoats. Agai n, m ost furnitu re manufacturers, large and small, balked at having to rethink their en tire finishing ope ration. Expensive One of th e biggest complaints I had wh en I fir st began using water-based fin ish es was th eir cos t. In general, th e better-quality water-based finishes I was buyin g cos t anywhe re from $ 5 to $ 15 m or e per gallon than a com parable solvent-based lacquer .