Best way to fill pocket holes ... prior to painting?

[GrinAndBearIt]

Hi

Got quite a few exposed pocket holes on these cabinets I'm knocking up ... what is the forum's experience of filling these prior to painting? Is it overkill to get purpose made plugs? Most of the Google searches I do seem to come up with a product called Durham's Rock Hard water putty ... but this is a US product, so looking for the UK equivalent.

Thanks all - appreciate your input!

 

[foxhole]

two part wood filler.

 

[GrinAndBearIt]

Ok ... got some of that ... although whenever I've used it in the past, I hate the way it goes off so quickly! In order not to end up wasting it, I find I have to repeatedly make small batches. Plus it's so expensive ...

 

[Dave54]

You might be using too much hardener. Follow the instructions carefully. It still goes off pretty quickly though. All you can do is mix it, and knife it into the holes as quickly as possible.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

There is also a design issue here, methinks. Part of the trick to using pocket holes is either to use them where they can't be seen (e.g. underside of cabinet on floor standing cabinets or top on full height ones) or to clad over the screwed layer with a decor panel or some such. I suppose it's why the Yanks favour double-skinned cabinets and face frames.

You can also get pellets to fill the holes, like these which are glued into the holes,and trimmed flush when the glue has set (24 hours) with something like an Irwin flush cut saw (and if you do get a saw of this type I recommend that you go for the Irwin - it's better than many others on the market). Then sanded to finish. Looks neater than 2-pack IMHO

 

[GrinAndBearIt]

You're right ... it wasn't well thought out design-wise ... but in the end I just thought, hey, it's being painted, so it'll never show. Seems that probably won't actually be the case however much filling, plugging & sanding I do.

Might try the plugs out of interest (don't know whether there is any difference between a Kreg hole and a UJK hole).

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Might try the plugs out of interest (don't know whether there is any difference between a Kreg hole and a UJK hole).

Probably not. Kreg were the original patentees back in the 1980s - everything else is a knock-off and probably still the same sizes