Instructions / Assembly
•  Choosing the right surface—The type of wood can make a 
big difference in the look of the final repair. Choose a surface 
as close to the “Natural” color of the wood filler you will 
apply. Wood with heavy grain will show a repair area more.  
Choose a wood with less grain and test it first to make sure 
you have a good color and stain match. 
•  Preparing the surface—Surface should be clean and dry. 
De-gloss the surface if necessary. 
Surface, wood filler, and air temperature should be above 40ºF. 
If you’ll be staining the wood, make sure to stain before filling 
with wood filler. Once the filler is dried and sanded, you will 
go back and stain the wood filler. 
If you want to limit the areas around a fill that will need to 
be sanded, use painter’s tape to keep those areas protected.
•  Press filler into place with putty knife. For deep gouges 
larger than ¼” in depth, multiple layers are recommended 
instead of a single fill. Overfill slightly to allow for sanding 
or settling.
•  If you are using Plastic Wood on an exterior surface, 
or on a surface that you will place outside, make sure 
to choose a surface that will be painted, stained with a 
solid color stain, or otherwise sealed. Unpainted wood 
(on any side—even the underside 
of a deck) will take in moisture 
which can cause a lot of expansion 
and contraction that will limit the 
durability of your repair over time. 
®
ALL PURPOSE WOOD FILLER
Here are some handy 
ApplicationTips
that we’ve found helpful:
Before You Fill
A commonly-seen mistake occurs when there is a 
small, open area between the edge of the filler and the 
wood where stain can pool up and soak into the wood. 
This results in the appearance of a dark ring around the 
repair. 
If you stain the wood to be repaired first, this will prevent 
a ring since stained wood does not accept as much stain 
as unstained wood. 
Make sure you overfill and sand well to get a seamless 
repair.
Plastic Wood should be applied by slightly overfilling the 
surface to allow for sanding and settling.
T
Be on the look-out for this icon throughout—it signals one of our 
“Tips + Tricks” developed by product experts to help ensure a 
successful application.
How to Apply
T
See and tips on reverse. 
Finishing Clean-Up


