3M Bondo Wood Filler 30 oz (850.49 g) with Bondo Cream Hardner 0.5 oz (14g), Repairs Chips and Cracks in Wood, Sandable, Paintable, and Stainable (WF-QT-ES)

I was scared to death when applying this to the stair landing I've been working on. I decided to measure, glue, sand, cut etc.,a large portion of the landing using LL Flooring's, red oak select, tongue and groove flooring. After sanding and prepping I tried Minwax colored filling which is great on smaller spaces, but this time it cracked over night. I sanded most of it off as the Amazon truck pulled up with this stuff. So many reviews complained about work time, color, and ability to take stain. I still have one more landing to do so I will post pictures as I go with that one. As you see in these after stain pictures, it seems to take it just fine. I used Minwax semi-transparent, water based stain. This is one coat, allowed to sit 12 minutes before wiping down. I'm thinking the error must be by user and maybe lack of experience mixing and using epoxy products and also experience applying stain. I can't speak to the review that used oil based stain as this stuff feels like hard plastic when dry. I can still see where the epoxy is applied but it is covered enough that I'm sure after drying and getting the second coat, it will only be my critical eye that will know its there. I sanded it down starting with 50 grit then stepped up to a final 220, then I stained the next day after building up some nerve. I mixed very small amounts maybe three or four teaspoons and then added a little dap of the activator. I mixed for about a minute and applied. I had to repeat this in a smaller amount to touch up a couple places that I felt needed attention. I was able to do all the seams in about 7 minutes first round and still had workability. I then gossiped with my neighbor for about 15 minutes and by then it was set pretty good. I let it rest another 10 or fifteen minutes while I gathered my sanding crap again. I sanded all of the protruding layers starting with 50 and going down again, just to keep consistent with the wood. I also filled a couple chipped spots from the circular saw, but again, my eye will not go there come second coat. My anxiety now put to rest, I am excited about this product. I wanted to post pics right away to help anyone looking to see how it takes stain specifically, because no one else posted transparent stain pictures that helped me much. This was truly a shot in the dark for me. Next landing I'll post more before, during, and final pics when my project is finished. For reference I used a darker stain, Aged Barrel. But as you can see there's plenty of wood grain character. I posted a picture of the stairs too so you can see the depth of color. The epoxy dried like the color of a shelled peanut prior to sanding. This DIY queen is happy thus far.UPDATE:I uploaded pictures of yesterday's mess leftover in the small cabinet paint roller dealy. I scraped it out pretty good and scraped the plastic putty knife. This epoxy is for wood so it's possible to reuse hard plastic container and putty knives by breaking off or scraping it off with something stronger. I'm finding that the less activator the longer working time but a bit longer to dry. I went back and got a place I missed after about 12 minutes and though it is hardening a little I was still able to get a space filled. I was not in a rush so I left it to dry and took a break, so I can't say how quick or slow it dried. Lastly, use in a well ventilated area. Yes it stinks, it's epoxy. I hope this helps. Good luck to you all.

I am restoring old French windows and the wood needed a lot of patching, reinforcing and rebuilding. I had never used Bondo wood filler, but everyone assured me it was the best product for the job.The results are fantastic, but what a MAJOR pain in the neck Bondo is to use! First, you need to figure out how much of the tiny tube of hardener to use for the big quart of filler. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos, I got the idea, and the fact that I went through the entire quart of filler and had just a tiny bit of hardener left probably means I got the ratio about right. If you’ve never used Bondo, I highly recommend watching the videos — you really do need just a tiny bit of hardener for the small amount of Bondo you can reasonably use before it hardens.I also bought the pink Bondo spreaders (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BOC9K4) because one video said that the Bondo spreaders are the color that the mixed filler/hardener should be. Either that video was using a different formulation or Bondo changed the color of the hardener — it’s blue, not red, so when you mix it, you’re aiming for a sickly, light-green color. Even so, for a few bucks, the Bondo spreaders worked quite well; they’re stiff enough to mix the Bondo thoroughly and apply it, but have just enough flexibility to help smooth the product (which, based on my experience, is definitely an skill that requires a fair amount of practice).You need to mix this in very small batches (at most, a few tablespoons at a time) because each batch must be used in literally 2-3 minutes. When time is up, the mixture quickly starts caking and getting hard, making it utterly useless. And on the topic of mixing, I ended up mixing it on an 8”x10” piece of acrylic, which is non-porous (so it won’t soak up any of the oils in the product), sturdy to mix the heck out of the two components quickly, and perfectly smooth, which makes clean-up much easier after each batch. And yes, you need to clean the mixing board and the utensils after each batch; otherwise, your next batch could be contaminated and your spreaders will be caked with hard Bondo which will prevent smooth spreading of the next batch.As for the results, they are amazing, despite the TOTAL PITA this product is to use. The product can fill deep holds solidly, but can also build up pretty delicate shapes (sometimes requiring 4-5 thin layers and lots of sanding to get perfect). It really does dry hard in 15-20 minutes and is easily sandable.If Bondo would just invent an additive that would increase the working time — even by a few minutes — this would be a lot easier and less frustrating to work with. As it is, however, it is a total pain to use, but worth the effort given the excellent results.Final note: Be sure to wear thin gloves (thin latex/surgical gloves) when mixing and applying the Bondo. However careful you think you can be, Bondo will end up on your fingers and it is absolutely miserable to remove!5 (begrudging) stars.

A great item for patching wood