Everett Abrams
Member
Many of us go on jobs where we see this damage and it seems to cause issues for some folks on how to handle these. There are times when a piece of wood or baluster needs to be replaced, many times this is the easiest thing to do depending on the damage. When the carpenter bees lay the eggs the woodpeckers can do a large amount of damage trying to get to the eggs. One of the easiest ways to deal with this is to fill the holes with stainable/paintable wood putty. Most people will leave it like this and just stain over it but then when finished it stands out badly. Try getting a solid or semi-solid stain that is close in color to the sealer you are using and then pre-stain these areas with a small brush and allow to dry. Then when you seal the wood they do not show up as much, many times they will blend in like a knot would. Another way is to use a wood marker or pencil that is the same color as the sealer or stain and color the wood putty first and then seal. Both ways the finished result will look better than just filling the whole with putty and sealing over it. Anyone else have any tips on they handle this type of damage?