Minwax® Wood Putty® Golden Oak, 3.75-Oz

I live in an old Victorian home with oak floors. Every Winter the floor boards shrink. This leaves me with gaps between the boards that collect dust and dirt. This putty is like the old clay we played with as children. You roll it into a ball or strip and press it into the gaps. It matches the oak well enough and can be stained if needed. It says it is "non- hardening" so I hope it will stay put and not "pop" out of the seams as other wood filler has done before I decided to switch to this Minwax product.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is an excellent putty for filling small holes. I really like that it comes in a variety of colors that can be purchased. They purposely sell the colors that match stains by Minwax as well so if you fill a nail hole with the same color that the wood has been stained then it should and DOES match perfectly. Little nail holes or minor imperfections are completely covered and you cannot see them at all. I highly recommend this to anyone that uses Minwax products or has stains that match in color and need to cover small holes.

I bought this to fill nail holes in white trim. It worked just as described and was easy to use. My criticism is with the product information. Most of the Minwax wood putties are color matched to Minwax stains, which makes them well suited to repairs on woods that were stained with Minwax. Certainly, Minwax created the white wood putty knowing it would be used on wood painted in varying shades of white, and that the color they have created might not be compatible. That being said, it would make sense for the instructions on the white wood putty to state clearly whether it can or should be painted. Instead, the buyer is left to guess whether this is a proper use of the product. One reviewer said she had good results painting the putty, so I'll give it a try, but It'd be far better if Minwax made clear, one way or the other, whether this is a paintable product

Like so many other reviewers, “Non-hardening” verbiage is microscopic and unreadable with the naked eye, so after applying this goo, I got out my magnifying glass and realize that it will never harden, SO WHAT IS TGE FREAKING POONT? Now I have to remove it all, hopefully, throw this in the garbage and go out and buy wood filler that could harden in my lifetime and serve a function.

Can someone please tell me why you would want to fill holes with something that never hardens. What is the point of it? If it stays soft it will also dent, come out and in no way provides a usable surface. I see absolutely no use for this product. Waste of time and money. Now I have to try and remove all the putty and hope that a filler that hardens will adhere. There is also no indication of what solvent will completely remove it. It doesn't even rate one star. Minwax, change your label for this product and add in bold letters "Does not harden" on the front, not in tiny letters on the back. I would also appreciate a response to this review informing me of what possible use this product has and how to remove it.

I used the stainable wood filler on my stairs to patch the staple divots and cover all the nail holes. It completely repelled my Minwax stain and left the stair completely splotchy. I tried standing over it and staining again and the spots are all still there. Very disappointed as I don't know how to continue other than painting the stairs now.

I would not have purchased this product if I knew it was non-hardening. Unfortunately I did not have a magnifying glass with me to read the information on the container. Easy to put “non-hardening” on the lid in larger letters but I guess that makes too much sense.

So, let me start by saying I have always been a fan of Minwax products. They've never let me down. I make small toys from mostly salvaged and recycled wood. Because of my lumber source, I am always filling cracks, nail and screw holes. I bought the Minwax Wood Putty when I saw on the label that it Never Hardens. I took that to mean that it does not harden in the jar. As you know, wood putty's do not have a long shelf life after opening. I was thrilled when I read Never Hardens. I spent an evening filling holes in some salvaged lumber. I then left the shop for 5 days. Only to return and find all the putty still soft to the touch. So, as I should have done before using the putty, I read the whole label, under a magnifying glass (that's another issue), only to find it doesn't harden when applied. For what purpose would I want a non-hardening putty? It makes no sense. And that label? Really? If this product stays on the shelves, you might want to consider a larger jar with larger text. BTW, the little plastic jar is perfect for mixing small amounts of colored paints. As I've said, I've always been a fan of Minwax products. I will now go back to using the 2 part wood filler. Which works great. Except that the little tube of hardener doesn't last the life of the canned product. I always have to purchase another can to get more hardener.

I bought this yesterday to fill some staple holes on a cedar mailbox. I went to check it a couple hours later and it wasn't hard. I got the jar out and in small print on the back it says does not harden. First of all the 4oz jars are so small the writing is even smaller. Put the does not harden warning in larger letters on the lid. Second why in the world would you even make a wood putty that doesn't harden and can't be sanded and then finished with paint or poly. I'm 70 and enjoy wood working and this is the first wood putty I've used that doesn't harden, it's closer to a glazing putty you would use on exterior window repair. Now I'm going to have to scrape the putty off and use a tiny finish nail or needle and dig it out of the holes to get a product that is usable. I have used minwax products for many years without a problem, until now. I know customer service will write a reply to my review stating that it says on the jar it does not harden, but maybe my review will save someone's the extra work and frustration with this product!!!!!

Same problem reported by other people. Use it once and it dries within the bottle in a short time. I have thrown away many of these products. Please fix this product.