Just go to HD or Lowes and get some wood filler .
rub it in and wipe the residue from the surrounding area with a clean rag .
I'm sure other members on here have other suggestions to .

AustinFloorguy , I know what you mean , But there is something about the feel and balance of a quality tool .
It seems like every time i try to find a deal i end up getting burned.

I looked and didn't really see a plain wood filler, they all said white oak, red oak, bruce speial mix.......

I now have the same stain they used on my floor, also bought some polyurethane to use on my tmold since my tmold is just plain wood and I have to stain and coat it.

Any specific wood filler I should get to work with my type of floor, or does it not matter? I have hickory wood floor, not sure if i should just get the white oak and stain it/seal it after applying it, any thoughts about this?

thanks as always,
JB

White oak filler (if it is stainable) is close enough to the colour of raw hickory, that it shouldn't present any problems once you stain it.
Remember that it will appear to be a solid blob though, so spend a bit of time drawing in a bit of graining with a marker to simulate the grain of the wood surrounding the patch.
A bit of time at this stage will go a long way towards making this filled area nearly invisible when you are finished.

I am having trouble matching the stain on my t-mold (it's plain wood). I guess I am either not applying enough of it, or wiping it too early, any thoughts?

It is the exact stain they used, same wood as well.

I am applying it using towel, rub it on so I can see a decent layer, then wiping it at various times. I even let it set overnight and it is not quite dark enough. How much should I apply, enough to leave a liquid area where I apply it. What seems logical as a wipe up time?

I am sure I will get it with experimentation, but maybe I am doing something wrong?

JB

Quickest way to deepen a stain colour is to "water-pop" the wood before staining.
Take a wet cloth and wipe the trim piece with it. This will open the grain and allow greater penetration of the stain. Allow the wood to thoroughly dry before applying the stain.

Sand the wood with 80 grit and then stain

OOPS, forgot about the sanding part. Austin is right, the heat of the milling process in making the trim has sealed the surface of the wood. Without sanding, the stain cant penetrate at all. You may still need to open the grain further with water though.

I didn't read these before testing the stain on the main piece. My problem was I wasn't really putting enough stain on the wood, testing it on the bottom of the molding. I would then wipe it off too early, thus it was a very light color. When I tested the first piece tonight on the top, the stain came out much darker, and when it etches into the texture of the hickory, it darkens. I compared the stained piece to a leftover piece and it matches very well. Good news with hickory is I have a lot of variation in light/dark across the floor, so this will be perfect matching it.

I appreciate the suggestions, I will definitely keep these in mind for when I decide to do more woodwork. I love learning about this stuff and I appreciate all the nice suggestions people have offered. In a world as crazy as it has become, it is awesome to know people still have great hearts to give free knowledge to others...... God bless.

JB

the t-mold stain is really close now after trying a few times, and many breaks from it. next dilemma is the poly finish put on. I chose satin as my wood is not shiny, it's more dull. well even the satin is glossier, is that normal as I don't see how it is possible to match their coating as it doesn't really look like a finish is on the factory wood as it just blends in real well. I can re-sand pieces down if there is a way to make the poly match, but I don't really see how it is even possible, anybody had similar experiences?

thanks and god bless....

JB

You can use a piece of emery cloth and buff the surface of the trim down until you reach the desired gloss level that you need to match the floor gloss level.
If you used an oil based urethane, you could also use triple zero steel wool.
Just take your time and it will work out for you.
Alternately, if you allow the finish in the can to settle for a few days, you could pour off the top half of the finish before stirring; this will give you a lower shine finish to apply to the reducer.

Try a polyurethane adhesive remover recomended by the adhesive manufacturer you have used. Attempting to use Mr Clean magic eraser I have never used on a hardwood surface, but I would be "hesitent" for this might damage the finish of the floor. I have had sucess with the polyurethane remover. Dont forget to clean up the polyurethane remover with a cleaner after because the remover leaves a film on the floor. You can get the cleaner where you have purchase the remover from.
Hope this helps. Cheers

I hope all is well with everybody, wanted to post an update to my t-mold install situation. I taped a line across and used a dremel tool to give me more room to install my t-mold, with an expansion gap as well. It came out absolutely perfect. I didn't leave much room for a t-mold around the tile that sits in front of my fireplace, and am now considering cutting the laid down wood to add a t-mold. 2 questions.

1) Is it typical to put t-mold to a tiled fireplace?
2) If I do use the t-mold, the base of the fireplace is slightly less, so the t-mold piece would stick out a bit around the fireplace, and would look a bit weird (unless I actually cut angles on the t-mold) to attempt to smooth out that part

As always, thanks for any advice.

JB

Can you provide a sketch? I am not completely clear what you are asking.

If you have a small scrap of the T molding, use it to practice on, to see if it is workable for you. Once sculpted and a work of art, dry fit/set it in the place where the final cut piece will be located with that cut and use it to measure off of.

I read your post regarding Regal's Hickory Brandywine product. I am also in Dallas, Texas and have had a similar experience with Regal's Hickey Olde Time Bourbon product. I am noticing white specs and a milky appearance. I know that you wrote this post in 2009, but can we talk by chance? I have some questions for you and would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks!