I asked Crimson if they recommend a grain filler to fit with their stains, the reply was "Applying the fourth or fifth coat of oil with some 1200 wet or dry should fill the majority of the pores that need filling. Hope this has helped" Not too sure I will be doing that on a veneer though.... but then again i think a few guys have successfully tru oiled the veneer using similar methods,, I haven't got the bottle to try it yet...