You can use a simple mix of sawdust and wood glue to fill holes in wood. Mix equal amounts of sawdust and glue in a bowl, put it in, and sand it.
The easiest way to fix holes in wood is to use wood filler, a paste made of resin that fills the hole and makes it look like it was never there.
If you need to fix a hole, crack, or other flaws in a piece of wood, it’s not too hard to do.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through three methods to repair the hole, crack or blemish with three main methods for filling a hole in wood; Use a wood filler/putty product, sawdust mixed with glue, and wood plugs.
1. Filling wood holes with wood filler
Wood filler or Wood putty, another name for wood filler, comes in both water-based and oil-based varieties and is used to fix holes, flaws, and cracks in the wood.
Most holes in wood are best filled with water-based wood filler because it is easy to use, dries quickly, and is easy to clean up.
If the wood you work with is frequently exposed to damp, oil-based wood filler is a wise choice. This situation can be if the wooden furniture is outside or in a bathroom.
Materials and tools for filling holes in wood
- Putty knife
- The wood filler product
- Sandpaper
- Dustpan or Vacuum
- Tack cloth
- Mask
- Gloves
Before you can fill a hole in wood, you have to prepare the wood. After the hole has been cleaned, put a wood filler in it.
When the wood filler is dry, it is sanded down to a smooth surface so it can be finished.
Below are the details on filling holes in wooden furniture with wood filler.
Smooth Out the Hole Using Sandpaper
When you find screw holes in wooden furniture, you can repair them with cheap special techniques.
Guaranteed the appearance of the furniture will be smooth again without any holes.
First of all, you need to smooth out the holes using sandpaper. A smooth surface will later make the filling process with wood filler easier.
You need to use sandpaper with a grit number between 100 to 120. Sandpaper of this size can make the abraded surface smoother.
Use sandpaper in a circular motion. The circular motion can make the surface of the perforated furniture smoother.
The furniture’s surface feels smooth enough, so stop this step and proceed to the next step.
Clean Wood Dust with Damp Cloth
The second step you can do is to clean the wood dust.
Wood dust will always be there after someone uses sandpaper to smooth a furniture surface. The process of cleaning the surface of the furniture can be done by using a damp cloth.
Dip the cloth into a container of clean water, but don’t let the water soak into the cloth too much.
It is important to make the surface of the perforated furniture completely clean so that the filler can adhere tightly to the area.
After the surface is completely clean of dust, let it dry first. Do not rush to give filler when the furniture’s surface is still not completely dry.
The act of rushing to give fillers can make the results less good. The surface cannot be made to be smooth.
Because it can make the furniture’s surface look worse.
Fill Screw Holes in Wood with Fillers
The surface of the furniture is dry. Now you can add wood filler to the hole. Wood filler can be purchased through the marketplace at various prices.
If you are having problems buying filler, you can replace it using wood glue with added sawdust. The mixture of wood glue with sawdust can also stick to the furniture’s surface.
We return to the topic of sealing holes in furniture by using wood filler. The application process can use the tip of a spoon or knife.
The wood filler transfer process must also slowly be done until it fills all parts of the hole.
The feeding process should also be slightly more than the depth of the hole. But also don’t overdo it so that it will be easy to put it using sandpaper later.
Wait for the Wood Filler to Dry
Allow the wood filler to dry to adhere tightly to the hole. The majority of wood filler will dry in just 30 to 60 minutes.
This drying process must be perfect for preventing the wood from shifting. If the wood filler shifts, it can make all the work in vain.
Ensure you always read the drying instructions carefully because each Wood filler product has a different drying time.
Try to do this activity in a dry room because a room with high moisture needs a longer drying time for wood filler.
There is nothing wrong with leaving the wood filler overnight. Allowing it to dry overnight will give you the best results. Most people also apply this every time they make furniture.
Smooth the Surface of the Dry Wood Filler with Sandpaper
The next step is to smooth the wood filler that has dried using sandpaper. The type of sandpaper suitable for smoothing is sandpaper with high grit.
Do this process with moderate pressure and circular motion. The goal of this movement is to make the surface of the wood filler flat, similar to the surface of other furniture.
You can try grit 150 – 220. The size of this sandpaper is enough to make imperfections appear less visible. In addition to the 150 – 220 grit size, you also use a larger grit size. But doing this step requires extra patience so that the results are perfect.
Color It with Paint
Camouflage from Wood filler will be even more perfect when you add paint. Paint the rest of the furniture the same color.
Proper staining can hide the wood filler, so people won’t think there was a hole. Try before painting the finishing, add it with a primer.
Adding a primer layer can help increase the moisture on the wood filler surface. Moist furniture surfaces are easier to get finishing paint. Also, learn how to fill wood cracks before painting.
However, people who prefer a natural look will usually leave the wood filler as it is. However, the appearance of wood filler will be more visible.
2. Fill holes in wood with Sawdust & Glue
Using sawdust or scrap wood is the cheapest way to fill screw holes in wood.
If you are in a hurry and don’t have any store-bought wood fillers or plugs, you can quickly make your wood filler with sawdust and glue.
Remember that it can get messy if you have never done this before.
- First, ensure your safety by donning protective gloves and a face mask. You can create some sawdust for your project using sandpaper or an electric sander.
- Using a filter, separate the larger particles, dust, and scraps from the sawdust that has been collected.
- Put some wood glue in the sawdust, then combine the two components to produce a thick mixture similar to paste.
- If you need to, add a little more glue to the mixture, but don’t add too much, or it will become too runny.
- Once you have the right consistency, use a putty knife to spread the sawdust filler paste into the cracks and holes.
- After leveling the mixture and removing any excess, you should let it dry for one to two hours.
- After the surface has had time to dry, carefully sand it with fine-grain sandpaper. Then, a tack cloth should be used to clean the area.
Your surface can now be drilled, screwed, or painted over again.
Keep in mind that the glue and sawdust mix gets hard very quickly. So, you’ll need to use the batch quickly, so you don’t waste it.
Since the hardened mixture can’t be used anymore, it’s best to get rid of it safely.
Also, make sure to clean the putty knife quickly. If you don’t, it will be hard to get the mixture off once it has dried.
3. Plug with Wooden Plug
There are other methods available to remove traces of holes on the surface of furniture.
You can attach a wooden plug of the same color to the entire furniture. The shape of this wooden plug is round with sharp edges.
The design makes it easy to install the wooden plug into the screw hole. The size fits a lot of screw sizes, so you’ll never have a hard time finding the one that best fits the screw size in your furniture.
Wooden plugs come in a variety of colors, so you can buy one that is similar to the surface of the furniture.
The price of the wooden plug is also quite affordable. You only need to spend a few dollars at the hardware store.
The availability of wooden plugs in online stores is also quite abundant. Order according to the number of screw holes, and the product will soon arrive at your place.
Make Your Wooden Plug
You have abundant availability of the amount of wood. The existing wood also has the same color as the perforated furniture.
Why not DIY a wooden plug yourself? Just use a dedicated color to make a DIY plug. Drill press the part of the wood that has the same color.
Press the drill press to the same depth as the screw hole. Try inserting a DIY wooden plug into the hole. If the depth is not right, you can analyze whether it is less deep or has more depth than the hole.
