How to patch a drill hole in wood?
Question:Hi, My husband was hanging a cabinet door and the hinges are off by a fraction of an inch. He will have to take the door off and re-hang...any advice on patching the wood where the hinges go so that the previous hole doesn't interfere with hanging or are there any products that you can recommend to fill the screw hole?
Answers:
What I'd recommend is to take a small piece of wood and coat it with some wood glue. Then take some tape and tape it around the hole and cut the wood piece that you fit in the hold flush. The tape will help you keep from messing up the wood finish. Let the glue dry then you should be able to place a screw close to where the previous hole was and it still be able to hold.
The spot shouldn't show up to even a sharp eye if the hing is covering the hole.
A small dowel or wood splinter should work. If the hole is going to be behind the hinge you shouldn't have to worry about what kind of wood it is. If the hole is big, then a piece of wood and some wood glue works best. If it is a small hole and visible and not behind the hinge you might be better trying wood puddy. There are also wood markers and different colors of wood puddy you can buy. If the hole is close to where you want to put the new drill hole don't used the wood puddy, it won't give any strength for the screw to hold against.
you can try glueing in a pc. of wood dowel or drive in a "dutchman"(hopefully you can get a close match of wood species) and sanding it down smooth- unfortunately just about anything you do is going to show up to the sharp eye. good luck
there is wood filler you can get at local store. you can get a whole can or it is available in crayon style. it also comes in different colors try to bring a sample of the color you need with if you can.
well . . . you did not mention if this is stain? paint? and what the hole is from? screws? european style hinges?
Painters mix color into a stain-able putty to get good matches. You can use almost any product if it is a paint situation.
if it is a big hole (1/2 inch) and the situation is paint, use Bondo . . . like the stuff they use on car bodies . . . sands perfect, gets real hard and adheres perfectly. With Bondo you can fill the entire problem and then re-drill or rework the hole to the right location.
if your 'hole' is about screws - other screw holes - fill them with toothpicks or small 'whittled' sticks . . . fill . . . sand . . . fill again. This is for paint also.
The stain situations are the hardest . . . and sometimes can not be 'covered' or fixed in a way that is undetectable.
hope this helps
here's an little bit of advice you can use at the end. After you have filled the holes. If for any reason you are unable to match the wood and the fill holes stand out to the eye. Buy some brown markers and start with the lightest one first and go darker until you come close to the color of wood. Sounds like a cheapie way to do something but I've restored beautiful pieces of wood furniture and this works better than anything I've ever tried myself or seen.
More Related Questions & Answers...