How to Repair Screw Holes in Wood
Woodworkers and crafts people work with a variety of tools and materials. Two of the most common tools and materials include screws and wood. Sometimes, you might screw a hole into the wrong position. You can remove the screw, but you then have an unsightly hole. Knowing how to fill the blemish left by screw holes can salvage your project.
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Things You'll Need
- Wood clamp
- 2 newspapers
- Power sander
- 120-grit sandpaper
- Wood glue
- Putty knife
- Matching scrap wood
Instructions
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1
Lay the newspaper on the floor. Position it beneath the wood clamp. Lay enough to form a 3-foot, circular "floor mat."
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2
Clamp the scrap wood securely, so it does not move.
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3
Sand about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch into the wood, using the power sander. Sand enough wood to generate 1 oz. of sawdust.
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4
Collect the sawdust off the newspaper. Place it on your work table.
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5
Drip one pinhead-sized drop of glue into the sawdust and mix. Continue adding sawdust into the glue mixture until you have a thick wad of sawdust putty that matches the wood's general color.
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6
Scoop some of your custom-made filler and wipe it into the screw hole, using the putty knife. Add putty to the hole until you fill it. Allow the filler to dry for 24 hours.
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7
Sand the dried putty smooth, using 120-grit sandpaper.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Some people use wood putty for a filler. Wood putty, however, never quite matches the wood. You can experiment with other filler materials, but drywall, wood putty, plain glue, dowel pins and other objects do not provide the appearance of sawdust made from the actual wood.
References
- Photo Credit wood screw image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com
