It’s a common problem with furniture flippers. Rarely do we get amazing vintage furniture that doesn’t need new hardware. So, thank goodness there is a quick fix. Today I’ll show you how to fill holes in wood furniture for new hardware placement.
This post contains a few affiliate links to help you find the products I use. You are not charged extra to use any of the links, but any income I make will be used for more fun projects! To see my full disclaimer, click here.
Filling Holes For New Hardware
Supplies List:
- Wood Cleaner
- Wood Filler
- Sandpaper Rad Pads
- Citri-Strip (to remove latex paint and varnish)
Clean And Prepare The Wood For Filling Holes
To fill holes in wood, you will need to make sure that the wood is clean before applying the wood filler. This dresser had a layer of latex paint, so I stripped away the paint with a product called Citri-Strip
. You can learn more about stripping furniture by CLICKING HERE.
If your furniture has not been painted and the wood is clean and the varnish is in good shape, lightly sand the surface and clean with White Lightning (furniture Cleaner) to remove any grime, oils, and icky stuff that may prevent the wood filler from bonding to the wood. Cleaning the wood before any makeover is important.
Easy Wood Filler
Apply the wood filler with your finger and force the filler into the holes. Make sure it fills the whole completely and comes out on the other side of the hole. I like to leave a little above the surface.
You can place a piece of paper tape on the backside of the hole (sorry, no picture) to keep it from seeping out. But for me, I just use my finger. This brand of wood filler is pink which is an indicator that it is wet. Once it is dry, it will turn light in color. Easy peasy!
Allow Proper Dry Time
I allow at least 24 hours when I fill holes in wood furniture because dry times can vary with humidity and temperature. You may need to adjust your dry times to the area you live in.
Once the wood filler has dried, use 220 grit sandpaper and sand until smooth. If you have an electric sander, this does speed up the process.
And while we’re talking wood fillers, I have another product I use to cover decorative carvings on wood furniture. You know, the floral carvings that were once “THE THING” but not now. CLICK HERE to learn more about how to cover them up before you paint your wood furniture.
Now that you know how easy it is, there’s no reason you can’t change out that old-date hardware. Or… you can always paint it! CLICK HERE to see the new hardware on this gorgeous dresser and the smooth finish I gave it. You got to see this!
Thanks for stopping by and if you have questions that I didn’t cover here, please feel free to drop them in the comment section below. I LOVE hearing from you always.
Until the next project… xo, Do
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Hello 😃! Well I’ve learned a bit here and there. I like looking through videos to get a better understanding. There is so much out there in techniques, but I think keeping things simple works all around….for the most part. My question is: filling the holes on oak wood with wood filler, and keeping it bare with just a wax finish… can that work?
Hi Dinora! Thanks for reading my blogs. I think it can. The trick is to get a good match with the wood filler.