Believe it or not, a hole in the wood can be made very quickly by accidental drilling at the wrong spot or during renovation work. So, whether your item is a wooden wall or just a piece of furniture, don’t panic in any case as filling the wood is quite easy.
As you can either fill it with wood filler or by using craft sticks. But keep in mind that matching the wood filler material to the particular type of hole and wood is the key to successfully patching the wooden holes regardless of their size and position. Here, we’re going to explain how to fill large holes in wood.
How to Fill Large Holes in Wood
Filling the hole with the wood filler is the best ever solution to repair any kind of structural defect. The prepared patching paste could repair large holes, cracks, and gaps of almost all kinds.
Before discussing the possible ways and materials to fill large wood holes, you must know how to prepare the wood holes for effective filling.
Preparing Wood Hole Before Filling
Preparing the damaged part before starting repair is very important to get the desired results. You need to follow the following steps, before starting the wood-filling process.
- First of all, try to remove all humidity contained in the wood, as it’s highly important that the substance isn’t too saturated in the fluid to overcome warping, shrinkage, or wood splitting.
- Next, you’re required to carefully scrape the damaged area, this is necessary because the deterioration might start again if the rot is not properly removed.
- Then, you need to de-grease the surface as wood shouldn’t be too oily to repel the coming material. So, the targeted surface must be rinsed in order to remove all traces of product, dirt, or grease.
Ways to Fill Large Wood Holes
To neatly fill the widening holes in the wood, you can opt for any of the given methods for better results.
1. Wood Hole Filling Using Toothpicks and Matches
Most importantly, this method is the simplest way to fill the wooden hole as we just need ordinary PVA glue, wooden toothpicks, or matches to do the trick.
For implementation, put together the destined number and size of toothpicks in a way that they stay tight in the hole. Dip them completely in PVA glue and insert them sequence-wise into the hole. Then, hammer them tightly to place them in the right position.
If some sticks remain out of the hole, you can cut them with a clerical knife. Finally, clean the surface with sandpaper. And if you want to completely hide the repaired surface, try to polish this area with the same color as the whole wood.
2. Wood Hole Filling Using Glue and Sawdust
In this method besides using ready-made putty, you can synthesize the putty by yourself, if you really don’t want to visit any store. Do you know how to fill holes in rotted wood? This is the method!
In order to prepare the putty at home, you need wood glue or joiner’s glue. Then try to bring the sawdust of the same material which you’re going to cover.
Interestingly, you can sharpen the small chips with coarse sandpaper, but keep in mind that finer sawdust is far better for smooth handling. Then, you need to mix the sawdust with the glue to make a thick paste and cover the hole with the help of a spatula.
Finally, clean the surface with sandpaper after the complete drying of the glue.
Stunningly, this method is very excellent when you need to get an aesthetic appearance. Actually, sawdust from the same material combined with the transparent glue will hide the defect as much as possible.
3. Wood Hole Filling Using Wood Plugs
Wood plugs are cylindrical bars that are easily available at any hardware store as they are widely used as guiding elements to join the ends of boards but you can also use them to fill any bigger hole in wood.
To successfully seal the hole, you must drill it to the exact diameter of plus, which is ordinarily 9 mm. Then, put the plug into the wood glue and carefully hammer it into the hole.
Wait and let the glue dry so that the plug becomes fixed in the hole, after that try to cut out the remnants with the hacksaw. You can use this method even to fill large holes in the wood furniture.
4. Wood Hole Filling Using Wood Chips and Adhesive Mixture
To accomplish this method, you need to use small wood chips, and a mixture of carpentry adhesive as a constituent to fill the holes in the wood. Although this method isn’t suitable for repairing bigger holes, it might be an excellent alternative to putties while local repairs.
5. Wood Hole Filling Using Epoxy Resin
Once in a blue moon, epoxy is the most durable method of filling holes in the wood. How to fill large voids in wood with epoxy? You need two-component resins, which are made up of hardener and resin and are easily modifiable to an adhesive filler.
It can greatly help you to get the destined viscosity and color shade which will excellently fill the dents, chips, and cracks to proffer high-end adhesion. After the complete hardening of epoxy resin, it gains considerable strength even more than wood.
Moreover, its fluidity makes it an excellent choice to fill cavities and to get the same structure as you want by putting it anywhere. In addition, restoring the original structure also helps to prevent any further holes.
How to fill large holes in Rotted Wood
Filling large holes in rotted wood can be a challenging task, but with the right techniques and tools, we can do it effectively. To fill large holes in rotted wood, you will need wood filler, sandpaper, a putty knife, and a sealer.
Start by cleaning the area around the hole and removing any loose or rotted wood. Next, apply the wood filler to the hole using the putty knife, making sure to smooth out any rough or uneven surfaces.
Once the filler has dried, sand the area until it is smooth and even with the surrounding wood. Finally, apply a sealer to the filled hole to protect it from future damage and deterioration.
Conclusion
Behind you all the way, getting the holes in the wood either in furniture wood or wall wood is quite easy as any accidental act can lead to much bigger holes that can spoil the whole look of that item.
Some people panic during such situations and they start to think of either replacing the part or hiring a carpenter to do their job. But don’t do any of these, as the method we discussed is quite handy and you can easily repair any of your broken wood items within minutes.
Enjoy easy repair at home!
Kenneth Wafer is an aspiring woodworking expert from Los Angeles. He loves reading and writing about all the best woodworking tools and accessories available in the market.
He is a Finance professional and recently completed his foundation course from CFA Institute, USA.