How to Fill a Hole in Wood and Redrill | 3 Easiest Ways

Are you fed up with the old look of your antique furniture? Thinking of throwing it away. Stop and keep rolling.

We have a solution. You can change the outlook of your worn-out wooden projects with little effort. The first thing you need to do is to cover the holes or dents caused by screwing or nailing. Let’s see how you can fill these holes.

How to fill a hole in the wood and redrill?

There are three ways to fill up holes in wood first and then redrill for screwing. Firstly, you can cover old screwing holes permanently by applying wood fillers. Secondly, you can make your own wood filler by mixing sawdust with wood glue. Finally, inserting wooden plugs in holes can also work well. To redrill the filled surface effectively add a toothpick in the gap you are going to fill.

How to fill a hole in the wood and redrill?

Wood has to undergo so many procedures before you start making anything with it. As a result, it may get marks, holes, cracks, and dents. If you don’t cover them properly, your wooden structures will not stay longer. Because dust or moisture will start penetrating these gaps that can damage your woodwork badly.

3 Easiest Ways Of Filling Wood Holes

Nowadays there are thousands of brands, fillers, and products easily available that can make your filling job extremely easy. Let’s see the three easiest ways of filling holes one by one.

1. Filling holes through wood fillers
2. Filling holes through wood scrap and wood glue
3. Covering holes through wood plugs

1. Filling holes through Wood fillers

Holes of screwing are very common in furniture. There are a variety of wood fillers available in hardware shops. All of these do the filling job effectively, with only little variation in drying time, preparation method, and results. Let’s see the table of wood fillers below, which you can use to cover the screwing hole.

Table of  Top wood fillers with setting time

Sr	Wood Filler names	Use	Drying time
1	Vinyl wood filler	Indoor furniture or wood flooring	18-24hours after 30min clamping
2	Gypsum wood filler	Both indoor outdoor	30min to 1hour
3	Epoxy wood filler	Outdoor furniture	20min to several hours
4	Cellulose wood filler	Outdoor furniture	30-50mint

Watch this video below for more guidance

https://youtu.be/BHPXFtnvAD8

How to fill holes through wood fillers

Hiding gaps is not as easy as it seems to be. To do this procedure, you need to follow the steps given below.

1. Scrap off any marks of paint from the surface with a scraper.
2. Clean the area with sandpaper properly.
3. Use a half soaked cloth to remove any debris or sawdust from the surface.
4. Fill the hole with the filler according to the size of the hole.
5. Put some extra filler as wood fillers contract when dry.
6. Use a putty knife for spreading wood filler on the hole. Press it by exerting pressure to fill the hole completely. Level it by using sandpaper.
7. If clamping is required, clamp it and wait for the filler to dry up. Time to dry can differ from half an hour to 8 hours, depending on the product you are using.
8. Again use the sandpaper after it has dried. Sand until the filler gets level above the hole.
9. Finally, observe the surface level where the filler is applied with your hand. If it is not smooth reapply the filler with the same process.

2. Filling Holes Through Wooden Scrap And Glue

Don’t throw sawdust or wooden scrap away. You can reuse them for making free homemade wood filler. for covering holes. One of the most effective and easiest ways to fill holes is by mixing wooden scrap with glue. You can even make this mixture at home as shown in the video. Such fillers are blessings especially when you run out the commercial filler. You need not buy more, just prepare it at home. There are so many wood glues available in markets. All of these do a good job but vary slightly in drying time and results.

Here is a Table of Top Wood Glues with drying time

Serial	Wood glue names	Drying time
1	Polyvinyl Acetate Adhesive	18-24 hours after 30mintues clamping
2	Hide Glue	24 hours without clamping
3	Epoxy	20 minutes to several hours
4	Cyanoacrylate glue	8 to 24 hours
5	Polyurethane wood glue	24 hours with 1-2 hours of clamping

Steps To Follow

Note: Put on gloves and a  mask before start-up because making your own wood filler is a dusty process.

1. Collect or save any sawdust or fine wooden scrap before. If you don’t have then make your own with sandpaper or an electric sander. Always use the same color sawdust of the wood you are filing.
2. Don’t forget to filter big scraps from the collection. Also, remove dust from the collected material.
3. Now get a mixing bowl and put clean sawdust particles in it. Start adding glue gradually. Keep on mixing constantly with a mixing stick. Mix it until it gets a thick texture.

Note: (Do all this process instantly otherwise it may harden)

•  Test the mixture consistency by dropping it from a spoon. It should be thick not running. In case, if the mixture gets very thick, don’t apply it. Go for another batch.
• While applying the mixture, first insert it on the cracks and holes by using wood putty.
• Use a putty knife or sandpaper to level out the mixture and remove the excess of it.
• Wait for the surface to dry off completely. Waste or dispose of the remaining mixture, as it will not be workable for later use.
•  After drying, sand it gently.
• Finally, It is time to use soak cloth to clean up the area. Now it is ready for redrill or paint.

Also Read: How To Get Rid Of Water Rings On The Wood | Easy Explanation + 11 Tips

3. Covering Holes Through Wood Plugs

The latest technique of using wood plugs is becoming very popular these days. These wood plugs are small circular pieces of wood, that you can easily buy from a shop or online. You can even make wooden plugs according to the size you need as shown in the video below. Craftsmen often use wood plug cutters for this purpose. In this process, what you do is just plug the hole with a wood plug. This method works well for filling large and deep holes.

Steps To Follow

By following these simple steps you can insert wooden plugs easily. Remember one thing, don’t forget to put on safety gloves as glue may stick on your hands.

1. Choose a wood plug that fits well in the hole.
2. After selecting, apply wood glue on the sides of the hole.
3. Adjust the wood plug inside the hole.
4. Draw force with Hammer or push the plug  deep inside the hole
5. Let the glue dry, trim the extra wood off the plugs with a handy saw.
6. Finally, sand the area of plugging to give a fine look.

https://youtu.be/v9m73_H8TCc

How To Redrill Wood After Filing It

For certain projects, you may need to redrill the filled area for screwing or nailing. Redrilling can increase the risk of crack if not done properly. There are some tips to get hassle-free redrill after wood filing

• To increase the strength of filing add a piece of wood or even toothpick before filing. It will enhance the power of wood fillers.
• Always make bigger holes if you are using the plugging method. Bigger holes are much easier to smoothen and cover
• Always use screws wider than previous after redrilling. It will help screws to insert easily without causing any damage.

Related Question

How do you fill screw holes in wood?

You can fill the holes in wood by using wood filler, applying a mixture of wood glue with sawdust, and inserting wooden plugs.

Can I screw into wood filler?

Wood fillers can’t hold screws until you put a toothpick in it before adding filler.

How do you fill screw holes in door frames?

You can fix holes in door flames by applying wood glue and inserting a golf tee with a hammer.

What is the difference between wood putty and wood filler?

Wood filler is made up of a mixture of glue and sawdust whereas wood putty contains plastic such as epoxy.

Final Verdict

Woodworkers are always thriving on how to fill holes in wood and redrill. This article will help them in figuring the easiest techniques with quality products. All products mentioned above will enhance the outlook of your wooden project. If you can’t afford it, then you can go on with the second method of making filler with sawdust. All of the above methods give the same results.