Want to change the location of hardware in your cabinet doors or on another piece of furniture but don’t know what to do about those old holes? It’s actually an easy fix! Here’s how to fill holes in wood….
Apparently, its hardware themed week here.
On Monday, it was how to restore your hardware in five minutes and today its how to cover old hardware holes.
I didn’t realize that when I was flying by the stick of my broom planned out my posts.
After my kitchen was featured in Better Homes & Gardens, there were a few new people who came over and asked how I covered the old hardware holes that were in the center of my cabinets.
I’ve filled holes in furniture so many times now, I often forget I should actually tell you how I do it. I actually figured out how to do this myself in my former life when I was working on the old farmhouse. It was totally by trial and error, y’all.
You see, I used to think paint would just magically fill holes in trim.
smacking myself in the face
After I replaced and painted the trim, I realized, “Oh, that didn’t work.”
So I found this stuff called wood putty. We’ve been good friends ever since.
Anyone else find it pathetic that I’m referring to myself and wood putty as good friends?
If you have seen my kitchen renovation before, you know that we kept our original cabinets and just painted over them. They were in really great condition and I didn’t want to give my first born child as collateral for new cabinets.
The cabinets use to have centered hardware.
Now, just so you don’t think I’m pulling a fast one on you, this is not one of the cabinets that is currently in our kitchen. It did used to be in the kitchen, but when we opted to put in open shelving we were left with a couple extra cabinets and so this one is used for storage in the garage. It never got painted, so it was the perfect candidate for this tutorial.
How to Cover Old Hardware Holes
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Supplies / Materials Needed:
- Wood Putty / Filler (If painting over the wood filler / cabinets, the color of filler doesn’t matter. If you are staining over the filler / cabinets, get a stainable filler.)
- Fine Grit Sandpaper (I usually use about a 220 grit.)
Step 1:
Remove the old hardware. If your cabinets are older like mine were, there may be a grimy outline of the old hardware left behind. Just sand this lightly until its smooth with the cabinet door.
Step 2:
Grab your wood filler / putty.
I have used lots of different fillers over the years and this Elmer’s Wood Filler Max is by far my favorite. Its the easiest to work with and the easiest to sand, in my opinion.
Squeeze a small amount of the filler onto your finger, then rub it right into the hole in a circular motion.
Some people prefer to do this with a spatula, but honestly, I’ve found that my finger is the best tool.
After you have covered the hole, let it dry (doesn’t take long at all) and then sand it smooth. After you have sanded it, you may need another coat of the filler. If you do, just repeat as needed. Typically, I find that most holes need 1-2 coats of filler.
Finally, paint or stain over the filler with paint or stain of your choice.
As I said in the beginning, if you are staining or want to stain the spot where you filled the hole, be sure to buy one of the wood fillers that is stainable. The stain won’t match up with the rest of the door as well as paint would, but it won’t be too noticeable at all.
Have you covered up old hardware holes before? Any tips or tricks you can share with us?
Looking for more hardware or cabinet tricks? You'll like these then...
Easy Ways to Update Furniture Hardware - instead of buying new, give these ideas a whirl!
Best Paint for Painting Kitchen Cabinets - different types of paint you can use for painting cabinets and which does what best.
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