How to Fill Screw Holes in Wood

A common problem homeowners face is how to fill old screw holes. From resetting a strike plate on a door jamb to filling holes left behind by old cabinet handles, I have the steps for you to follow to fill screw holes in wood.

Materials to Fill Screw Holes in Wood

There are several readily available materials to fill screw holes in wood. Each of them have their pros and cons as well as best applications. I will look at a few of these options, describe the situations in which they are the best choice, then outline how to use them.

Wood Filler

Wood filler is your best option if you are in the early stages of a project. The best wood fillers can be stained or coated in polyurethane. Wood filler can also be painted. However, the filler tends to visually stand out from the wood until it receives some finishing treatment.

You can use wood filler to fill large holes, or just as a surface application for small fixes.

Wood filler will often shrink as it dries. I recommend overfilling your patch holes slightly during the curing period. Wood filler can be sanded.

If you don’t want to buy a wood filler, you can make you own using old sawdust.

Wood Putty

Use wood putty to patch holes in finished wood. Wood putty comes in a wide variety of colors. If possible, take the piece you are patching to your local home improvement store. Matching the wood putty color to the piece it will be applied to is your best guarantor of success.

Wood putty is an oil-based filler. As such, it will not accept stains. After it is fully cured polyurethane can be applied over it. Wood putty will not shrink or dry out. However, it cannot be sanded.

Wood Epoxy Filler

The benefits of wood epoxy is that it combines the merits of wood fillers and wood putties while also strongly adhering to the wood on which it is applied.

Wood epoxy filler will not shrink as it dries. It can be sanded. Other than screw holes, it can also fill cracks, gouges, and dents in wood. You wouldn’t apply polyurethane over top of epoxy.

Covering wood holes using minwax stainable wooden filler

Sawdust and Wood Glue

This simple method produces a filled hole that can color match your unfinished wood. If you have sawdust from the piece which contains the screw hole you are filling, even better. This is an easy method to fill screw holes in unfinished wood.

Drawbacks to this method are that wood glue cannot accept wood stain. Polyurethane can be applied over the sawdust-wood glue paste when the past has dried. The dried paste can also be sanded.

Dowel Rod

You can use a properly sized drill bit to create a clean hole and remove ragged edges left behind by removed screws. Dowel rods can be cut to size to fill a bored-out screw hole and can provide a craftsman aesthetic to a finished woodworking piece. 

Toothpicks

Surprising as it sounds, toothpicks can be a quick and easy solution to filling old screw holes in wood. I recommend using toothpicks and wood glue to fill a screw hole if that screw hole is going to be immediately reused.

The toothpick method works well to fix screw hole errors and screw holes that have become oversized.

How to Fill Screw Holes in Wood

Screw holes can be patched with many different materials. Now that I understand those materials and in which situations they can be best applied, let’s look at patching those screw holes.

1. Use Wood Fillers and Putties

The application methods for wood fillers and putties are very similar until it comes to finishing the project. Those end-project differences will be discussed below.

Tools Needed:

  • Wood filler or color-matched wood putty
  • Putty knife
  • Sandpaper for fillers

Method:

  1. Place a small amount of wood filler or putty on the end of a putty knife, much like you would when applying spackle.
  2. Use the putty knife to press the filler or putty into the screw hole.
  3. Continue pressing small amounts of putty into the screw hole until the screw hole is completely filled.
  4. For wood filler: mound a little extra filler on top of the screw hole to compensate for shrinkage as it dries
  5. For wood putty: draw the edge of the putty knife gently across the piece of wood and over the screw hole to create a smooth surface.

2. Use Wood Epoxy Fillers

There are several methods for applying epoxy fillers. I will provide the method I think best for filling old screw holes.

Carpenter filling the wood cracks and holes using epoxy

Tools Needed:

  • Wood filler epoxy
  • Popsicle stick
  • Sandpaper

Optional:

  • Large syringe (without needle)

Method:

  1. Mix the wood epoxy filler according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This usually involves stirring together two compounds.
  2. Use a disposable popsicle stick to work epoxy into the screw hole until it is slightly overfilled.
  3. Allow epoxy to set. Epoxies usually are quick-setting.
  4. After epoxy has dried, it can be sanded flush with your wooden surface.

Optional:

  1. Mix the wood epoxy filler according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  2. If liquidity of the compound allows it, use the syringe to vacuum up the epoxy.
  3. Inject epoxy into the screw hole. Slightly overfill.
  4. Allow epoxy to set before sanding flush.

If you make a mistake applying the epoxy, you’ll want to fix it immediately.

3. Use Sawdust and Wood Glue

This quick and cheap method uses items that you likely already have on hand. It is best for unfinished wood. Having sawdust from the same species as that of the wood you are patching is really helpful.

Tools Needed:

  • Sawdust
  • Wood glue
  • Disposable cup
  • Popsicle stick

Method:

  1. Put two heaping tablespoons of sawdust per screw hole you wish to fill in a disposable cup. 
  2. Add enough wood glue to the sawdust to make a sticky mix. The mixture should be sawdust heavy, around three parts sawdust to one part glue.
  3. Use a popsicle stick to push the paste into the screw hole until it slightly overfills the hole.
  4. When the wood glue paste has dried completely, sand flush.

Remember that wood glue will not accept stain well but can be covered with polyurethane.

Filling the wooden hole with saw dusts and glue

4. Use a Dowel Rod

This method creates the most unique finish out of all methods listed. For quirkiness you may consider using a light-colored dowel rod to add “pop” in a dark stained wood.

Tools Needed:

  • Dowel rod that is bigger than the screw hole
  • Wood glue
  • Power drill
  • Drill bit or Forstner bit that is the same size as the dowel rod
  • Hammer 
  • Saw
  • Sandpaper

Method:

  1. Using a Forstner bit or drill bit that is larger than the screw hole, drill into the screw hole to create a smooth-sided recessed hole.
  2. Coat outside of the dowel rod in wood glue.
  3. Gently hammer the dowel rod into the place.
  4. Flush cut the dowel rod with your surface.
  5. After the wood glue has dried, sand the dowel rod flush with your surface.

Tip: If using a drill bit to bore out the screw hole, figure out the depth you wish to drill. Then, place a piece of tape that far up on your drill bit. Drill to the depth of the masking tape. By doing this, you can cut your dowel rod to length before hammering it into place.

5. Use Toothpicks

This is a great method for filling screw holes that are too large or have holes that have become stripped. I have used this when needing to make slight adjustments to strike plates. This is a quick method to make a screw hole quickly usable again.

Tools Needed:

  • Toothpicks
  • Wood glue
  • Utility knife
  • Sandpaper

Method:

  1. Dry fit toothpicks into the screw hole until they fit snugly.
  2. Remove the toothpicks, then cover them with wood glue.
  3. Jam toothpicks into the screw hole.
  4. Use the utility knife to cut toothpicks flush to the surface after the glue has dried.
  5. Sand toothpicks flush with the surface.
How to Apply Wood Filler to Fill Nail Holes

Conclusion

There are several methods for filling screw holes. Some provide potentially decorative finishes such as filling with a dowel rod. Other methods make screw holes almost immediately reusable. Browse the methods and choose the one that best fits your needs.

An expert at home repair, remodel, and DIY projects for nearly 40 years. His first experience came in completely restoring an antique home. Completely redone from the inside out, and restored to its original form, the home is a featured design by renowned Southern California Architect Cliff May, considered to be the father of the California Ranch Home. Now Dennis spends his time on fine woodworking projects and tool comparisons.