How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Occasionally, you will get a piece of gorgeous wood that has voids or knots in it. You wouldn’t want to add wood putty, because it wouldn’t retain the look of the knots. But, you want a smooth surface. The solution is to fill the wood knots and voids with epoxy. The results will be beautiful and you’ll be hard pressed to find the patch afterwards.

Materials:

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How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Instructions:

Begin by taping off the area around the holes, voids or knots. Press the edges of the painter’s tape down to seal it against the wood.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Remove the epoxy from the packaging. (I used Gorilla Glue Epoxy glue that sets up in 5 minutes.)

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Snip or snap off the tip of the epoxy tubes.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Press the cap out of the plungers before trying to depress the plunger. Retain the cap to use if you have any leftover epoxy.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Depress the plungers and squeeze the two part epoxy into the packaging mixing tray. Stir the epoxy with the enclosed wooden stick until the glue is thoroughly mixed (should appear cloudy and all one color.)

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Pour or spoon the epoxy into the voids, holes or knots. Do not let the epoxy touch your skin. Be sure to fill to the top or slightly over the top of the holes. Use disposable wipes to clean up any misplaced drips.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Allow the epoxy to harden and dry. Depending on the weather, the epoxy will likely need to dry and harden overnight.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

When the epoxy has fully cured, remove the painter’s tape.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Sand the epoxy until it is smooth and level with the rest of the wood surface. Avoid the temptation to keep the sander on the epoxy too long or the glue will gum up the sandpaper. It’s better to use several passes and allow the epoxy to cool off between sanding.

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Finish your wood with stain and/or topcoat of your choice. You can see my tutorial for refinishing reclaimed lumber for more details. You can read more on repairing holes in wood in “This Whole Post is on Repairing Holes.”

When you’re done it should be hard to locate the epoxy filled area! Can you spot it below?

How to Fill Holes and Knots in Wood | Pretty Handy Girl

Want more details about this wood table top and how to build the table?

How to Fill Voids and Knot Holes in Wood

 

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  1. Lindsey Moore
    Lindsey Moore says:

    Hello Ms. Brittany, I am doing the same project as Mike, but I don’t understand if the knots need to be removed then filled or if they are to be left alone and filled. By the way your tips are wonderful, so keep doing what you are doing! Thanks!

    Reply
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