eHow: How to Repair Stripped Wood Holes

When the wood is already cracked, using a larger fastener in a stripped hole is not an option.

Daily wear and tear loosens fasteners on wooden items. Once loose, the movement of these screws, bolts and other fasteners allows the ridges to dig into the wood, enlarging the hole. These fasteners fall out unless you check for stripped holes on a regular basis. Missing fasteners place additional stress on those that remain, causing them to strip their holes even faster. Repair stripped holes as soon as you discover them so items don't fall apart.

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Carpenter's glue
• Wooden dowels, skewers or chopsticks
• Wooden matches without heads
• Hacksaw
• Pliers
• Hammer or rubber mallet
• Felt pad
• Paper towels
• 100-, 120- and 150-grit sanding belts
• Belt sander
• Appropriate refinishing supplies
• Power drill with countersink bit
• Wooden golf tees
• Clear epoxy
• Citrus-based all-purpose furniture cleaner
• Clean, soft polishing cloth
• Wood putty
• Sawdust
• Clear acrylic wood sealant
• Shallow dish
• Putty knife
• Shop rags
• Burlap kitchen towel

1. Furniture

   • 1
     Turn the item on its back or side for easier access to the stripped hole, if it is a table, chair or other large item. Place small items on a flat work surface such as a counter or table.
   • 2
     Remove the fastener if it has not yet fallen from the hole. Reserve the fastener if it remains unbent and the threads are intact.
   • 3
     Apply a bead of carpenter's glue to one end of a wooden dowel skewer or chopstick with the same diameter as the hole. Cut skewers or chopsticks even with the surface of the wood, using a hacksaw, or use pliers to break matchsticks.
   • 4
     Place a felt pad over the hole. Strike the skewers, chopsticks or matchsticks several times with a rubber mallet, using the felt pad to protect the furniture. Allow the glue to cure overnight after wiping away any excess with a paper towel.
   • 5
     Smooth the area using coarse and medium disks on a power sander. Drill a new pilot hole and replace the original fastener. Refinish the item as desired.

   Recessed Screw Holes

   • 1
     Turn the golf tee upside down and compare its diameter to the diameter of the recessed hole. Use a power drill with a countersink bit to make the recessed hole deep enough and large enough to accommodate the head of the golf tee.
   • 2
     Squeeze one to three drops of clear epoxy into the screw hole. Push the golf tee into the epoxy-filled hole.
   • 3
     Place a felt pad over the head of the golf tee. Strike the tee several times with a rubber mallet until the head seats itself in the countersunk hole.
   • 4
     Sand the area over and around the golf tee. Fill the divot in the golf tee -- which is the dimple that holds the golf ball -- with wood putty if desired, and sand the area smooth.
   • 5
     Drill a new hole through the golf tee and replace the original fastener.

   Large Bolt Holes

   • 1
     Smooth the area around the hole using 100-, 120- and 150-grit sanding belts in that order.
   • 2
     Wipe the sawdust away before switching to the next belt, to prevent grit from the previous belt from damaging the finish from the finer-grit belts. Apply a short spray of citrus-based, all-purpose furniture cleaner on a clean, soft polishing cloth to help remove the sawdust.
   • 3
     Mix your own wood putty using a cup of sawdust to 1/2 cup of clear acrylic sealant or use commercial wood putty.
   • 4
     Pick up a 1/2-inch to 1-inch glob of wood putty on the putty knife. Position the putty knife to the right of the hole, with the putty side of the blade flat against the wood.
   • 5
     Pull the putty knife across the hole at a 45-degree angle while pressing the putty into the hole. Repeat as many times as necessary until you cannot force any more putty into the hole.
   • 6
     Wipe the putty knife clean on a shop rag. Wad a piece of burlap into a ball and rub it across the hole to remove excess putty.
   • 7
     Allow the putty to cure according to package directions. Allow homemade putty to cure according to the directions on the clear acrylic wood sealant used to make it.
   • 8
     Drill a new hole through the wood putty and replace the original fastener.

Tips & Warnings

• Guitarist David Lee Goodhead of Greasy Groove advises using a same-diameter dowel with carpenter's glue to fill a stripped hole. Woodworker Ron Hazelton advises using a dowel slightly larger in diameter than the hole, making glue unnecessary.

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