Having worked in the restorations trades for more than 20 years I have constantly been on the search for the best wood filler. I have tried countless products that at first seemed like a winner only to find, just like my high school dating experiences, they wouldn’t go the distance.
The conclusion I have come to is that there isn’t just one product, but rather a group of products that can handle any wood patching task I need. The best wood filler is sometimes not a wood filler at all, but a wood epoxy or even a putty. In this post, I’ll give you my take on the best products to patch wood on the market today.
The first thing you need to consider when choosing the best wood filler is what its use will be. Is it outdoors or indoors, painted or varnished, structural or cosmetic? There is a product for any need listed below, and you’ve just got to find the right one from the list below.
You can also read the results of my 5-year field testing of most of these wood fillers and epoxies at The Wood Filler & Epoxy Test (Year 5) to see how these products performed in the real world as well as to watch the video below.
MH Ready Patch
Best for small cosmetic repairs and surface leveling – MH Ready Patch is a great patch for a myriad of little patches. It doesn’t work for structural patches like an epoxy, but it does work quite well for things like nail holes and surface imperfections in painted wood (it’s not stainable). It dries fast, 30-45 mins and it’s ready to sand.
It is an oil-based product, but it cleans up with soap and water, which I love. I use it to fill holes smaller than a dime in size, smooth out alligatoring paint, surface checks, fill surface gouges or almost anything else I may need. Its only weakness is when you try to fill large areas which causes it to sag and shrink. Keep it limited to very small areas and always make sure you paint it because it will not last if left exposed to the elements.
LiquidWood & WoodEpox
Best for structural repairs or rebuilding of big portions of wood – There are tons of different types of epoxies for wood, but this product is by far my favorite because of its ease of use and long performance.
We use this every single day and my rot repair franchise Preservan uses a similar product by the truckload. The two parts work together to stabilize “punky” wood and fill in the missing areas.
The repairs can be sanded, drilled, planed, and essentially you are left with a repair that performs just like wood but will never rot or fall out. Epoxy repairs are some of the strongest, most long-lasting ways to patch wood. They are structural, so they can be used anywhere and are usually not troubled by water issues like other wood fillers.
Got some serious rot? This is the stuff you need. For info on how to use this awesome product, read my tutorial How To Repair Rotted Wood With Abatron Epoxy.
KwikWood
Best for small structural repairs in a hurry – Anyone who occasionally needs to patch wood should have a tube of this sitting in their shop or garage. This is a very simple to use 2-part epoxy that you mix with your hands. It’s kind of like squishing a tootsie roll together to mix both parts. Once you mix it, you have about 10 minutes before it starts to set up, and in 20-30 mins it is hard as a rock.
I use it to fill screw holes that have stripped out so I can get a sagging door hung again quickly or other tasks like that. Its fast drying time and resistance to rot and mildew make it perfect for exterior repairs too. I have used it outdoors and left it unpainted for years (not on purpose) with no problem.
Minwax Wood Filler
Best all-purpose wood filler – You knew I’d get around to an actual wood filler soon, right? Minwax Wood filler is such an easy to use and great product I am constantly surprised by how good it does for how little it costs. In the video above you can see the incredible results I got after a 5 year test with this stuff. It outperformed some epoxies and more expensive products big time.
It’s simple to apply with a finger tip or putty knife, sand when it’s smooth and prime when you’re done. No mixing to screw up. The fact that it’s not structural just means it should not be used for larger applications like the Abatron products above. It’s also a great option for stained and varnished projects as well as paint grade repairs.
Sawdust & Wood Glue
Best for color matching and flooring joints – This is a weird little trick that an old floor refinisher taught me and it really has worked great in very specific circumstances. Here’s how it works:
To patch wood using this method, you’ll need sawdust from the specific wood you are patching. Mix it with enough wood glue to get the consistency you need. You can make this a wet slurry and trowel it into the joints between old floor boards or make a thick paste to fill spots on damaged furniture.
You have to work fast enough that the glue doesn’t begin to dry on you, but to match the color of a repair for something that will be stained and varnished there is nothing better. Once it’s dry, sand the surface thoroughly and you’re good to go.
Austin’s Glazier’s Putty
Best for flexible joint filling – Glazing putty isn’t a wood filler, right? Wrong. For filling nail holes or joints glazing putty is actually incredibly useful.
Some glazing putties are bright white (DAP 33) which can hide well for painted trim, but are hard to see if you’ve gotten good coverage plus they can take weeks to cure. That’s why I created my own glazing putty with the help of the folks at Sarco Putty Co. that is usually ready for painting within just 24 hrs. It is also available in a brown color to blend in better for varnished projects.
For a better option to filling joints and ease of application you can’t beat a glazing putty. I can often use this in place of caulk for certain circumstances where more body is required than caulk which tends to sag.
What to Avoid
You’ll notice that there is one product I specifically did not include here that a lot of people use…Bondo. There is a good reason why it is not included in a post about the best wood filler and I’ve outlined why you should absolutely avoid Bondo when it comes to patching wood in this more in-depth post.
I’d love to hear what your experience has been with these products and if you have other favorites that you’ve found over the years. Are these truly the best products to patch wood or is there some other product that deserves the title of best wood filler.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
I am pretty new to woodworking and finishing and I recently completed a trim project and used Minwax sanded wood filler to fill in my nail holes and hammer marks (oops). BIG MISTAKE! It looks awful, even after staining. What do you suggest? I hate to dig it out and possibly cause more damage but I am not happy how it turned out and do not want to start over with 4 new pieces of trim. What would you suggest??
Theresa, if you’re not happy with the appearance then digging it out and refilling is really the best option. No filler completely blends in, so if the holes are big it will always stand out. I’m sorry if I led you wrong with my mention of the filler.
Hi Scott,
I just had an sauna/steam room built for me out of T&G Cypress. It looks great but I was disappointed when the builder let his helper nail the T&G boards improperly leaving hundreds of small nail holes. My options are to just leave it alone and enjoy or to find a way to patch the small nail holes. The Cypress will not be stained inside( Paraffin oil is recommended for the wood) and the interior will be damp with heat and steam. I noticed your recommendation of sawdust and superglue for small nail holes for unfinished wood but fear the sheer number of nail holes with fast drying superglue would make this difficult. What suggestions do you have for this?
Thanx
JonT
Jon, that’s a tough one. I don’t really know what the best solution for filling in a situation like that. Extreme heat, humidity, and no finish to cover it. Maybe tinted epoxy like KwikWood to match the wood color?
Thanks for this list and information. Sound like good products, and of course everything has an upside and a downside.
But…….For small holes or cracks or gaps, I use Allback organic linseed putty, available from the Eco Living Room at 12 Cataraqui Street, Kingston, Ontario. It is purified organic raw linseed oil based, and it truly breathable, so no moisture can be trapped behind it. That’s what I love about it. It’s also 100% compatible with Allback organic purified linseed oil based paint, which never peels, cracks, buckles, blisters, or traps moisture causing the wood to rot. This type of putty can be painted with this type of paint immediately after it is in place. If you don’t have an eco living room in your area, you can order these products at http://www.solventfreepaint.ca. This site also has all the different products and information about them.
I often use Abatron to repair rot damage, but in some cases you’ll be able to use Allback organic raw linseed oil, then a slurry of raw linseed oil and linseed putty, then the straight linseed putty, depending on the particular situation.
Another thing worth checking out is wood wizzards for rot repair, http://www.woodwizzards.com. With this you can proceed with the repair even while the wood is still damp, which is very handy. Unlike Abatron, where you have to get the wood dry before proceeding with the repair. With wood wizzards, if you start with dry looking wood, and the temperature is 70F, you can apply the liquid resin (a primer and wood petrifier) 20 min after treating with bio cleaner (to clean) and timbor solution (timbor powder dissolved in water to kill off any fungi), even though the wood would still have some wetness or dampness in it from the treatment. Wood Wizzards seems to be able to allow moisture to evaporate out of the wood.
A couple of years ago, I used Durham’s Water Putty on cedar clapboards and window trim. I then primed with my oil primer and then top coated with two coats of latex. I painted in the autumn and by the next summer/fall in many locations where there was water putty I had failing paint. The locations where I used an exterior wood filler have held up just fine. I won’t use it again on the exterior.
Stuart, thanks for the update! I have lately been shying away from water putty for some of the same reasons. I prefer the Abatron to almost anything now because it has such a tenacious grip on the wood if applied correctly.
Hi Scott,
The JB Weld epoxy product KwikWood looks like a great fit for a project we are getting ready to take on (woodpeckers ruined a fascia board on one dormer). Do you have any experience on JB Weld 2-part epoxy WoodWeld? We want the most durable product because I never want to have to climb up there again!
Thank you,
Carol
Carol, I haven’t used the 2-part wood weld but have used the steel version of the same. I found it messy and tough to work with, but effective once it was applied correctly. I think Kwikwood is the easier route to take.
Hi Scott,
I have a couple of nice, old, solid wood doors from the 30s & while the paint is quite sound, there’s an unintended crackle effect. Someone recommended skimming over the small cracks with joint compound, or spackle, but I’m hesitant. Is there another product you might recommend? I prefer something without a strong smell & I find the M&H’s smell unpleasant.
Thanks!
Cara, the crackle effect would best be dealt with by a sander to smooth out the surface. Just skimming will likely look good in the short term but fail early on.
Thanks, Scott. Sanding that deep, with lead paint wasn’t an option for me and I wasn’t up for stripping, so I sanded and then used ZAR wood filler to fill in the cracks & then sanded again. I primed with BIN and then painted with latex and it looks pretty good. I’m hoping it will hold. That was a year and a half ago & it’s still holding up.
Fingers are crossed.
By the way, I love that ZAR and also use it to fill in small gouges after scraping old paint of.
We have interior logs in a bedroom we are remodeling. The previous owner notched out the logs to place 2×4’s to install paneling. We would like to keep logs exposed but need to fill in these notches, which are quite large. Do you know what we could use to fill these in and would be able to sand and stain,
For a large patch like that I would patch it with another piece of wood called a Dutchman patch. You may need to do a little faux painting to make everything match.
Hi Scott,
We had a pergola built in our backyard, finished, primed and painted white. the issue is that within the first year the wood has cracked in some areas. I suspect the hot cold cycle, and the continued drying out of the wood is the cause. I don’t think I have any rot yet, but I will if I don’t get it sealed back up, primed and painted. What would you recommend to fill? I’ll need waterproof obviously, but also something that has some flex as the wood continues to shrink/expand.
I have a fairly new arbor and two of the cedar post nearest to our home have cracks. The wood has a dark brown stain after being dipped prior to erecting. The largest crack is about 4 to 5′ long and at the widest point maybe 1/4″ wide. What can I use to fill in with and either mix stain with filler prior to use or porous enough to stain after being filled?
I’d probably use the Minwax wood filler for something like this.
Scott, Thanks for all the great information!
To update my 1990’s honey oak kitchen cabinets, I’m going to paint them and replace hardware/hinges. I’d like to switch to concealed hinges, however, current hinges are double demountable hinges with a good size “T” cut deep into the face frame and the side of the doors. Can these holes be filled? and then screwed into for new hinge?
Also, is there way to replicate the oak grain so the filled area isn’t obvious (scratch grain pattern into fill?) or better yet, is there a grain filler you recommend (to use over existing finish) for cabinet doors/boxes so grain isn’t obvious anywhere? (I’m going to paint with General Finishes water based milk paint)
Your thoughts much appreciated!
Michele
Scott, Thank you so much for this informative article. I’m looking to fill gaps between the cutout of a wood floor and radiator pipes. Do you have any recommendation as to which filler reacts well to heat? Thanks!
Hi Scott,
I am refinishing my deck and need to fill cracks in the deck boards and in the gaps in the butt joins to stop moisture getting into the ends of the boards that causes the solid color deck stain to lift. Whatever I use needs to be flexible yet durable when it’s dry to facilitate expansion and contraction of the boards. I have tried the best quality calking compound I could find as well as Elmer’s premixed wood filler. Neither have stood up or provided the water seal I am looking for. Can you recommend a wood filler for this application?
Hi Col, I’m looking at doing the same. Did you find a good solution?
Hi,
We just bought a house built in 1900. We have a screen door with glass in the top as well as a screen that opens up to allow air in. The door was accidentally left open and the wind caught it causing it to get ripped out of both door hinges. It fell vertically and slid down our concrete steps. We love the door, however it will need some patching as it is missing some 1-2 inch chunks from the fall. Thankfully the glass stayed in tack and did not break. What type of patch would work best to fill the holes with and then repainted to match the rest?
Either a Dutchman repair or WoodEpox for this repair.
Have antique dresser that has pieces of broken and missing veneer. Want to fill the missing spaces in and paint over it. What would you recommend? Thank you so much for your time and advice!
I need to fill some divots and small areas of water damage on the osb substrate on my rv roof. My first thought was Durhams but am concerned about movement and walking traffic on it. it will be primerd and then covered with a solvent based adhesive and then epdm rubber roofing. Any thoughts?
Scott,
I have a Victorian building. An over enthusiastic plumber pulled out a bolt and ripped a dime size hole to the exterior. Unfortunately it butts up against the building next door (with a 2″ gap). Any suggestions as to how to seal it from the inside (one suggestion was a cocktail umbrella coated with Sikaflex!).
Thanks,
Tony
It depends on what the exterior cladding (wood siding, brick, etc) is and how much access you have from the interior.
It’s old redwood siding. We have great access from the interior as it is stripped to the studs. Looks like someone stuck a layer of drywall directly to exterior siding. (it is an old mudroom that probably got built out around 1920)
I am about to paint an exterior of a very large house with lots of rough sawn wood trim, 50 gallons of paint worth. The previous contractor patched some troubled areas with bondo The patchwork does not look good, goes smooth to rough. Other than removing and replacing the wood I was wondering if there is a patching and graining(texturing) technique that you are aware of that I could do to give a rough sawn effect.
Keith you could remove the bondo (which I recommend anyway) and do a dutchman patch that matches the rough texture of the wood.
Hi Scott. I have a hollow wooden closet door in which there is a hole in one side approximately 1″x2″. The door is painted. I would rather patch this hole than to replace the whole door. Any recommendations please?
For a hollow wood door it’s usually cheaper to replace than patch.
Scott…We have removed the fabric from the legs of our dining room chairs to stain the wood. We need to fill all the little staple holes with a filler that will take the stain to the same degree as the natural wood so we don’t have a bunch of little spots that don’t match.
What filler should we use?? Thanks.
We have 2 17 year old adirondeck (spelling ?)chairs we have just replaced several of the boards. One of the larger back boards is rotten at the end and we are wondering what type of wood filler we should use to repair it. In previous years we have used Git-Rot on a boat — not even sure it is still available. What is your suggestion? These chairs are outside and covered during the winter months.
hello, can you tell me if the Sawdust & Superglue method is stainable and what is the best glue to use for this method? also where can I buy it?
thank you.
Linda, it is not stainable in my experience. I don’t have a favorite type of glue, really whatever clear super glue is around has worked for me in the past.
Hello Scott, thank you for your prompt reply, you prevented us from making a HUGE mistake!