How to Fill Hardware Holes on Furniture
4 Materials
$20
2 Hours
Medium
I found this knotty pine dresser at the Goodwill. I liked the style, but I wasn't crazy about the finish (the top was in really rough shape) or all of those wood knobs. Count 'em, 15 knobs! No problem, both the finish and the hardware can be changed to give this 1990's pine an updated look. I'm sharing the method I use to fill old hardware holes on furniture that I plan to paint.
I removed all the old knobs, filled each hole with wood filler, let it dry and then sanded. Wood filler often shrinks, so I applied a second coat of wood filler, let it dry and sanded again. Next, I primed the drawers and let dry. Priming at this point allows you to better visualize where any pits or imperfections still remain. I then applied a thin coat of Ready Patch over the holes. Ready Patch is a spackling compound with a fine buttery texture that fills in any remaining small pits, imperfections, or rough texture. This is what creates a nice smooth surface and makes the old hardware holes disappear. I let the Ready Patch dry, sanded smooth, applied another coat of primer, and the dresser was ready for paint. Old hardware holes gone!.
I primed the entire piece with a primer/sealer. This is important since the knotty pine can bleed through paint. I painted the entire piece with 3 coats of a custom mix of General Finishes milk paint to create a soft blue gray with green undertones.
I sealed the dresser with 2 coats of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in flat. I measured, drilled new holes in the center of each drawer, and then added the new white knobs.
For more details and photos, please visit my blog.
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3 of 31 comments
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Excellent job!
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I'm curious as to why you went to all the trouble to fill the holes when you reused them by adding new knobs. Sounds like a waste of time, but a beautiful project.
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Hi! I did not reuse the holes. I filled the old holes (each drawer had 2 knobs) and drilled one new hole in the center of the drawer.
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susan, how can you do a 50/50 mix with a spray can of paint? thank you
Did you have any problem with the spackle shrinking. Would wood putty/filler be a better altternative. Beautiful job.
where did you get those beautiful drawer pulls?