How To Hide Screws In Wood
How to hide screws in wood can be done in several different ways. If the finished product is going to be painted, you can use wood filler, sand, then paint. If you aren’t going to paint, there we’ve got you covered with two different options using a wood dowel plug.
How to hide screws in wood: Painted surfaces.
1) Drilling the hole
- Drill a countersink hole for your screw. We've covered how to countersink screws in a previous blog post.
- Drive in the screw so it sits below the surface of the wood.
- About 3mm is recommended.
2) Filling the drilled hole
- Using Wood filler (available at any hardware store) fill in the hole.
- Apply the wood filler with a plasterboard spatula, or small paint scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle and moving firmly but slowly across the wood.
- Make sure the edge is flat to the surface, so you don't scar the wood surface with the corners of the spatula or scraper.
- Wipe off excess wood filler with a lightly damp cloth.
3) Sanding smooth
- Wait 24 hours for the wood filler to have fully dried, then sand the surface of the wood until the wood filler is level with the rest of the surface.
- Wipe down the surface with a slightly damp cloth to remove any left over saw dust, leave to dry before painting.
- Now you can paint!
Screws countersink into wooden surface. | Wood filler used to fill in screws. | Wood surface sanded smooth.
How to hide screws in wood: unpainted surfaces.
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Wood Plug Options. Matching from the same wood, using a wooden dowel, or using a domed wood plug.
There are several ways to create plugs for your project, depending on the finished look you want. The most popular way is to cut wooden plugs or use dowels out of the same type of wood your project.
As an alternative, you can purchase pre-cut wooden plugs with a domed top. These plugs are designed to sit above the wood's surface.
You can also purchase pre-cut plugs designed for a flush installation.
If needed, you can purchase a plug cutting bit and cut your own plugs on a drill press. Whether you purchase the plugs or make your own, make sure the size of the plug matches the size of the hole your screw rests in.
1) Countersink the screw
- Note: If you’ve already have the screws countersink to the wood surface, skip this step.
- Remove the screw from the hole, and using a larger drill bit then the drilled hole, drill down 5mm – 10mm into the wood surface. This created a deep countersink hole.
- Refit the screw.
2) Fitting domed plugs
- Place a drop of wood glue into the hole the screw rests in and place the end of the plug in the hole.
- Lightly tap the plug into the hole with a rubber mallet or hammer.
- If you used domed plugs and you intend to let them protrude from the surface of the wood, you can wipe the excess glue off the wood surface with a moist rag and stop. Your install is complete.
3) Fitting flush plugs
- The same steps apply as above. Place a drop of wood glue into the hole the screw rests in and place the end of the plug in the hole.
- Lightly tap the plug into the hole with a rubber mallet or hammer.
- Wipe off excess glue and wait 24 hours for it to dry. You plug should be protruding from the surface of the material plugged.
- Once dry, place a flat bladed hand saw against the wood surface and cut the plug flush with the wood surface. A flat saw is flexible and will rise along with wood's surface without damaging the wood.
4) Sanding flush
- Sand the surface of the wood until the glued in plug is level with the rest of the surface.
- Wipe down the surface with a slightly damp cloth to remove any leftover saw dust, leave to dry before painting or staining
Wooden dowel sanded smooth, and one unsanded.
You can check out our full range of wood screws here: Screws
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Best Regards,
The Scrooz Fasteners Team