If you’re building a new house, or just refurnishing your old one, you’ll need to fill in the holes left by nails and screws.
Wood filler is the best way to do this—it won’t crack or lose its color after it dries out as paint would. But what if you don’t want to buy wood filler? There are many ways you can make your own. Let’s look at some of them:
What can I substitute for wood filler?
If you’re in need of a wood filler that’s not quite so fragile and won’t degrade over time, try one of the following combinations:
- Sawdust and glue. Combine equal parts sawdust and water-based glue, such as Elmer’s Glue or Gorilla Glue. Let it sit for 24 hours or overnight to cure before using it on your project.
- Sawdust, flour, and glue. Add 1 cup white flour to 2 cups watery sawdust (or other dry material) and stir well until combined. Add an equal amount of wood glue (like Titebond III) to the mixture and stir again until thoroughly combined into a thick paste that can be spread onto surfaces easily with a putty knife or trowel. Ready-made versions are available at home improvement stores; however, they tend to contain commercial resins instead of being made from natural components like waxes found in candles made from soybeans which makes them less durable than those made with traditional ingredients like beeswax or paraffin making them less suitable for exterior projects where they’ll be exposed regularly after being painted over several times during their lifetime before finally succumbing due to age, not salt spray damage caused by water getting trapped behind layers painted on top thus causing cracks when exposed repeatedly throughout its life span – though this could happen even without painting since urethane coatings applied under normal conditions aren’t completely waterproofing agents (they only prevent against absorption).
Table of Contents
- What can I substitute for wood filler?
- What can I mix with sawdust to make wood filler?
- How do you make wood filler with glue?
- How do you make wood filler liquid?
- Can I use caulk instead of wood filler?
- Can you use wood glue as wood filler?
- What to use to fill large gaps in wood?
- How do you fill holes in wood without wood filler?
What can I mix with sawdust to make wood filler?
Sawdust and glue
One of the best ways to make homemade wood filler is by mixing sawdust with glue. Glue works well because it’s water-resistant and can be used on many different types of wood.
I recommend using water-based PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue. This type of glue dries clear, so there won’t be any visible blemishes in your finished project if you’re working on a nice piece of furniture or something similar.
The ratio that I like best is 1 part sawdust and 2 parts PVA glue. However, there are lots of other options: You can increase or decrease both parts proportionally depending on how thick you want your product to be when it’s dried out; this will also depend on the type of wood that you’re using for filler as well as what purpose your product will serve (i.e. if it’s going inside furniture or exposed outdoors).
How do you make wood filler with glue?
You can make wood filler with glue by mixing equal parts wood glue and sawdust. Mix the two together in a small bowl or container, then let it dry before sanding it down.
Use a putty knife to apply the mixture onto any gaps in your piece of furniture, then let it dry for about 2 hours before painting over it.
Remember: Glue-based fillers are not meant to last long on their own; they’re best used as temporary fixes until you have time to spray paint or varnish over them!
How do you make wood filler liquid?
To make wood filler liquid, you’ll need glue that is not water-soluble and dries clear. The glue that is flexible and waterproof will be good as well.
You can use some of the following to make your own version of homemade wood filler:
- A liquid adhesive
- A clear glue (such as Elmer’s Glue-All)
Can I use caulk instead of wood filler?
Caulk is a great product, but it’s not meant to be used as wood filler. Caulk has no structural strength, so it won’t help solidify your structure or fill holes in wood.
Instead, use caulk to seal small cracks and spaces between surfaces (like where two pieces of wood meet).
But don’t worry! There are plenty of other options for filling gaps in your furniture that won’t leave you disappointed.
Can you use wood glue as wood filler?
Wood glue is not a wood filler. Here’s why: Wood glue is a type of adhesive that can be used to bond two pieces of material together, such as wood or plastic.
It creates a longer-lasting bond than other adhesives like white glue and hot glue because it doesn’t dry out or get hard as those products do.
In order for the adhesive to work well, however, it needs time to dry before you can apply pressure on the pieces being bonded together—which means that once again we’re back at square one with needing patience!
What to use to fill large gaps in wood?
For large gaps, you’ll want to use a filler that’s not too thick. It should be just thick enough to fill in the gap, but no more than that.
A filler that’s too thick will take more time to dry and may trap moisture underneath it, which can cause mold growth.
The same goes for using a filler that’s too thin. You’ll need to ensure that there isn’t any space between your wood surfaces and the new filler when they are finished drying so as not to create an air pocket where moisture can collect and grow mold later on down the line.
You also want your fillers not only to dry quickly but also cure hard enough so as not to easily break apart or crumble away over time once exposed outdoors (which is where most wooden furniture ends up).
Filler compounds made from epoxy resin are often used because they tend toward being harder than traditional linseed oil-based compounds–and thus less likely to break apart under pressure from things like wind or rain beating down on them every day through seasons of weather changes!
Finally, you want these products affordable enough so as not to break your budget while still providing excellent value throughout their useful life cycle–especially if this is something used frequently due to its frequent use throughout many years’ worth of projects involving repair work around house maintenance jobs such as painting rooms with fresh coats every few years.”
How do you fill holes in wood without wood filler?
To fill large holes in wood, you can use wood putty. This is a type of filler that’s made from sawdust and glue. You can buy it at home improvement stores or make your own using these ingredients:
- 1 part sawdust
- 1 part white glue
If you don’t have access to sawdust, you can substitute fine sand or flour instead. Mix the two ingredients together until they’re thoroughly combined, then add just enough water so that they form a thick paste (like peanut butter).
Next, scoop out small amounts of the mixture with your hands and press them into any holes in your project’s surface until they’re completely filled.
Let this dry overnight before sanding down any rough edges with 100-grit sandpaper on an orbital sander or by hand with 320-grit sandpaper.
Conclusion
To recap, we’ve discussed several ways to fill holes in wood: latex caulk, epoxy glue, and sawdust mixed with other ingredients.
We hope this article has been helpful in answering your questions about how to do it without the use of store-bought products!