If you’ve ever had to repair a damaged piece of furniture, you know how important it is to get the surface level with the surrounding wood. When this process involves excess wood filler, it can be tricky to get the surface smooth again. However, there are several techniques that will help you achieve this goal.
Sand the area smooth
With your sponge or sanding block, smooth out the area you’ve been working on. Make sure you are using a 150-grit sanding sponge and go over it several times until all of the excess filler is gone.
Table of Contents
- Sand the area smooth
- Use a chisel to scrape along the edges of the repair
- Score the outline with the tip of a utility knife
- Carefully use a utility knife to break off pieces of wood filler
- Chip away at the wood filler with a chisel until you’re close to the level of the surrounding wood.
- Smooth out any rough spots by sanding over them.
- Blot water over the area, and let it dry.
- Reapply wood filler to level out the area.
- Let it dry until cured before sanding flat and even with the surface.
- Stain or paint as desired.
Use a chisel to scrape along the edges of the repair
You can use a chisel to remove the excess wood filler. Chisels are tools designed to cut, split, or scrape wood. A chisel has a blade that is held in place by a handle. The sharp edge of the blade can be used for cutting and splitting, while the flat side can be used for scraping off material from surfaces. In order to remove excess dried-out wood filler from your repair area with a chisel, follow these steps:
- Make sure your chisel is sharp enough so that it cuts through the dried filler easily without damaging the wall surface underneath it (you can use sandpaper if necessary).
- Hold one end of the chisel against your work surface at an angle of about 45 degrees and gently tap its other end with a mallet until it makes contact with the hardened filler surrounding your hole or cracks; then use gentle sawing motions until all of this hard material is removed from around this area
Score the outline with the tip of a utility knife
To remove the excess hardened wood filler, score along the outline of your repair with the tip of a utility knife. You can also use a straightedge to get a nice clean edge on your repair.
Carefully use a utility knife to break off pieces of wood filler
You can remove the excess dried wood filler with a utility knife.
- Hold the utility knife at a 45° angle to the surface of the wood, and use it to break off any pieces of dried filler that you can reach with your hand or a hammer. Do not use excessive force when breaking up pieces of wood filler; you might accidentally damage your work as well as run the risk of hurting yourself.
- For larger areas, use a chisel to carefully chip away at it in small increments until you’re able to get down to bare wood again. Make sure that you keep your chisel sharp so that it doesn’t gouge deep grooves into your project; if necessary, sharpen it occasionally by rubbing its blade against an oilstone or grit-filled sandpaper block until all edges are smooth and sharp once again!
Chip away at the wood filler with a chisel until you’re close to the level of the surrounding wood.
- Use a chisel to remove excess wood filler from the edges of your repair.
- Score the outline of your repair with the tip of a utility knife. This can be helpful in removing small pieces of dried-out wood filler that are stuck to surrounding surfaces.
- Use a utility knife or scraper to break off pieces of dried-out filler by cutting through them in different directions. You can also use sandpaper (with a very fine grit) or steel wool on tough areas, as long as you don’t damage what’s under it.
Smooth out any rough spots by sanding over them.
If you notice that your dried wood filler is rough in some areas, you may need to sand it down a bit. To accomplish this task, you have a few options:
- Use a piece of sandpaper and apply moderate pressure to smooth over any bumps in the dried wood filler.
- Use a sanding block for added control when smoothing out the surface of your dried wood filler. This method can be more effective than using just plain old sandpaper because it allows for increased precision and control over where you apply pressure.
- If there are some particularly stubborn spots that still need more work, try using a rotary sander or belt sander to get rid of all those imperfections easily! Just remember not to use too much power while working on these tools because they’re quite powerful (and therefore dangerous). You might want something like this instead…
Blot water over the area, and let it dry.
- Apply water to the area, and let it dry.
- Sand is flat and even with the surface.
Reapply wood filler to level out the area.
Now that you’ve leveled out the area, it’s time to re-fill. For this step, you’ll want to use a putty knife or similar tool and apply additional filler to fill any dips or low spots in the surface. When applying your second coat of filler, make sure that it covers every inch of the area so there aren’t any gaps where wood shows through.
Let your second coat dry until fully cured before sanding flat with a sanding block and then staining or painting as desired!
Let it dry until cured before sanding flat and even with the surface.
Once the wood filler is dry, you can sand the area smoothly and even with the surrounding surface. Use a chisel to scrape along the edges of your repair. Score along the outline with a utility knife tip, then use a utility knife to break off pieces of excess dried filler.
Stain or paint as desired.
Once your filler is dry, you may want to stain or paint it. This will allow you to match the color of your wood filler with that of your furniture or other existing pieces in the room. If this is the case, be sure that whatever stain or paint you use is compatible with the wood filler.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve learned a few tricks that will help you get the job done with minimal hassle. Remember to use caution when working with power tools and always wear appropriate safety gear when sanding or chiseling wood filler. If all else fails and nothing seems to work, then it might be time to call in a professional!