Using Bondo to Repair Wood Furniture
Want to know one of the most commonly used products in my refinishing business? Bondo. And guess what? I had been painting furniture for years before I had even heard of it! When I started painting furniture as a hobby for myself, I was painting hand-me-downs from family, and all of these pieces were in good shape. But once I started looking for inexpensive pieces to repair and sell, I discovered how great Bondo was for repairing wood.
What is Bondo?
Bondo is a two-part filler originally designed for automotive use to fill and repair surface imperfections. And guess what? That translates to filling furniture surface imperfections as well. I love using Bondo because it is strong, doesn’t shrink, sands smooth, and most importantly, it dries quickly! In my opinion, it gives the best result in the shortest amount of time. There is so much waiting around for things to dry when painting furniture, so if I can keep things moving along I’ll take it!
Bond is sold as several different products – the auto body filler, an all-purpose filler, and a wood filler. I’ve used all three on furniture and honestly can’t tell the difference functionally. The wood filler is tan (wood) colored, and the hardening cream can vary in color as well. But I find I only use Bondo on areas to be painted, so the color doesn’t matter. I will usually buy whichever type is cheapest.
How to use Bondo
Wear protective equipment
The biggest downside to using Bondo is its smell and toxicity. If you’ve ever smelled it, you know what I mean! And if you take a quick look at the product safety sheet (which you should do when using any new product) you will see there are lots of warnings and long chemical names. Make sure are following the recommendations. Work in a well-ventilated area. Gloves and a respirator are a must.
Portion out and mix the two parts
Do you remember me saying my favorite part about Bondo is the dry time? Well, the flip side of that is you need to move quickly once you mix the parts. Using a tongue depressor or paint stick, I’ll portion out a blob of the gray filler onto a scrap board or box (something you’re okay with throwing away). Then I’ll squirt some of the hardener on top and mix it together using a spreader. In this case, the hardener is blue, but as I mentioned it can be other colors as well. This takes practice and you’ll likely have some product dry on you the first couple of times you try this. Don’t worry, you’ll get more efficient!
Spread Bondo over the area to be filled
Once the Bondo is well mixed it’s time to start spreading! As I had mentioned before, you need to work fairly quickly before the Bondo begins to set. And trust me, you will know when that starts to happen. If it does, let the area dry and then mix up some more and continue. You want to overfill, but not by too much. Extra product just means more sanding.
Sand the area smooth
After you have let the Bondo completely harden it is time to sand. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes but depends on how much hardening cream you had mixed in. I sand back with my sander using 150 grit (you can hand sand but it takes a while). Once you’ve sanded smooth you can look and see if there are any areas you need to fill again. Often times you will need to do a second round (this applies to other wood fillers as well).
Prepare the Bondo area for paint
When the area is completely sanded and smooth you are ready for the next step, priming. Because of the difference in the Bondo and wood surfaces, you will need to prime, either with shellac or a more traditional primer. Otherwise, your paint will soak into the different surfaces differently and you will see that unevenness in your finished piece. More information and recommendations about primers can be found in this post.
Ways I use Bondo to repair wood furniture
Okay, so now that you have the basics on how, the question becomes when. Here are the four primary issues that I will fix using Bondo.
1. Repair wood veneer
Bondo is great for filling in areas where the veneer has chipped away. This is my most frequent reason for pulling out my can of Bondo! Make sure you have chipped away (or glued down) and loose veneer in the area before filling.
2. Fill hardware holes
Sometimes you may want to change the layout of the hardware on your drawers. This is a simple update – you just need to fill the existing holes and then drill new ones. Bondo is one of the materials I will use to fill old hardware holes. However my favorite product for this purpose is KwikWood, so I will only use Bondo if I already have it out for another repair.
3. Fill surface dents, holes and scratches
Bondo is great for filling larger scratches, cracks, dents, or small holes. If you have smaller scratches or imperfections I recommend using Bondo Glazing and Spot putty. This is a thinner consistency and does a better job of filling the little stuff.
4. Use as fill for a mold
If you have a chunk of missing wood or trim, making a mold to replace the piece is a great option. And Bondo works really well as the filler for those molds. I have an entire post dedicated to this process – check it out here.
In summary
I hope after reading this I’ve convinced you to give Bondo a try. Like any product, it has its plusses and minuses. Of all the fillers I’ve tried, it gives the best result in the shortest amount of time. Just be sure you are taking proper precautions when using it and be safe! Please reach out with any questions, and I’d love to hear how you’ve used Bondo on your own furniture repairs.
Other Helpful articles:
- How to Fix Furniture: Common Repairs Before Painting
- Priming Furniture: Everything You Need to Know
- How to Fix a Missing Chunk of Wood
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