A hole in a door is any opening that breaks all the way through the face of the door, whether a handle has punched through a hollow interior door or rot has eaten into a solid exterior one. The repair you pick depends on what sits behind the opening, because a hollow door is mostly empty space behind two thin panels, while a solid or solid core door has material behind the face rather than a cavity.
Doors are durable, but they are not invulnerable. A hole in a door can come from a knock during a move, a handle swinging into the panel, or someone putting a fist through it, and once the damage is there the door still has to look right and close properly.
Below are ten ways to cover a hole in a door, ranging from permanent repairs to quick ways of hiding the damage.
Several of these repairs call for expanding foam, auto-body filler, wood hardener, adhesive and paint, and all of those give off fumes indoors while they cure. Ventilate the room while you work. The EPA publishes general indoor air quality guidance covering ventilation and household products, which is worth reading before you start. That guidance is general information rather than an endorsement, and the agency does not certify or recommend any particular repair method or product.
1. Stuffing And Filling a Hole In a Door
This method works for hollow doors, and here’s what to do:
- Scrape out any loose plywood on the edges of the hole using the utility knife
- Stuff the hole with paper towels.
- To cover up any remaining air spaces in the hole, apply expanding foam insulation and allow it to dry
- Apply a mixture of auto-body filler and a hardener catalyst. Smear the mix to be sure to cover all the holes, and allow it to harden (that shouldn’t take too long)
- Sand the filler and any leftover expanding foam or filler stuck to the plywood door material around the edges with 100-grit sandpaper.
- Apply some spackle over the smooth patch surface
- Finally, paint the patched surface with the same color paint as the rest of the door. You could also opt to paint the entire door.
2. Chemical Filling
If you’ve got a solid core wood door, it usually won’t get damaged, but if that happens, then there is a remedy. Here’s what you can do
Step 1. Use the wood filler to fill the hole, slightly concave the patch.
Step 2. Cover the repair using c-clamps until the filler dries out.
Step 3. Remove the C-clamp when the filler dries and apply joint drywall compound all over the repair.
Step 4. Sand the patched area when dry to achieve a smooth surface.
Step 5. Paint over the repaired area.
3. Using Wood Hardener
If you’ve got an exterior door that has been damaged by rot, then here’s what you can do:
Step 1. Scrape out the rotten area using the utility knife.
Step 2. Use a hot air gun to dry the damaged area
Step 3. Apply wood hardener to the damaged area and allow it to dry.
Step 4. Fill with a patch with an exterior wood filler and allow it to harden.
Step 5. Sand-smooth the entire area.
Step 6. Repaint the patched area.
4. Wood Patch
For wood doors, this might work, depending on the design of the door and the patch. Here’s what to do
Step 1. Scrape out any loose plywood on the edges of the hole using the utility knife
Step 2. Get a piece of plywood and carve out a suitable shape of your choice. Do this again to get two identical shapes and sizes of wood. Ensure the wood shape is larger than the size of the hole.
Step 3. Using a solid wood adhesive, stick the wood as a patch over the door on both sides, inside and out
Step 4. Sand the edges of the patch to ensure a smooth finish.
Step 5. Paint over the entire door
5. Wood Fitting
Similar to the previous approach, this method works for hollow wooden doors. Here’s what to do:
Step 1. Scrape out any loose plywood on the edges of the hole using the utility knife
Step 2. Shape the spot on both sides of the door to a rectangle or square, preferably of specific dimensions
Step 3. Carve out two pieces of plywood with the exact dimensions of the hole.
Step 4. Apply an adhesive to the edges of these pieces of wood and fit them into the holes on the door. Ensure they sit into the hole without any spaces in-between. Allow the adhesive to set.
Step 5. Sand over the hole to ensure a smooth fitting of the hole.
Step 6. Paint over the entire door.
6. Wallpaper Covering
This is a no-brainer approach to the problem. Apply a wallpaper wood look-alike over the entire door or the area affected. Just be sure to do this for both sides of the door.
This would work quite well when there’s not much touching of the door’s body. This is, of course, a cheaper alternative for someone who isn’t handy and wants a quick fix.
7. Furniture Or Portrait Coverings
Similar to the previous point, this approach could work if the hole is on the interior part of the door or the affected door is in the home’s interior features.
You could hang a mirror or a portrait over the hole to cover it up, and no one except you, or anyone who takes the picture down, knows the hole is there.
8. Drywall Cement
This approach may be the way to go if you want a temporary fix to a hole in a door. Here’s what to do:
Step 1. Scrape out any loose plywood on the edges of the hole using a utility knife
Step 2. Place gauze over the hole
Step 3. Apply drywall cement over the gauze and allow it to set.
Step 4. Sand over the patch softly for a fine surface.
Step 5. Paint over the patch
9. Using a Wall Patch Over a Hole In a Door
With the right door you can often get away with a self-adhesive wall patch, provided the hole is small and the door does not take much knocking.
Peel off the patch, apply it over the hole in the door, and allow it to set. You can then repaint the patch, and it’s all done.
10. Paint Over Paper
Stick some cardboard paper over the hole and paint it to cover it up for this method. But for this to work, the gap has to be relatively small.
If you have some spare white paper lying around and you can find paint to match the door, this is a temporary fix that could help.
There is more on bedroom fixes if you want them, and on the furniture a bedroom actually needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which method suits a hollow door?
Stuffing and filling suits a hollow door, because the cavity behind the skin needs something to hold the repair. Paper towels and expanding foam insulation fill the gap, then auto-body filler mixed with a hardener catalyst goes over the top before sanding and painting. Wood fitting also works on hollow wooden doors.
How do you fix a hole in a solid core door?
Use wood filler to fill the hole, leaving the patch slightly concave. Cover the repair with c-clamps until the filler dries out, then remove the clamps and apply joint drywall compound over the whole repair. Sand the patched area smooth once it is dry, and paint over the repaired area.
What should you do about a hole in an exterior door damaged by rot?
Scrape the rotten area out with a utility knife, then dry the damaged area with a hot air gun. Apply wood hardener and allow it to dry. Fill the patch with an exterior wood filler and let it harden, sand the whole area smooth, and repaint the patched section.
Which fixes are temporary rather than permanent?
Drywall cement over gauze is a temporary fix, and so is cardboard paper painted to match the door, which only works when the gap is relatively small. Wallpaper, a mirror or a hung portrait hide the damage instead of repairing it, so they suit a door whose body is not touched much.
Do you have to repaint the whole door?
You do not always have to repaint the whole door. Stuffing and filling, chemical filling, drywall cement and a wall patch each finish with paint over the patched area alone, matched to the color of the rest of the door. The wood patch and wood fitting methods do call for painting the entire door.
Conclusion
We’ve compiled a complete list of frequently asked bedroom questions for new and experienced homeowners. If you’re interested in matching bedroom doors, you can check out this article.
Those questions are answered in plain terms, so there is somewhere to look when a DIY project or a home repair does not go the way you expected.
For over a decade, Robin has been a real estate agent, interior design specialist, and mother. Through her trials and tribulations, she wanted to create the perfect website to help you save money and make your home look beautiful.