Filling a huge gap in a door

Woodshop
#1

Back when I had a cat and a dog, they were firm friends He was a large dog without being massive. The cat tried to scratch his way through the door, and then the dog picked up the project. Difference is, he almost succeeded. I want to fill in the missing wood (shown below) with something like wood putty, but @zacharymarkson doesn’t think wood putty would work, so does anyone have any suggestions as to what might work? It isn’t worth replacing the door over.

damaged door
damaged door710×947 199 KB

I am also having a brain fart. What is the trowel called that is used to smooth spackling on drywall?

#2

Wood filler would work as a top layer but you need to take up a large amount of the missing wood with some sort of backer. You could use saw dust and glue to make a paste or take the easy route and use something like expandable foam, then wood filler over it. I don’t believe the foam would affect the filler but you may test it first. If you painted the door, I doubt someone would notice

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#3

I’d recommend low expanding foam. Then sand down, then wood putty

#4

I’d use the minimally expanding version designed for window frames - it’s more predictable.

That being said, the cheapest approach might be to use automotive Bondo, sand, and then paint the whole door with a semi-gloss enamel. You could use cardboard to provide a backing for the Bondo, or just semi-fill the cavity, let the Bondo cure, and add additional layers til the hole was full.

You could even cut a wood patch to cover the dog door opening and blend with Bondo to hide that patch before painting.

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#5

I have a large shipment of kayak building supplies arriving this week and among them is “wood flour” - basically hyper-fine sawdust used to thicken epoxy for structural filling. The resulting mixture is about as dark as the darkest portion of that door and is sandable.

I can’t spare any epoxy but I’d be happy to share some wood flour. Unfortunately I can’t help with the actual work but don’t mind donating some filler to the cause.

What I’d suggest is pulling the door off the hinges and laying it flat. Attach a piece of wood wrapped in plastic wrap along the edge of the door to act as a dam. Fill the void with epoxy thickened to mustard consistency. It should be mostly self-leveling. Prep, sand and paint the entire door.

#6

mdredmond

(Filling a huge gap in a door)

(Filling a huge gap in a door)

I have a large shipment of kayak building supplies arriving this week and among them is “wood flour” - basically hyper-fine sawdust used to thicken epoxy for structural filling. The resulting mixture is about as dark as the darkest portion of that door and is sandable.

I can’t spare any epoxy but I’d be happy to share some wood flour. Unfortunately I can’t help with the actual work but don’t mind donating some filler to the cause.

What I’d suggest is pulling the door off the hinges and laying it flat. Attach a piece of wood wrapped in plastic wrap along the edge of the door to act as a dam. Fill the void with epoxy thickened to mustard consistency. It should be mostly self-leveling. Prep, sand and paint the entire door

I would be willing to buy some from you. You could drop it off when you drop the shelves off. What is the putty knife called? If I do this job it will have to be with the door in place. While I am finding I am more able than I thought when I have tools, there are still limits to what I can do. I must be realistic.

#7

I am happy to donate the wood flour. I can’t spare the epoxy but regular old West Systems epoxy is great for this application.

#8

Something like Bondo wood filler was suggested. If it was the consistency of clay and dried hard that would be ideal I would think. Opinions? could I handle it without gloves? Putting on a glove one handed is something I have yet to figure out… I’ve tried using my mouth and teeth but just destroys the glove instead.

#9

I would not recommend handling Bondo without gloves.

Another option would be to use “Durham’s Water Putty”. It is basically a wood flour with a binder. Mix with water to the desired working thickness then apply.

  • powder which mixes with water
  • water cleanup
  • fine to work with bare hands
  • long open time (slow curing)
  • no/minimal shrinkage
  • bonds to itself, so you can apply it in layers for faster drying, less chance of cracking
  • dries very hard - durable
  • sandable
  • paintable
  • stainable (but might not match underlying wood)
  • cheap

You can find it in the paint dept in Home Depot and elsewhere. Mix it up in a surplus plastic dish and the excess will pop out once dry. I’d go with a cookie dough consistency to minimize dripping/sagging. If desired, you could apply a painters tape patch over the top to support it while it dried (or just apply several thin layers, allowing each to dry before applying the rest.

Amazon sells a 1 lb package for $11 with Prime delivery. Home Depot sells the same package for $2.05. 4 lbs is about 3X the 1 lb price, but I don’t think you’d need more than 1 lb.

https://smile.amazon.com/Durham-Rock-Hard-Water-Putty/dp/B00U7VRT7Y/ref=sr_1_3

I’d apply it with a broad putty knife to help keep it flat relative to the undamaged door surface and minimize the sanding needed.

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#10

I have a lot of trouble putting gloves on, but I will try.

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