Repairs: joinery, doors and kitchens

Old doors and windows often include holes that once housed locks and so on.

Solution 1

Carefully cutting out the area using a plug-cutting tool on an electric drill should enable any smaller holes such as screw holes to be plugged with new timber.

This provides an almost invisible repair if carefully done, i.e. the timber is reasonably well matched in the direction of the grain and is then planed flush prior to refinishing.

There used to be a tool available for use with a joiner's bit brace. This tool would cut a beautifully tapered plug that could be tapped into place and the grain matched up and aligned. These have not been available for some years. If carrying out work on better quality premises, check with the building contractor’s joiner to see if they have something similar or could use other tools to make an invisible 'patch'.