10 Best Wood Fillers in 2022
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Cracks, rot, holes and other damage, can cause significant problems for any wooden object, from decking to furniture to walls, and the best way to fix up this damage before things get worse is to use the best wood filler you can find. There are many different types of wood filler available, and understanding which type of wood repair paste is the best for your particular problem is a very important part of ensuring that all of your wooden furniture and equipment is in the best operating condition possible, ensuring that it all lasts as long as possible and reducing the need for expensive and frustrating replacements or more in-depth repair work. But how do you work out which is the right wood filler for the damage you are trying to repair?
Below, you will find our best wood filler reviews, exploring the most important aspects of each of our favorite brands of best wood filler 2022 and explaining why each stands out from the crowd. There is also a helpful buyers guide, in which we break down all of the most important things you should consider when you are looking to buy wood filler for repairing cracks, gaps, rot, or holes in wooden items. With the help of our guide, you will be able to confidently buy the best wood filler for your needs, no matter what your problem may be, and you will have a great sense of what you need to look for when you are trying to buy filler for wood.
View the Best Wood Fillers, Below.
- PC Products PC-Woody Wood Repair Epoxy Paste
- Abatron WoodEpox Epoxy Compound
- Elmer’s E861 Carpenter’s Wood Filler
- 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler
- FamoWood 40022126 Latex Wood Filler
- Minwax 42853000 Stainable Wood Filler
- J-B Weld 8257 KwikWood Wood Repair
- Timbermate Maple/Beech/Pine Hardwood Wood Filler
- BANZ 00585 DAP Latex Wood Filler
- J-B Weld 40007 Wood Restore Epoxy Putty Kit
1. PC Products PC-Woody Wood Repair Epoxy Paste
Coming as 2 separate cans of material for mixing together into a 2 part epoxy putty paste, the PC Products PC Woody Wood Repair Epoxy Paste is a durable and effective wood repair filler that is ideal for most situations but is specifically designed to offer excellent performance for more challenging wood repair problems. This wood filler can be used either indoors or outdoors and can survive exceptionally harsh environments thanks to its impressively wide service temperature range.
It is resistant to cracking and shrinking, as well as fully resistant to sunlight and damage from fresh or salt water. It is also tough enough to provide effective protection and survivability against damage from insects, squirrels, woodpeckers, or other wood damaging animals. With a high tack and a high level of viscosity, this wood filler is great for vertical applications, filling holes on vertical surfaces with minimal sag and dripping as it dries.
The PC Products PC Woody Wood Repair Epoxy Paste is one of the best wood filler options available for any task and gives the best results available for more complex and challenging wood repair situations.
Check Price on Amazon ➞2. Abatron WoodEpox Epoxy Compound
The Abatron WoodEpox Epoxy Compound is an impressive and well-respected epoxy wood filler option that offers an impressively tough final surface. This might not be one of the cheapest options available, but it gives quick and easy filling of even larger cracks. It is easy to sculpt and mold, and dries in under an hour for quick repair work.
As a 2-part epoxy wood filler, it comes in 2 containers that must be mixed together, but this set includes an applicator bottle, a putty knife, a pair of plastic gloves, and a clear and easy to understand instruction manual for use, making it an excellent choice for anyone new to using epoxy fillers who might not be confident in how to use this more advanced style of wood filler.
Tough and reliable, the Abatron WoodEpox Epoxy Compound is one of the hardest and strongest wood filler options on the market in 2019 and promises an incredibly durable repair surface when used on hardwood of any type.
Check Price on Amazon ➞3. Elmer’s E861 Carpenter’s Wood Filler
The Elmer's E861 Carpenter's Wood Filler is a much more portable and lightweight option than a larger tub of heavy wood filler. Coming in a 3.25 oz, 7-inch long tube, this water-based stainable, paintable and sandable wood filler can be easily fitted into any toolkit or large pocket to be taken anywhere. It is ideal for filling small voids such as cracks in wooden furniture or boards, and its no mix formulation and squeezable tube makes it easy to use and apply, and ideal for reaching damaged spots on the interior of cabinets or other small and inaccessible corners.
In addition to this, the Elmer's E861Carpenter's Wood Filler is formulated to be crack-proof and shrink-proof, making a clean and smooth seal in any situation. It is worth noting, however, that this wood filler is only appropriate for indoor use and should not be used for exterior woodwork.
If you just need something quick and easy to carry with you for dealing with small cracks and gaps on the go, then the small size of the 3.25 oz tube of Elmer’s E861 Carpenter’s Wood Filler makes it a great choice.
Check Price on Amazon ➞4. 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler
While it may have initially been designed specifically for rotted wood replacement, the 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler is actually a remarkably versatile all-purpose wood filler that offers great performance for filling gaps in any type of wood, both indoors and outdoors. This is a 2-part epoxy filler that comes as a filler emulsion and a cream hardener part and cures to a light tan color in only 15 minutes. This wood filler is easy to apply and highly malleable, offering a smooth and easy application that is ideal for beginners.
It is also a very low viscosity filler, meaning that it is not ideal for the largest and widest of gaps, but penetrates deep into wooden surfaces, ensuring that it bonds strongly to the surface you are trying to fill. The 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler works well for softwoods and hardwoods and offers equally high performance when used indoors or outdoors for added versatility.
The 3M Bondo Home Solutions Wood Filler is a versatile and flexible general-purpose wood filler that is easy enough to use and sufficiently versatile to be an excellent choice for beginners or less confident DIY novices.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. FamoWood 40022126 Latex Wood Filler
If you want to buy one single tub of wood filler for all your problems, suitable for fixing a wide range of different types of problems with wood, then the FamoWood 40022126 Latex Wood Filler is a great choice thanks to its versatility. Thick and easy to apply, this latex wood filler has the viscosity to handle even the largest of cracks and gaps, but the fluidity necessary to fill pores in wide-open grain wood.
This wood filler can be applied straight from the tub with a putty knife with no need for mixing or other preparation, and it is crack-free and shrink free water-based formulation helps it to stand out from the crowd of other similar brands of wood filler. You can use FamoWood Latex Wood Filler either indoors or outdoors, and it dries in 15 minutes to a solid surface that can be sanded, sawed, planed, painted or stained with impunity, with no need to worry about weak points and fragility.
Versatile and easy to use and clean up, the FamoWood 40022126 Latex Wood Filler is an excellent choice for almost any situation and is the only wood filler you need for a wide range of different possible problems.
Check Price on Amazon ➞6. Minwax 42853000 Stainable Wood Filler
With its high-performance bonding power and easily colored surface, the Minwax Stainable Wood Filler is an excellent choice for permanent repair, restoration, or rebuilding of wooden surfaces or other hard substance. Drying in only around 15 minutes, this is an easy to use filler that gives results very quickly and can be easily sanded or drilled into, and securely holds nails and screws for long term repairs and building work with no need to worry about bonds weakening over time, as this stainable wood filler is resistant to cracking and shrinkage, even when used outside.
The Minwax Stainable Wood Filler offers great bonding power in an easily stained and paintable package, making it a good choice for repairing almost any hardwood material or other rigid surfaces.
Check Price on Amazon ➞7. J-B Weld 8257 KwikWood Wood Repair
Another great epoxy filler for smaller projects, the J-B Weld 8257 KwikWood Wood Repair epoxy putty is quick and easy to use. Offering a cure time of 20 minutes and a full dry time of under an hour, making it easy to apply and shape, and can be used for a wide range of different filling applications from wooden window frames to other materials such as PVC plastics.
Once fully dry, this epoxy wood filler offers a no shrink, no crack surface that can be easily sanded, drilled or painted, although it is not ideally suited for staining. This is a pre-mixed epoxy putty that is easy to apply to any material, although it is a very high-density material and therefore more suited to hardwood and other dense materials than lighter and less dense woods and other materials.
Quick and incredibly easy to apply, the J-B Weld 8257 KwikWood Wood Repair filler is one of the best options available for small projects and quickly and efficiently repairing more minor cracks, gaps, and divots in hardwood of all types.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. Timbermate Maple/Beech/Pine Hardwood Wood Filler
Timbermate is a high-quality brand that offers excellent performance, and the Timbermate Maple Beech Pine Hardwood Wood Filler is designed to protect the natural integrity of harder wooden surfaces. This long-lasting wood filler is shrink and crack resistant and dries in under an hour to form a surface that can be painted or stained if you need a closer color match.
The final surface produced by this hardwood filler is tough enough to easily take nails, screws, sanding, sawing, and drilling with no risk of cracking or crumbling at any point. This is a particularly user-friendly wood filler option that is made with a non-toxic and non-yellowing formula that is free from acrylics, latex, and solvents.
Available in a wide range of different colors, the Timbermate Maple Beech Pine Hardwood Wood Filler is an easy option for unobtrusive filling of a wide range of different woods with no need for painting or staining in order to achieve a reasonable color match.
Check Price on Amazon ➞9. BANZ 00585 DAP Latex Wood Filler
A high-performance solvent-based latex filler for wood, the BANZ 00585 DAP Latex Wood Filler is an impressively tough and durable filler that is easy to apply and easy to clean up if you make a mess in the process of applying it. This heavy-duty professional-grade wood filler contains genuine wood fibers, giving it a finish that looks and acts like real wood for a more natural and durable finish.
Once dry, this latex wood filler can be screwed, nailed, sanded, sawed, painted, stained, or even lacquered, and gives excellent anchoring for screws and nails with no risk of splitting or crumbling. Suitable for application indoors or outdoors, this filler is tough and durable and can be used to fill pretty much any gaps, cracks or damage in any wooden surface or item.
The BANZ 00585 DAP Latex Wood Filler is a professional grade wood filler that dries fast and hard to create a smooth finish that is 3x stronger and harder than the wood itself.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. J-B Weld 40007 Wood Restore Epoxy Putty Kit
The J-B Weld 40007 Wood Restore Epoxy Putty Kit is a fast curing and fast setting 2-part epoxy wood filler that comes in a 2-part set containing a filler resin and a hardener cream, formulated specifically for wood repair and bonding. This filler cures in under 10 minutes and sets completely in around an hour.
It dries to create a rock hard surface and powerful bond between wooden surfaces, with a tensile strength of around 1800 PSI. It is easy to shape once cured and can be easily filed, sanded, drilled and painted when dry. The J-B Weld 40007 Wood Restore Epoxy Putty Kit is ideal for use indoors and outdoors, and can repair anything from decks and rotted fences to furniture, doors, and even damaged guitar wood!
Providing a powerful and permanent bond, the J-B Weld 40007 Wood Restore Epoxy Putty Kit is one of the strongest wood repair filler options on the market in 2019, offering a tensile strength of an impressive 1800 PSI.
Check Price on Amazon ➞Wood Filler Buyer’s Guide
Types of Wood Fillers
There are several different types of wood filler available, all made from different materials, and all of them have different properties, advantages, and disadvantages. In order to find the best wood filler to fit your particular needs, knowing which type of filler has which properties can make an enormous difference to the ease of repairing your wooden surface.
The most common wood fillers are cellulose-based wood fillers, which come as pastes or powders. They have a long shelf life and are generally inexpensive, and provide a reasonably tough and easy to apply surface that takes stains and colors very well.
Vinyl or latex wood fillers are very user-friendly and easy to shape and mold in order to match more complex surfaces that are not flat. They set very fast, but if applied in too thick a layer, they often crack relatively easily. However, these filler types are weatherproof and do not stain easily, so can be used outside more easily and reliably than cellulose wood filler options.
The toughest wood fillers are those that come in the 2-part epoxy form. These take a little more preparation time than many other types of wood filler putty, as they are supplied in 2 different components that must be mixed together, but offer a high enough level of bonding to also be used as glue for attaching wooden surfaces to one another. Epoxy-based wood fillers are ideal for outdoor use, as they are exceptionally tough and offer excellent resistance to poor weather conditions.
How to Use Wood Filler
Wood fillers are easy to use as long as you follow a couple of simple guidelines. As long as you are using an appropriate type of wood filler and have prepared it appropriately (e.g., mixing together the 2 parts of an epoxy filler), the following steps should get you to great end results.
Start by sanding down the surface you are filling to give the best surface possible for bonding. Then apply the filler with a putty knife without putting too much pressure on, and let it gently work its way into the cracks and gaps.
Give the filler as long as possible to dry. Even if it says it is fast-drying, a solid 24 hours is going to be a better bet! After that, you can sand the surface to smooth it off, and you are done!
Uses for Wood Filler
Wood filler has a range of applications and does not have to be used only to repair scratches in wood. Different types of wood filler are better suited to different applications, and knowing the full range of possible applications can help you to get the most possible out of your wood filler of choice.
The most common use of most wood fillers is in the filling of holes. It does not matter how deep the hole is, a decent wood filler should be able to fill it effectively. It is worth noting, however, that vinyl-based wood filler are not ideally suited to filling holes, as they often crack when applied in a thick layer.
Any type of wood filler can be used for smoothing off rougher wood surfaces such as coarse wood grain, common in woods such as oak. A thin layer of wood filler applied on top of the wood can smooth off the rough grain and then be polished to a high level of shine and smoothness, making rough wood surfaces look smooth and professional with ease.
Wood fillers of any sort other than water-based ones are a good choice for smoothing off a wooden floor. A thin layer of oil-based wood filler can be applied to any wooden floor and allowed to set, before then being polished and smoothed with a high grit, fine sandpaper. A layer of stain and varnish over the top should finish the job effectively.
2-part epoxy fillers are often used as a particularly strong type of wood glue. Most types of wood glue are much cheaper and easier to use, but a good 2-part epoxy filler will give a stronger bond with a thicker glue that also functions as an effective gap filler.
If you happen to have wooden furniture that has developed rotten parts, then wood filler is a good option (as long as the rotten parts are not in load-bearing parts of the furniture). Carefully cut away the rotten parts and apply a thick layer of wood filler to fill the gap. Sanding over the top of that and painting or staining to match the rest of the furniture should leave you with an almost undetectable repair job.
Expert Tip
Any type of filler works well for minor damage such as scratches, gouges, and narrow cracks, but for larger holes and wider gaps, you will need to find a thick, high viscosity filler.
Did you know?
Despite the name, wood filler is not only used for filling gaps in wooden surfaces. Most wood fillers can also be used for repairing other surfaces, as long as they are a little bit porous.