Fix a Screwed-Up Table Top

By Seth Keller

Photos by: Mike Krivit

Posted: May 04, 2009

Did you use too long a screw, and now it's poking through the tabletop? Here's a 'swell' repair solution.

Sending a screw up through a tabletop while attaching it to the apron is a disaster, there's no question about it. I managed to do this four times when I grabbed the wrong length screws from a misplaced bin (Photo 1)!  I did everything right: the top was finished and I'd flipped it over on a blanket to protect the surface; I pre-drilled pilot holes for the screws; I even added a little wax to the screws so they would corkscrew smoothly into the table top. I didn't, however, remember to double check the screw length directly against the thickness of the top. Big mistake.

It may have been easier to just replace the top, but I really liked the grain of this particular red oak table, so I decided to fix it. The holes were relatively small, and oak is a porous wood, so I knew making these holes disappear would probably be easier than repairing a tight grained wood like maple or cherry.

Photo 2. Close inspection reveals small chips that have been pushed up by the screw. I carefully leave the chips intact, so I can use them to fill the void after I remove the screw.

First, I examined the top and holes. The screws had only punctured the surface and all the small mini-chips were still there (Photo 2). I didn't sand these off, as I knew I would need them to make this fix blend in perfectly.

Photo 3. I apply distilled water to the holes and to the chips that were pushed up by the screws to swell the fibers of the wood. The syringe allows for water to precisely drip on the mistakes and the surrounding chips.

I removed the screws and went to work. The first step to fixing the top was to apply distilled water to swell the fibers of the wood. It's easy to get water exactly where you want it with an inexpensive syringe (Photo 3). I used distilled water because I'd heard that minerals in tap water could react with the tannins in oak, darkening the wood. Although I don't know if this is true, I decided it's better to be safe than sorry.

Photo 4. I force the fibers flat and back into place with a thin hard implement, like a credit card. The wet fibers mash back into place pretty well.

Photo 5. I inject glue into the holes from the bottom side of the table to saturate each hole and the small fibers. Once I see glue coming through the hole, I know it's ready for clamping.

Photo 6: I clamp the fibers by using flat scrap blocks wrapped in plastic so they don't adhere to the table. I let this glue-up set overnight to make sure the glue dries completely.

Photo 7. I wipe the top with denatured alcohol to expose any glue spots that remain after the sanding. If any appear, I sand a little more and repeat the process. Once clear of spots, the tabletop is ready for finishing.

Once the fibers of the wood were dry, I used a small piece of plastic laminate (a credit card would work perfectly) to force the fibers back into place (Photo 4).

Then, I used the same syringe to inject glue into the holes from the bottom of the table (Photo 5). I applied enough pressure to the syringe to see the glue emerge from the top side.

After applying glue to each hole, I clamped the fibers down (Photo 6). I placed a small clamping block wrapped in plastic between the clamp and the tabletop to forcefully push the fibers of the holes flat.I wanted to make sure the fix dried thoroughly, so I let the clamp-up set overnight.

By the next morning, the glue was certainly dry, so I removed the clamps .I was pleased to find that my holes had almost completely disappeared. Once I sanded and finished the top, they would be nearly invisible.

Next, I removed the existing finish, (in this case, polyurethane) and prepared the top. To guarantee that no residual glue remained on the table top, I wiped the top with a rag wet with denatured alcohol (Photo 7). This not only removed sawdust, but exposed any remaining glue that remained. Once the top was clear of glue and debris, it could be refinished and attached to the apron. This time, I remembered to use the right length screw!