How to Fix Damaged Wood Furniture Before Painting

We bought this rundown dresser from the thrift store for $40… I don’t like buying painted pieces, but I could tell that the paint job was good enough that it didn’t have to be removed. And since it had some damage, I figured it would be a great dresser to show how to fix damaged wood furniture before painting!

For old pieces, chances are you’ll come across some wear and tear on them. But don’t worry; learning about repairing old furniture can be a fun and rewarding experience. It’s also a great skill to have for your future DIY projects.

beat up old white dresser with veneer chipping off before fixing

So you have an old piece, whether you picked it up from the thrift store or it’s been with you for ages, and you want to update it. But before you can give it a new look, you’ll need to check and address any issues it may have.

One of the most common problems is damage to the wood itself. This can come in the form of scratches, dents, or even larger cracks and missing chunks. You’ll need to properly repair them before anything else, or they may show through and ruin your final result.

If you haven’t tried fixing damaged wood before, it may seem intimidating, but don’t worry; with the right tools and techniques, it’s actually quite easy. And once you’ve mastered this skill, you’ll be able to tackle any old piece and make it look brand new.

Supplies Used To Fix Damaged Wood Furniture

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also may earn from other qualifying purchases with other companies or get free product to review and use. All opinions are my own.

Krud Kutter
KwikWood
Bondo Wood Filler
Bondo Spreader
Elmer’s Wood Filler
Putty Knife
Misting Bottle
Flathead Screwdriver
Wet Towel
Clothing Iron
Gorilla Wood Glue
Glue Syringe
Clamps and Scrap Wood
SurfPrep Sander 3×4 Vacuum Compatible (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
SurfPrep 5″ Orbital Sander Vacuum Compatible (Use code RAY10 to get 10% off your order)
Sanding Discs
220 Grit Sandpaper
Shop Vac
Tack Cloth
Clear Shellac
Painters Tape
Pre Taped Plastic
Wagner FLEXiO 3500/595
Melange ONE Paint (Basilisk Black and Jacobs Well colors mixed)
Paint Filters
Varathane Polyurethane Satin Sheen
Panty Hose and Foam Sponge
Respirator
New Black Knobs

Grab our list of 10 must have painting furniture supplies, too!

Remove Hardware and Clean Furniture

Right off the bat, though, the knobs were a pain to remove. The middle piece wasn’t secured to the knob, so when I tried to twist off the nut, the metal piece turned too. So I ended up busting the knob so I could get a hold of the metal piece and unscrew the nut.

Then, I cleaned the dresser with Krud Kutter to remove all of the dirt and grime. Read this post to learn more about how to clean furniture before painting.

Cleaning an old white dresser with Krud Kutter and a damp rag

Fix Chipped Wood Veneer

And then, I removed the loose veneer, starting with the bottom skirt. I used a putty knife thing to get under all of it and pry it off. Then, I worked on the sides. Only a little bit was loose. And then the top… most of the top layer came off easily, and some of the bottom layer came off.

Prying off veneer on the top of a dresser using a putty knife

And then it got hard. So, I sprayed some water on the top to try to moisten it and get it to come off more easily. And then I moved on to the drawers.

Glue the Veneer Back On

I LOVE the detail on the drawers, but the veneer was loose and chipping off on them, too. I thought about making a mold of the design and removing all of the veneer… But I kept running into roadblocks. So, I decided to glue it back on the best that I could.

I used a glue syringe to put glue between the drawer and the veneer, and then I clamped a piece of wood on, to hold it in place as the glue dried overnight.

Gluing peeling veneer back onto the drawers using a glue syringe

Gluing was definitely easier than pulling up stubborn veneer! Learn more on how to fix veneer that is lifting here. If there’s some chipping, you can check out how to repair chipped paint on wood for a detailed guide on this process!

How to Remove Wood Veneer

The next day, I placed a wet towel on the top of the dresser, and I used a cheap old iron, which I use only for stuff like this, to loosen up the glue and basically soak the veneer so it would come off easier.

I’m not going to lie; it still took me over an hour to take all of that off the top. But it’s so much easier with the wet towel and iron. Check out this post on the easiest way to remove wood veneer to learn more about the process.

Loosening up the veneer on the dresser top using a wet towel and an iron

Remove Broken Casters

After working on the top, I flipped it over and popped off the old, broken casters.

The Best Wood Fillers for Veneer Repair

Now, it’s time to fill in all of those missing veneer areas. This will help us to get a nice and smooth surface before painting over the damaged areas.

Get Our Secrets!

Grab this super convenient How to Repair Furniture Ebook with all of our secrets on how to repair furniture for only $14.
You can print it out and have instant access whenever you come across damaged furniture, and know exactly how to fix it!
Click on the picture of the book to purchase!

Fill Veneer With Bondo

So we took the dresser out to the garage, and I filled the sides of the dresser with Bondo. It’s my go-to filler for large areas of chipped veneer because it spreads easily, dries quickly, and hard. Way better than regular wood filler.

Filling missing veneer areas on the side of the dresser with Bondo

It does stink, though. So I only use it outside. And you have to work really quickly because it sets up fast once you mix the 2 parts together. Check out my honest Bondo wood filler review here to learn more about this product.

Check out these posts to learn more about how to fix chipped wood furniture and how to fix a missing chunk of wood with Bondo.

Fill Veneer With KwikWood

On the drawers, I used KwikWood to fill the chips because I can mold it to the right shape that I need. Just like Bondo, it dries quickly, and it dries hard. But it doesn’t stink like Bondo does! And you can work with it a little longer than Bondo… oh and it’s not as messy.

It’s awesome! Learn more about how to use KwikWood for repair here! You can also read through this post to learn more about the best wood fillers. But can you really fix a broken dresser? – Get answers here! You can also check out these broken dresser ideas to see successful repairs and transformations!

Filling in the chipped veneer on the drawers using KwikWood

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Sand Wood Furniture

I came back a couple of hours later and sanded everything down, flush with the wood, and had to fill a couple of small spots with wood filler.

I sanded the top of the dresser smooth, and I even sanded all of the existing finish off the edge, too. Check out the best sanders to remove paint here and the best tools for removing paint from wood here.

In the crevices, I used a flathead screwdriver to chip the finish off, and then I sanded by hand where the sander didn’t reach. And then I sanded everything else to just make it all feel smooth.

Sanding the Bondo and wood filler smooth after it was dry on the dresser.

There was a lot of sanding. Learn more about the importance of sanding before painting furniture here. Check out our SurfPrep vs Festool sander reviews to help you decide which sander is right for you.

Prep and Paint Repaired Furniture

OK, with all of that out of the way, I moved on to cleaning the piece so then we could paint everything with the new color. I vacuumed up all of the dust, and then I used a tack cloth to wipe off any remaining dust. Learn more about how to prepare furniture for painting in this post!

I covered the top of the dresser, and then I sprayed 2 coats of clear shellac.

Spraying clear shellac on a white dresser

The clear shellac acts kind of like my primer. It helps the new paint stick. And it prevents bleedthrough stains from appearing, especially where I sanded down to the bare surface. Get more tips on how to stop stains from coming through paint here.

Spraying clear shellac is also one of the tricks on how to get rid of smoke smell in furniture or any other unpleasant odors. Check out more best primers for painting furniture here.

And then, for this project, I mixed up a custom color with Melange’s all in ONE paint line. Check out my detailed Melange ONE paint review to learn more about this brand.

Krud Kutter

BIN Shellac Primer

220 Grit Sandpaper

I mixed up basically a 50/50 ratio of Basilisk Black and Jacob’s Well with probably a little bit more of the black than the green.

And then, I poured it into my paint sprayer, mixed in some water, and sprayed on two coats, letting each coat dry for a couple of hours. Check out my honest Wagner 3500 paint sprayer review here.

Spraying the first coat of Melange green paint on the dresser with a paint sprayer

Learn how easy it is to use this Wagner FLEXiO model in this DIY blue painted nightstands makeover. And here’s how to thin paint for Wagner FLEXiO sprayer.

After the second coat was dry, I could see some spots where you could see the white finish in the texture of the wood grain, so I filled all of that stuff in with wood filler, let that dry, and then sanded the filler down.

Sanding off a few areas that had to be wood filled after 2 coats

I cleaned off all of the dust again, and then I sprayed my third coat of paint.

That was the ticket, so when the final layer was dry, I removed the plastic from the top and wiped 3 coats of some satin waterbased polyurethane on to protect it. Learn our special tricks to apply polyurethane by hand in this post on painting furniture black.

Wiping 3 coats of polyurethane on the wood top of the dresser.

I’m so glad that I kept the detail on the drawers, and I absolutely LOVE this color… and the paint. Check out more emerald green painted furniture here if you love this color, too.

Closeup side view of green painted dresser with black knobs

Full view of a green dresser with black knobs and a natural wood top.

More Before and After Makeovers

See All >

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.

Green painted dresser with a natural wood top and black hardware

Man, it’s a perfect finish! So stinking easy to use, too. What do you think? What hardware would you have picked?

How to Fix Cracks in Wood Before Painting

If your piece has cracks, you can easily repair them, too. If left unfixed, these cracks can cause bigger problems down the line, like structural damage and rot. Similar to the veneer above, glue and clamps are great for repairing clean cracks where the separated pieces can still be pushed back together.

Apply the glue into the crack, then clamp the pieces together while the glue dries. It’s important to let the glue dry for about 48 hours before removing the clamps so that it can fully set and hold the crack in place.

For larger or more severe cracks, use Bondo or KwikWood to fill the gaps. Don’t use regular wood filler for this! Overfill the broken area with either product, let it dry completely, and then sand it down with the rest of the piece for a seamless finish.

For more detailed guides, here’s how to fix cracks in wood before painting and how to repair cracks in antique wood furniture.

Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Filler

Wagner FLEXiO 595

Black Knobs

Learning how to fix damaged wood furniture before painting is an important skill for any DIYer. You could be dealing with small chips, scratches, or even larger cracks, but these are all fixable with the right tools and techniques.

Tackling these issues ahead of time will make sure your DIY project looks great and goes smoothly. So don’t be intimidated by any damage – now you know how to handle it like a pro!