Repairing Dents & Imperfections in Wood Door Moldings

Scrape off any loose paint chips on the molding with a putty knife. Wash the wood door molding with a trisodium phosphate solution and a sponge to remove dirt and grime.

Sand the area of the wood door molding that is dented or cracked with coarse 80-grit sandpaper. Sand the same surface with 180-grit sandpaper until it is smooth and even. Wet a clean cloth and wipe down the wood to remove the sanding dust.

Fill in deep dented holes or cracks in the wood with a lacquer stick that matches the stain color of the wood. Heat up a soldering iron. Hold the hot iron in one hand and the lacquer stick in the other above the hole or crack in the wood door molding. Press the tip of the soldering iron to the lacquer stick to melt it. The melted lacquer stick will drip down into the hole.

Touch a metal putty knife to the hot solder iron to heat it up, then press it straight down onto the melted lacquer to push it into the hole and fill it up. Wait 12 hours for the lacquer to set up or cure, then sand the surface with 400-grit sandpaper to make it even and smooth.

Use wood patch on large dented areas. Apply a generous dab of wood patch with a putty knife onto the center of the dented area. Slide the putty knife over the wood patch to smooth it and fill in the dented area. Wait for the wood patch to dry. Use 400-grit sandpaper to sand it smooth and level with the wood.

Paint the wood door molding to make it one single color and to blend in the repairs with the rest of the wood.