Repair or replace?
| Job | Best fix |
|---|---|
| Dent or shallow gouge Skin not broken through | Filler, sand, paint |
| Hole up to fist size Flat, painted door | Foam backing and filler |
| Large hole or split skin Bigger than about 6 inches | Usually replace |
| Damage on a molded panel Curved profile is hard to rebuild | Usually replace |
| Stained or clear-finished door Filler will not take stain to match | Replace |
A hollow-core door is two thin skins over a cardboard honeycomb, which is why a doorknob or a fist goes through so easily. A plain replacement slab is inexpensive, so weigh an afternoon of filling and painting against the price of a new door; see interior door replacement cost.
What you need
- Low-expansion spray foam, the kind sold for windows and doors
- Two-part auto body filler or wood filler, or lightweight spackle for small dents
- Utility knife and a wide putty knife
- 120 and 220-grit sandpaper and a sanding block
- Primer and paint to match the door
How to fix it, step by step
- Cut away loose and splintered pieces around the hole with a utility knife so the edges are firm, and bevel the edge slightly inward.
- Spray low-expansion foam into the hole to fill the space behind it. Let it cure fully, usually overnight.
- Trim the foam with the knife until it sits just below the surface of the door.
- Mix and spread filler over the foam, pressing it into the edges, and leave it slightly proud of the surface.
- Sand flat with 120-grit on a block once it has hardened, then apply a thin second coat to fill pinholes and sand with 220-grit.
- Prime the patch, then paint the whole face of the door so the sheen matches.
Use low-expansion foam. Standard gap-filling foam expands with enough force to bulge the door skin.
Making the patch invisible
The filler is the easy part; the finish is what gives a patch away. Feather the filler a few inches beyond the hole, sand until you cannot feel the edge with your fingertips, and always prime before painting, because bare filler soaks up paint and shows as a dull spot. Painting only the patch nearly always shows. Paint the full face of the door.
In rental units
Holes in doors are one of the most common move-out repairs, and they count as damage, not wear. When several doors in a unit are damaged, replacing the slabs and reusing the hardware is often faster than patching each one. See normal wear and tear vs damage and our rental turnover service.
Common questions
Can you fix a hole in a hollow door without replacing it?
Yes, on a flat painted door. Foam backing and a hard filler make a repair that is invisible once the whole door face is repainted.
What is the best filler for a door?
A two-part filler, such as auto body filler or a two-part wood filler, sets hard and sands smooth. Spackle is fine for dents but too soft for a hole.
Can a solid wood door be patched the same way?
A solid door rarely gets a hole through it. Gouges and splits in solid wood are glued and filled with wood filler or an epoxy wood repair product; see interior door repair.
Related guides
Methods follow standard door repair and finishing practice. We update these figures as we complete jobs.