Wood putty or wood filler to fix a dog chewed corner on a bedsite cabinet?

Question

Hello, I eagerly picked up a two drawer pine cabinet from the nature strip only to realise a dog had chewed the front left corner!  I'd like to repair and stain the top (and two drawers) but am confused at what product to use to do this repair, putty or epoxy, given I'd like to stain the repair and top.  Advice is greatly appreciated.

MitchellMc · Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Lushlaverle. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about timber filler.

For this kind of repair, I’d recommend using a timber putty in a pine colour, especially since you’re planning to stain the piece. Timber putty is your best bet for blending with the surrounding wood. Epoxy fillers are strong and great for shaping, but they generally don’t absorb timber stain well, which makes them stand out against natural finishes.

That said, timber putty doesn’t have much structural strength, especially when you're rebuilding a chewed-off corner. To give the repair some internal support, you might like to drill a few screws into the damaged area. Set them in at different angles, and make sure the heads sit below the finished surface. This creates a little framework inside the filler to help it hold its shape and resist knocks.

Once the filler has cured and been sanded smooth, test your stain on a hidden spot or scrap first—it’ll help you get a feel for how the repaired area might differ in colour from the rest.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell