How to fill nail holes easily and frugally with this easy tip!
Remodeling Tip: How to Fill Nail Holes
As I mentioned in my last DIY post, we live in an old farmhouse that's constantly under construction. So naturally, we've picked up a few tricks in the way of remodeling and DIY. Also, Mr. Gracious used to work at a custom cabinetry store before he started his career as a firefighter, so he has a few extra tricks up his sleeve.
One of the tricks that I'm always amazed by is the way he fills nail holes after installing trim. Normally, you would pick up a wax filler stick
from your hardware store in a similar color as your stain or paint color. These are a bit pricey, especially since it's just a stick of wax. Mr. Gracious' method of filling nail holes is, in my opinion, brilliant and much more frugal.
Now that I've spiked your curiosity, are you ready for his trick about how to fill nail holes? He uses a crayon
to fill nail holes! Yes, a crayon! If you have kids at home, you almost certainly have crayons! And if you have one of those giant boxes of 96 crayons, you almost certainly have the color you need already on hand, and for way cheaper than your typical wax filler stick.
We've been remodeling our bathroom for a while. We completely gutted it, redid the plumbing and literally EVERYTHING else (stay tuned for a reveal in the next few weeks!). We installed all new trim, including crown, and Mr. Gracious filled every single nail hole with crayon. Our bathroom trim is plain white, so it was obviously easy to match.
Here's how to fill nail holes with crayon:
For small nail holes, such as those you would use with trim, just take your matching crayon, and with firm pressure, rub the over the nail hole, just like you're coloring. This will fill the nail hole.
If you get a little crayon on the trim outside of the hole, that's okay. Just take a dry rag and wipe over the area. The crayon will come right off.
For larger nail holes, you can use a similar method as above, but the crayon will stick in the hole better if it's just a little bit more soft and malleable. So take a lighter and warm the crayon, just a little bit. Be careful here. You want it just a little softer, but not dripping all over the place. You certainly don't want hot wax dripping all over your hand. Then rub the soft crayon over the hole. Wait until the crayon in the hole sets. Then you can rub off any excess with a dry rag.
Pretty easy, right?
Do you have any special tricks you use while doing remodels and renovations?
Did you like this How to Fill Nail Holes idea? Find more household tricks on my For the Home, DIY, and In the Kitchen boards on Pinterest!
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TwoPlusCute says
What a cool and clever idea! You've no idea how many nail holes we have over here, this tip will be put to good use. 🙂
Jody @easypeasymom says
Awesome tip, I will definitely be pinning this! Thanks for sharing!
Visiting from the Wonderful Wednesday blog hop.
bernadyn says
Wow, I need to try this, we have tons of nail holes and luckily, crayons, lol. Pinned 🙂
Trudy says
I'm the world's worse at being able to measure to hang pictures and having the picture end up where it was supposed to. As a result, I have little nail holes here and there. Nothing that shows...fortunately all holes are currently covered by said pictures...but how nice to know those holes can quickly and easily be turned invisible (VOILA!) with the use of a humble crayon.
The best tip I personally have is to pour a little of whatever paint your using for a room into a small jelly jar. Use a peel and stick label with the name and type of paint (i.e. semi gloss, flat), the brand name, and the room, just in case you use similar colors in different rooms, or different sheens. That way, if the only crayon you have is green but the paint color is dove gray, you're colored...I mean covered. LOL
Thanks for this great tip.
Ann says
So many years on Pinterest, so many pins... and this is probably the most useful tip I've come across yet. LOL! It works so well! Hooray!
Betty says
I use a bar of ivory or Dove soap. Just rub it over thd hole and it fills it in. I dont keep crayons so this works for me.
Shannon says
Really smart!!! Thanks for the idea!!!
Jerry Schuman says
Do not do this if you ever plan to paint again. Paint doesn't stick to wax.
This is a terrible idea.
Michelle says
This is being passed around the internet as a way to fill WALL holes, but in the WOOD finishing industry, wax is used all the time to fill nail holes in trim and cabinets, which as you can see in the pictures is what my husband is doing (in another life he was a cabinet finisher). But you are correct. I would absolutely not recommend doing this in walls.
Elizabeth Lambert says
I was so amaze to see before/after pictures I love everything! I love everything you said and thanks for this helpful tips.
Donna Pursley says
I have used white toothpaste to fill holes on any color painted wall if you are going to repaint it.
Michelle says
Yes. This post was for wood trim and cabinetry only. They sell more expensive wax sticks for color matching at the hardware store. That's why I was selling a cheaper, equally effective way to do the same thing. It has been repeatedly shared incorrectly. But, yes, I do not recommend this for walls.