How to Repair Damaged Trim Molding

wall with white baseboard molding
What You'll Need
Wood filler
Putty knife
Bowl
Water
Sandpaper
Paint
What You'll Need
Wood filler
Putty knife
Bowl
Water
Sandpaper
Paint

Because trim molding is often made from softer woods, you can easily damage it. You might damage it by moving furniture or vacuuming. Or a pet could chew or scratch trim molding. Save yourself some money and repair damaged molding yourself, rather than replacing it. Here’s how.

Smooth Damaged Molding

If edges of the damaged trim molding are raised, use sandpaper to smooth them. Then you can apply the wood filler smoothly.

person painting door trim

Apply Wood Filler

With your putty knife, apply wood filler. It's better to apply too much than too little. When the filler dries, you will be able to sand it even with the molding.

If your wood filler is water-based, use a wet finger to smooth the wood filler. Allow the filler to dry for 24 hours. For a smaller area of damage (such as dents and cracks in your trim molding), buy wood putty. To patch larger areas, use an epoxy filler.

Sand and Paint

As with any wood project, proper preparation is the key to a good-looking end result so take the time to create a proper finish. Using a fine grade of sandpaper with a flat backing, sand the repaired molding. Then paint it to match the existing paint.