An essential part of owning a dog is learning to live with them. Animals have fears, training issues, and sometimes just destructive curiosity, and nothing suffers more than your furniture and doors. While it may be easier to repair scratch marks on your wooden table, fixing bite marks on door frames can be overwhelming.
To repair a dog-chewed door frame, you should assess the damage in depth and surface, sand the surface, apply the corresponding putty (drywall joint compound, wood filler, or floor repair spray). Once the hole is filled, feather the unevenness with a putty knife and paint over the repair area.
In this article, you will learn the following about fixing pet damage on your door frame:
- How to assess the damage and find the best solution
- Which putty to use in different situations
- Whether to repaint the repair area or not
Contents
Assess the Damage on the Frame
Depending on your pet’s bite strength, the frequency of damage, and the type of door frame, the required level of repair may vary. For superficial scratches, you can use lightweight wood filler, and some marks may only require sanding. Other types of damage often require extensive repair with drywall joint compound or putty.
When assessing the damage, consider the following factors to determine the best method:
- The Depth: If your dog has made a deep bite and the door frame is old enough, you may have a hole that requires a strong filler. The difference between using wood filler and other types lies in the strength they give to the structure and the way they can be applied.
- The Area: While assessing the depth is necessary, the damage area will help you decide which solution is the most cost-effective. Large flat punctures can be fixed with drywall joint compound and hardener as well as wood putty. You will choose between the two depending on availability and cost.
Choose a Filler
The second step to fix the bite on your door frame is to purchase the right filler. While this step may overwhelm some individuals, you can’t go wrong with a paintable filler. As long as you can apply the putty and cover it with the same layers of primer and paint as your door frame, there will be no visible difference. Our recommendations for the best of each type will be covered in the detailed breakdowns of the best methods below.
How to Use Wood Filler to Repair Your Door
Whether the damage is on the door jamb or the door itself, wood filler is a great way to fix superficial damage as long as the holes are not too pronounced or deep. Follow these steps when opting for the wood putty solution.
- Clean the area you want to repair. It’s ideal to use some basic disinfecting and dusting to ensure the area is ready.
- Sand the surface to remove any irregularities that could affect the healing.
- Apply a paintable wood putty with a putty knife, covering all dents and holes.
- Wipe off any excess with the putty knife to prevent any unevenness on the frame. When finished, the substance should fill the holes and sit at the same level as the rest of the door frame.
- Wait for the putty to dry. This can take 30 minutes but may vary more or less depending on the type of filler you’re using. Check the packaging for more clarity on the drying time.
- Once the putty is dry, you can coat it with the same primer and paint or stain to give the putty a uniform surface and appearance.
When to Use Wood Filler
For homeowners, it may not be obvious whether wood filler is suitable for the repair. The following two conditions help clarify this.
- If your door is made of wood and the bite marks are not deeper than 2.5 cm, you can use a wood filler to complete the repair.
- If the door can be stained and you plan to repaint it, you can opt for a paintable wood filler.
How to Use Drywall Joint Compound to Repair Your Door
Drywall joint compound is applied similarly to wood filler as both substances come out as putty that needs to be feathered out when applied. However, there are enough details to optimize, so the following steps will be helpful.
- Sand the surface. Unlike wood filler, drywall mud tends to cement itself in smooth holes, so the best way to use it as a substitute for wood filler is to mimic a hole in the wall. Sand the surface much harder than if you were using wood filler.
- Use a putty knife and apply batches of drywall joint compound to the door frame. The method here is similar to applying wood filler, except your pressure and application force will vary due to the thickness of the compound.
- Use a sanding block to even out the surface. Drywall mud tends to create small hillocks and produce a rougher surface. While not pronounced immediately, it becomes obvious when you try to paint over it. That’s why you need to sand the putty to smooth out the surface more accurately.
- Paint the frame. If the frame is not white, the filler will stand out as a whiter spot, so it’s important to apply a coat of paint that matches the appearance.
When to Use Drywall Joint Compound
If you’re wondering about the applicability of using this method on your specific door frame, refer to the descriptions below to see if they apply to your door frame.
- If your door frame is anything other than natural wood with many teeth marks, using drywall joint compound is your best bet as it’s quite versatile in this context.
- If your door frames are white, you’re in luck as the joint compound comes in the same color.
How to Repair Scratches on a Door With a Floor Repair Spray
While it may seem obvious that a dog’s bite would damage the door to the point where heavy-duty fillers are needed, this is not always the case. If your door is thick enough and your pet belongs to a smaller breed, there is a chance that the door jamb is only slightly damaged, and using a composite patch for drywall is excessive. Follow these steps to repair minor damage on your doors.
- Get a floor repair spray for hardwood and laminate floors.
- Apply the spray to the damaged area until no visible unevenness remains.
- Wait for the material to dry. Floor repair sprays have fast drying times, but you should check the spray packaging for a better idea.
- Apply furniture stain evenly to the frame to cover the fixed area.
Conclusion
The long-term solution to chewed doors is training your dog. But in the short term, you can use any of the three methods listed to fix the door frame. Here’s a summary of the post.
- Inspect the damage and check the depth and width of the bite marks.
- Select the appropriate filler for the damage.
- Clean and sand the damaged area.
- Apply the putty using a putty knife.
- Repaint the damage once the putty is dry.