If you want your woodworking project to look clean and professional, hiding the screws is the perfect finishing touch. Rather than having those metallic screw heads clash against the wood, there are tons of things you can do to cover them up and make them invisible. Keep reading for the best solutions for disguising visible screws in wood. We'll also share a few assembly tips to help you avoid visible screws completely.

Things You Should Know

  • Put an adhesive screw cap or install a wood plug over the hole to hide the screw and match the wood grain.
  • Fill the hole with wood filler or wood glue mixed with sawdust. For deep pocket holes, use auto body filler instead.
  • Peel back a surface layer of wood with a chisel and install your screw underneath it. Glue the wood back down to hide the screw.
  • ​​Try countersinking or drilling pocket holes to hide the screws deeper into the wood.
2

Fill the hole with a wood plug.

  1. A wood plug is a perfect choice if you need access to the screw later.[2] Wood plugs are small wooden discs that fit into the screw hole. You can either buy wood plugs that match the size of the screw hole or drill your own from a piece of scrap wood with a wood plug cutter bit. Set the plug into the screw hole and tap it in with a mallet.[3]
    • Wood plugs work best if the screw’s head is below the surface of the wood.
    • Some plugs extend past the surface of the wood as a decorative feature. If you want the plug flush with the surface, then trim it off with a flush-cut saw.
3

Apply wood filler over the screw head.

  1. Wood filler creates a smooth and stainable finish over your screw. Scoop the wood filler out with a putty knife and press it into the screw hole.[4] Scrape the putty knife across the wood’s surface so the filler is flush, and then leave it to dry for about 15–30 minutes. After that, just smooth the wood filler down with some fine-grit sandpaper.[5]
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7

Install the screw under the wood’s surface.

  1. Chiseling out part of the wood’s surface lets you hide the screw under it. Hold your chisel at an angle to the wood and tap the end with a hammer. Peel up a piece of wood that’s about 2 inches (5.1 cm) long and 110 inch (2.5 mm) thick. Drive your screw through the spot you just exposed. Then, apply a layer of wood glue on the surface and clamp the wood piece flat on the surface until it’s dry.[8]
    • The screw will be invisible underneath the wood, but you may see slightly raised edges where you used your chisel. Just rub fine-grit sandpaper over the surface to smooth it out.
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Expert Q&A

  • Question
    What are plugs?
    Patrick Johns
    Patrick Johns
    Home Improvement Specialist
    Patrick Johns is a Home Improvement Specialist and the Owner of CatchAll Handyman Services. With more than 28 years of experience, he has worked on a variety of home improvement projects, such as carpentry, plumbing, and door and window installations in both commercial and residential properties.
    Patrick Johns
    Home Improvement Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Plugs are little plastic or wooden pieces that you insert into a screw hole to cover the nut. They're especially common with security screen doors.
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About This Article

Patrick Johns
Co-authored by:
Home Improvement Specialist
This article was co-authored by Patrick Johns and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Patrick Johns is a Home Improvement Specialist and the Owner of CatchAll Handyman Services. With more than 28 years of experience, he has worked on a variety of home improvement projects, such as carpentry, plumbing, and door and window installations in both commercial and residential properties. This article has been viewed 67,482 times.
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Co-authors: 9
Updated: October 25, 2022
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