How to - ADVANCED REPAIR A LARGE HOLE in a masonite WOOD GRAIN TEXTURE hollow core door

By all means hire a pro to replace or repair your door if you can find one in your budget and time frame. IF Not, You can repair a large hole in a masonite door and simulate the wood grain for under $100. Hopefully this will help tenants, contractors, DIY landlords, and home owners getting their home ready for the selling season.
IF YOU WANT TO JUMP AHEAD:
4:10 FOAM SPRAY
9:10 CUT FOAM
10:30 BONDO
13:45 SANDING BONDO
14:30 GEL COAT
17:30 PRIME
18:25 ADD WOOD GRAIN TEXTURE
22:25 PRIME COAT
Please find this list of materials and tools helpful:
Bondo www.autozone.com/paint-and-bo...
6oz/504944_0_0
Bondo Glazing shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/b...
Foam spray www.lowes.com/pd/Dow-Restarta...
Sanding sponge www.lowes.com/pd/3M-2-87-in-x...
Putty knife www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-Paint...
4" Drywall knife www.lowes.com/pd/Marshalltown...
Drywall knife www.sherwin-williams.com/home...
knives
Cheapest paint I could find www.lowes.com/pd/Valspar-2000...
Wood grain tool www.lowes.com/pd/Dremel-Stylo...
Textured hollow core two panel rounded top door is special order

[@rethamoore4282]

Thank you so much ! This one is so much better than the one with music because I could hear you and your instructions. I love music but never in tutorials as music distracts me. Just loving your videos and please continue to make more. 🙂

[@douglashill7059]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stickybuns8626]

Agreed. DIY tutorial music is very distracting.

[@jimbarron8688]

By far the best approach and the best results. The little extra effort makes a world of difference.

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks Jim!

[@jimbarron8688]

@@douglashill7059 I'm doing this repair today on a two panel door. I decided to cut out the two large broken pieces, glued some backing wood to hold the pieces in place, and when the glue set I began to fill with dyno patch compound. So far everything looks good. When it's dry and sanded I will add the texturing to blend it in. The break was where the panel raises out so the repair is complicated. I hope when it's all done and painted it looks as good as yours. Fingers crossed. Thank you for your master class on hollow door repairs! Nobody else's even come close.

[@mikes3593]

Thank you for not having the loud obnoxious music and back ground.....that's much better thank you for listening to the people of KZbin 👍

[@douglashill7059]

You’re welcome 😊

[@BrBill]

I like the bowed hacksaw adaptation. Improvised engineering is one of my favorite things.

[@douglashill7059]

Yes, makes a pretty nice cut, however I do prefer a little more underpinning to add stability to the patch. Thanks for watching

[@devramsurrun3820]

Thanks no music needed to enjoy watching you at work. Great job.

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks 👍

[@garymcnay8529]

Incredible results...great job!

[@ballgms308]

Yeah man this looks pretty good. Props for showing close up finished product after painted it shows the pride in your work

[@douglashill7059]

I appreciate that!

[@paulthomas8262]

@@douglashill7059 like it. One more coat I think it will blend further.

[@ITWorksSoftware]

Thank you for the useful info, and most of all, thank you for not adding distracting background music. 👍

[@douglashill7059]

You're welcome!

[@nolavalama4143]

Dough! Love this video! Thank you. I got all the names of the products down and will get them. You are a professional. Great work. Thanks again.

[@douglashill7059]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@sherrikent6628]

Absolutely perfect. Thanks so much!

[@douglashill7059]

You are so welcome!

[@-iIIiiiiiIiiiiIIIiiIi-]

Renter: "Get out of my restroom Doug! I'm gonna have to call the cops!" Doug: "Not until I finish this grain."

[@douglashill7059]

Lol, fortunately there were four other bathrooms available

[@danieltoth6119]

Thank you for answering my question. The door looks great. I figured you did something like that.

[@douglashill7059]

You bet!

[@sharolvincent4895]

Very informative and helpful. Now i can repair my door. Thank you

[@douglashill7059]

Great!

[@LindsAyWithAttitude]

Omg this is amazing!!!! Thank you soooo much. I was like the guy in another vid saying the music was too loud... insaw you linked this vid so i came over here. Amazing video! Amazing results!! Wow! Great job.

[@douglashill7059]

Glad I could help!

[@antoniotiberi1569]

Much much better and informative. Thanks.

[@douglashill7059]

Glad it was helpful!

[@AlexeiTetenov]

Thank you for sharing!

[@user-vv4tx3bm6j]

What a great idea to use the Dremell!

[@douglashill7059]

Glad you like it!

[@victorbobis5473]

Amazing...exactly what I need to do for a door. Just like a personal instructor.

[@douglashill7059]

You can do it!

[@ZABALAVIDEOS]

Great Video and the audio much better. thank you for reading ours comments.

[@douglashill7059]

Any time!

[@ravee1277]

Really nice work! 😊👍 saved a few hundred dollars & time.

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for watching! Glad to help you save some time and money

[@rockyv180]

Excellent video.

[@douglashill7059]

Thank you very much!

[@AnthonyDibiaseIdeas]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@douglashill7059]

You're very welcome!

[@harrycock3705]

fantastic job

[@douglashill7059]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@michaelagood9358]

Thank you much better without background music great job 👍⭐️!

[@douglashill7059]

Glad you like it

[@Chrislk1986]

Good technique here. I've used Bondo (and occasionally JB Weld) for years on wood and its perfect for it. While I was working in building and grounds maintenance, I was working with the senior maintenance guy doing some flooring projects in the various historical buildings and he gave me a little tub of "High performance wood filler". It was just overpriced Bondo, though with a slightly more "wood" color compared to the old Pink bondo (though the new stuff uses a blue hardener). I've actually got a couple hollow core doors at home to patch up and was wondering what the best way to get that wood grain in would be and, well, your dremel technique is perfect. Always love excused for grabbing a new tool, thanks for the tips! Hope you are doing well.

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for watching Chris

[@spankynater4242]

You have a great speaking voice, I’m glad we can hear it. I hope you enjoyed your root beer at that happy hour.

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks Spanky, thanks for watching

[@nourbaalbaki537]

Loving it 😊 شاطر

[@douglashill7059]

have fun with it

[@ITWorksSoftware]

Ahh yes no music, this one is so much better. 👍👍

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for watching

[@steveterry54]

Thanks!

[@douglashill7059]

No problem!

[@marvellstarks2434]

That was dope

[@douglashill7059]

Cool, thanks for watching

[@rickstandal626]

Much Better Thanks

[@douglashill7059]

Glad you liked it

[@forever8561]

thank you soo much

[@douglashill7059]

You're welcome!

[@centexan]

Valiant effort. Having done a lot of repair work for a living, the hours needed to do this make a $30 door the only option. And I've done some fake wood grain.

[@douglashill7059]

Lee, if this was an in stock $30 door, that would have been my first option.

[@danpettis1675]

@@douglashill7059 these doors don't cost $30 .. more like $70 . and that's a blank door slab. you still have to cut your knob hole and hinge mortise. and 2 coats of paint. so time spent there. I've done several hole repairs. and with damages across the recesses . and all turned out great. thank you for sharing your knowledge. keep em coming sir

[@deannalove9073]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!! 🥰🥰

[@douglashill7059]

You’re welcome 😊

[@tinman9093]

Nice job.............

[@douglashill7059]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Charlesredporsche]

Lots of good information and I like the no-music approach. You need to edit much more though. Maybe down to 1/4 the length.

[@douglashill7059]

I was thinking of doing an 8 second version

[@mindseyeproductions8798]

Soo... awesome; perhaps hold the can upside down when dispensing to allow it to escape from the nozzle, also I have had experienced that expanding foam distorting the materials around it; that stuff has amazing power. It is used to lift concrete pads and hold power poles up.

[@douglashill7059]

Will make a note to hold the can upside down. Actually redid this project because I left the can in the attic over winter and the foam continued expanding for 2 days maybe because it was not fresh or did not shake it up enough

[@rockyv180]

@@douglashill7059 There is available minimally expanding foam that would be perfect for this.

[@ericgofreed1651]

much more enjoyable without music

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for watching Eric

[@OdinsChosen208]

wow amazing work i find the foam can work better upside down

[@douglashill7059]

Oh, the can, yes sir

[@happyducky09]

So cool! What would you do if a hollow core door was cut down to fit and then the side came out? Seeing if I can salvage it. 🤔

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks! If a standard size door does not fit, and you had to cut it to size, and you cut it past the vertical or horizontal spine, separate the spine from the panel and wood glue it in place using clamps.

[@mohnjarx7801]

I like this idea, I'm definitely going to try it. What do you think about a California style patch on the inside of the door? It would eliminate waiting for the gap filler to dry overnight. Just a thought

[@douglashill7059]

Creative, however it would leave a bump. What about taking packing foam the size of the hole and glue that to the inside wall

[@michellereed9441]

Very informative video. I have a sunken spot on a closet door where my husband stumbled and accidentally pushed through the wood. The broken spot is not entirely broken through, but I should still remove the cracked wood to make a hole first before repairing, correct?

[@douglashill7059]

Hi Michelle, if it is just a crack in the door, you can patch over it. If it is a hole, remove surrounding area before starting the patch. Thanks for watching and good luck with your repair

[@zelkadevlin288]

Thank you so much, I have been wondering how to get the door fixed without having to buy a new custom door

[@douglashill7059]

Thank you for watching

[@danagreene7469]

Instead of bondo have you tried a wood filler in its place just curious, but great results, makes me want to go punch a hole in my door to try 🤣🤣👍

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks Dana, yes tried many products, but like Bondo's flexibility and strength

[@jcschwarb]

Excellent video. My only question is how do you sand so fast?

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks! High speed sander

[@m3307]

I have this door and the sides are lifting from the base part on each side of the door. What kind of glue can I use to glue it back together? Also, the card board at the bottom fell out, I think I threw it away.

[@douglashill7059]

TRS, use wood glue and clamps, should be pine at the bottom of the door, if not cut a piece to fit and use wood glue and clamps

[@adamlaird7556]

Very nice! So i have a similar situation in our bathroom. My hole is in the middle of the panel and the wood or whatever is still attached, just dented in. At the deepest its maybe 1/2". I was thinking of taking the lightweight spackling and filling it, then after i use the spatula to smooth it i was.going to take a nail or something amd drag ot through the compound to simulate the woodgrain. Since it's in the middle of the door I have to kind of connect the lines. Have you ever tried this method? It's not very deep and I don't want to rip off all the paneling and put spray foam in and do the whole patch I was figuring it was shallow enough that I could get away with the lightweight compound

[@douglashill7059]

It may hold up fairly well. I like the nail scratching concept

[@adamlaird7556]

@@douglashill7059 I will endeavor to make a video

[@renelopez8227]

Would it be possible to "engrave" the woodgrain with a pointed object while the putty is still pliable? I feel that would save you from having to Dremel it, especially if you didn't bring one along

[@douglashill7059]

Results will vary. Bondo sets up really quick. The nice thing about using bondo is if you don't like the result, you can always sand it down and start over

[@renelopez8227]

@@jamest1375 It actually worked out really well the way I mentioned. Customer was very happy. No Dremel required 👍

[@adorabledeplorble8497]

The repair work on those doors is all fine and dandy, but I am really curious about how your pool game went. I have considered using Bondo and some foam on a certain pocket, but alas, that would be considered cheating.

[@douglashill7059]

Having trouble with a certain pocket? Try leveling your table to your advantage before permanently covering the hole, lol

[@adorabledeplorble8497]

@@douglashill7059 😂😂😂

[@hugostiglitz6823]

What kind of white paint should I use?

[@douglashill7059]

What kind is on the door now? Most builders are using a latex semi-gloss paint. If you take a sample piece to your local paint store they can match the color and the finish

[@ssd8837]

Great video... what is the grid on the sand papers?

[@douglashill7059]

80 grit does just fine, thanks for watching

[@ssd8837]

@@douglashill7059 Thank you. One of the best explanatory videos that I have ever watched of how to fix my damaged inner doors.

[@nutsosix7930]

Was that pitch drop i hear!?

[@darenswanson8425]

A closer camera angle while you used the Dremel tool would have been helpful. My main reason for watching this was to see how you handled the grain. The closeup afterward helped to show how close you were able to replicate it, but actually seeing you scribe the grain would have been better. Still, I've spent the last forty minutes watching your videos so I have found them of value!

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for watching Daren!

[@jamesmcclanahan3620]

Never buy paint at lowes or home depot,go get real paint from Benjamin Moore

[@douglashill7059]

@@jamesmcclanahan3620 There are many paint manufacturers out there that have been providing great products. Ben Moore is one of them

[@jamesmcclanahan3620]

@@douglashill7059 that's true but lowes and home depot is not the place to buy paint

[@davidriccitiello6421]

Hold the spray foam can upside down, your letting all the air out of the can. You did it on both video's

[@douglashill7059]

Thanks for the tip

[@davidriccitiello6421]

@@douglashill7059 holding the can straight up allows you to clear out any foam in the tube. Yes it's meant to be held upside down to spray the foam

[@vpfeffer]

How would you repair a fiberglass exterior door that has a dog door? New doors are expensive and we do not have a dog.

[@douglashill7059]

Not sure how big the opening is, assuming it is the back door, is it a flush door or 6 panel, but you may want to just lock it, fill it with foam insulation, and call it a day. If it is small, maybe fill it with foam and put a kick plate over it

[@vpfeffer]

@@douglashill7059 The top half of the door is a window. The bottom part has 2 panels. The dog door opening is about 12" wide and 16" long. The opening starts about 4" above the bottom of the door.

[@skylario]

What's your happy hour bev?

[@douglashill7059]

I'll have the cheapest scotch you have with a few olives

[@voodoohex72]

If we just didn't have 14 old sons that get mad and punch holes in the doors, we wouldn't have to worry about this.

[@douglashill7059]

Lol, once they review this training video and make the repair, they will learn to respect others property

[@Carlos.Ruiz.Guzman]

Skip the first 14 minutes and there is the beginning of the subject of this video

[@mohnjarx7801]

Who puts hollow-core doors in a million dollar home?!

[@douglashill7059]

All the big builders do

[@mohnjarx7801]

@@douglashill7059 not around here. I'm generally remodeling houses between $250 and $500k and almost never see hollow core doors. Then again where I'm at a $500k home is an enormous house, not like in some places where that only gets you a 3 bedroom brownstone lol. What area are you in if you don't mind me asking?

[@paulthomas8262]

For a hollow core door, not worth paying $600 for a repair, that not discrediting the craftsman or their time, rather the necessity job. If you are not replacing then this is a good option.

[@douglashill7059]

Agreed! Thanks for watching

[@chuckgrumble5440]

ive used a fork

[@douglashill7059]

Very civilized method

[@davidparker9676]

I hope you get paid by the hour and not the job. This could have been done in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost. 20 minute mud with some newspaper behind it would have done the same thing without the terrible Bondo and expanding foam odors.

[@davidriccitiello6421]

That's why million dollar homes should not have hollow panel doors with hinge stops. They put the money in the kitchen, bathroom and theater rooms. Oops hollow doors

[@douglashill7059]

I ended up putting a stop on the tile floor to keep the two doors from colliding. Yes, I prefer a solid wood panel door

[@MichaelJordanSP]

This could have been prevented if the contractor used solid wood doors. For a house this expensive there is no excuse for using hollow core doors.

[@douglashill7059]

Agreed, but there is a plague of national home builder that use the hollow core door

[@briandougherty481]

😲 That's robbery. A new door is under $200 and I can over night it for another $100

[@douglashill7059]

And, what does a carpenter charge to install, paint, and install hardware?

[@chichidouglas5078]

I've been building custom houses for 25 years and that's the first million dollar house I've seen with $70 hollow core doors and $1.50 door stops. That doesn't make sense any way you look at it. Not as the home owner that's spending a million dollars. Not as the builder because the fastest way to ruin a good reputation and loose work is to cut costs on the finish details on high dollar jobs. It also makes it harder for the realtor to get asking price because who's going to spend that kind of money for a house with hollow core doors and cheap hardware

[@douglashill7059]

It really depends on where the house is located. This one is in Northern Virginia and part of a track of similar homes. I agree with you if you are building just a few million dollar spec homes every year, the consumer would be thrilled to have solid wood doors.

[@GoldenGamingDan]

I know multiple millionaires and one billionaire and they reuse and recycle old materials and buy only expensive assets which profit them. When it comes to this stuff they would gladly pay less money. How do you think they became millionaires

[@27artarriusjennings]

@@GoldenGamingDan❤

[@bobbg9041]

Don't waste your time with the big box store matching paint colors, go to a paint company like surwan willams

[@douglashill7059]

Yes, Sherwin Williams is good as well. What ever is most convenient

[@nomansland4811]

300 up front seems ridiculous. Most legit handymen/ carpenters have accounts for supplies and not sure why they need money up front for such a small job. I know the claim is gonna be "well custom order and you could change your mind". In that case I will just order my own door and pay someone to install when the job is done.

[@douglashill7059]

Yes, that would save the carpenter time locating the right door and in turn lower the labor/time price to get it installed

[@jasminspepperpot8156]

I bought a new door for $300

[@douglashill7059]

Before or after watching this video, lol?

[@jimharvard]

LOL! seriously Mr. Hill, why on earth did you decide to start doing "DIY" home repair videos? your "door repair" videos remind me of an old real estate joke that goes: "take this course and we will teach you how to turn a $50,000 investment into $10,000 cash!" the only value that i can see from your "helpful repair hints" would be to a "slum lord" who wants to spend the least amount of money on fixing repairs at a property and REALLY doesn't care how the "repair" looks. LOL!

[@douglashill7059]

Jim, many homes have been sold in as is condition in the past decade and new home owners need ways to save money in maintaining their homes so that they can direct cash to more important things . Many of the homes I have shown were painted by professional painters and they could up their game by using this technique and still save the owner some money.

[@jimharvard]

@@douglashill7059 i can appreciate your explanation of "as is" homes and how many people need help in home repair. my "beef" with your first video was that it seemed you were not disclosing that the "bondo" repair that you had done would be visible since the woodgrain finish could not be recreated. your second video using the dremel to etch some finish was helpful.