Introduction: THE BEST Way to Hide a Screw in Wood!

About: Average Can Be Extraordinary

Wondering How To Hide A Screw In Wood? This is THE BEST way! All the best woodworking tips and tricks are the simplest after all!

Supplies

Step 1: 'Peel' Back the Wood

In order to hide the screw, we're going to 'peel' up a section of the wood, add the screw underneath and then glue the wood back down over the top. It's best to wet the area first. This will make the grain more flexible and help it to bend back later.

To 'peel' up a section of wood its best to use a sharp chisel and a wooden mallet. Angle the chisel so it doesn't dig too deep into the wood. You only want to ease up a think piece. Using a wooden mallet and little taps helps to control the angle. The wet grain makes the wood much more flexible.

Step 2: Drive the Screw

Now we have the wood 'peeled' back you just need to drill a pilot hole for the screw. Position it as far underneath the 'peeled' up wood as you feel comfortable. You'll get a feel for how far the wood can bend back without breaking.

To make sure the head of the screw sits below the surface of the wood it best to use a countersink. This create a little divot in in the wood for the head of the screw to sit in.

Now you can drive the screw into place. Make sure it is fully driven in. The head of the screw needs to sit below the surface of the wood.

Step 3: Hide the Screw

To hide the screw we just need to apply some wood glue and fold the wood back down over the top of the screw. Adding a spot of super glue helps to hold the 'peeled' up wood in place while the wood glue dries. Unfortunately I had run out of super glue when I went to record this tip. So I used some tape and a clamp.

Basically, you just need to hold the wood in place while the glue dries. Any method that works best for you is the way to go.

Step 4: Sand & Finish

When the glue is dry, you can see how its already looking promising. When the excess glue is sanded away it will look even better!

I used an orbital sander to speed up the sanding process.

There is an image of how it looks without any finish. As you can see. the only 'noticeable' part of the this process is where the grain is initially cut. The side of the cut blend in perfectly as its a perfect grain match.

There is also an image of how it looks with some finish applied. The cut line really isnt noticeable in person and especially from afar. I think this technique is the simplest method for hiding a screw and its definitely the best looking method! Give it a go next time you're stuck and need to conceal a screw, a nail or any thing for that matter.