We're going to be painting the kitchen cabinet doors in the condo we'll be renting out but a few of the doors have some small nicks in the laminate. What do you recommend in this situation? Will wood filler work. I looked on YouTube and there seemed to be every suggestion from wood filler, to spackle, to silicone caulk, to magical incantations.
Here's a shot. Extreme close up. Makes it look massive, but the actual nick is probably less than a cm across.
That's a hard place to get a lasting repair. While caulking might adhere and last longer it's not sand able and would be difficult to make look nice. I'd use Durabond [setting joint compound] but most any filler will do ok. I just wouldn't be surprised if it comes off over time.
Get a small can of Bondo at your local hardware or automotive supplier. It's not hard to work with (just follow instructions on the can), it has a fast cure time, is easily sandable, sticks to whatever it touches, finishes hard, is easily primed/painted, and should last quite well.
To give the Bondo better "grab", you could predrill a couple of very tiny finishing brads into the clipped off corner, making sure to set them deep enough that the heads would be covered by the Bondo while still sticking out of the wood... they would provide an "anchor" for the Bondo.
I've just done something similar on a new attic door installation where I had to fill the deadbolt hole in the door and the deadbolt strike hole in the jamb. There, I was using so much Bondo that it took three applications, but the finish is perfect and more durable than wood filler or caulk.
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