Expert: Eileen Cronk - 2/12/2009

Question
Hi, My uncle is installing his old pine kitchen in our house and we want to change the cupboard knobs but this will leave marks showing where the handles used to be.  Any idea what we could use to treat this so we can replace them without it being too obvious what we have done.  Also some of the knobs are now in a different place.  Your help would be appreciated.  Thanks

Answer
Hi Simone
Nice to hear from you.
You did not say you are going to refinish the cabinets so I'll assume they will stay as is with just the handle changes..correct?
Its easier to do this if you are refinishing but if you are not it will be tricky. Especially with pine as its soft wood and no doubt the marks you refer to are partly indents from the old handles and partly a different color wood under the handles.
On any knobs you are changing but leaving in the same spot, I suggest you choose something like the following
http://www.thehardwarehut.com/type-knob_backplate.php
This hardware has backplates which cover a multitude of sins.
On the spots you are changing, you don't have a lot of options.
You plug the holes first. This can be wooden plugs or wood filler.
Then you fill the indented areas with wood filler.
Care must be taken because you will have to lightly sand the areas smooth but you do not want to sand the existing color out of the wood. Then you rub some stain over these areas and let dry well.
You will find the stain does not cover the areas to your satisfaction. Just the way this repair is.
So what I do is get a can of the following in the correct color.
http://www.constantines.com/browseproducts/Behlen-Jet-Spray-Lacquers.HTML
All you do is give the repaired areas a very light spray then stop and let dry. Then another light spray and let dry.
Do not attempt to cover the area in one spray. It just won't work.
Practice this spraying on a scrap piece of wood. This will give you a feel for the color concentration.
Keep a rag handy to immediately wipe this off it you spray too much. This stuff dries in seconds.
Simone be advised that this type of repair is to be avoided as its never perfect.
I strongly advise you try not to move the handles but get the backplates instead.
Good Luck
Kind Regards
Eileen