Expert: Greg Scholl - 5/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: I just installed new cabinets. I came home after being gone two nights to find that a wood rat (we live in the country) had gotten into the cabinet and chewed through the edge of the pine frame around a drawer.  The hole is half-moon shaped and about two inches in diameter.  Any ideas on how to fix this?

ANSWER: Wow, two days huh, was there food in the cabinet? I have a few ideas, but none of them are easy without some serious woodworking skills. You'll also have to match the finish which requires another set of skills. My real concern is if you know how they're getting in. Rats are disease carriers,breed rapidly, and can be quite dirty, and destructive.(as you've just learned), and you definitely don't want them in your house/kitchen. I would find a Pro restorer or Cabinetmaker to help you with the repairs....but I wouldn't bother until you solve the Vermin problem. Now that they know how to get in and where to chew....they'll be back, you can be sure of that. Hope that helps a little- post back if need be- Greg

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QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. The rat is now gone to his or her reward and I found the hole and patched it with a metal plate.  I'm pretty good with wood (grew up in a family of contractors).  I thought about using a 2" hole bit to drill out a more even half moon shape and then use the same bit to drill out a patching piece on some leftover wood.  Would you use wood glue or something stronger (Gorilla..)and then fill edges with wood filler (not plastic)and play with stains on old piece until had a match?

ANSWER: A simple metal plate will not deter a Rat, let alone a family of Rats, especially that they now know where to go. They can chew through a wall in 8 hours. Brick, metal, steel wool, wires, metal studs, sorry...I ramble...let's just say I'm a veteran of a serious war on Rats. I restored a house while living in it in the 80's, and there was a Feed and Grain store in the Barn right next to the house. It had been there for 80 year the house was 200 years old.I fought them for 3 years, they are cunning, intelligent, ruthless chewers, and breed...well....like Rats. Protect yourself...
That's a decent idea for the repair, but a hole saw cuts kind of rough for a precision repair....but that's where the "Skills" come in, right? I'm not a fan of polyurethane glues for fine wood working, the type of glue is not as important as quality of the fit of the surfaces in the repair. Good old PVA glue will be plenty strong. A well fit repair (with a fine glue line), will be stronger and less noticeable. Also keep in mind that matching a factory sprayed on finish will also test your skills as well, bet hey, I would do it,.... just as a challenge.....lol.Regards- Greg

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QUESTION: I'm laughing - although it's not funny - about your description of your 'war'.  8hrs - wow!  I actually thought our five dogs would be a deterrent but they just ran when the rat lept out of the drawer.  As did I - LOL I'm pretty much of an enrironmentalist and hate using poison but may now resort to it and just chalk up sending rats to their reward as part of my karma - ha.  I'll bear in mind your experience and hope for the best. Thanks for the tip on glue.  I guess I'll tackle the hole myself - we live far out by a lake in Oklahoma and getting an experienced cabinet person to make the trip here would probably be harder than dealing with the rats. Plus, my son is coming in from Alabama on Memorial Day so I have to have all my kitchen rennovations (sans rats) finished by then - ha. I'm fairly good so wish me lots of luck and thank you again for all your comments. I'll let you know how it comes out. Shari

Answer
It definitely won't be funny for long if you let a rat population get out of control....while I have a soft spot in my heart for most creatures (like field mice for instance), I cannot stand Rats and view them as I view Carpenter Ants, Cockroaches, etc., pure evil.....so please be as ruthless as they are when fighting them off, and DON"T WAIT...as you will quickly become outnumbered. Best of luck- Greg