How to Repair Chipped Paint

Chipped paint on your house’s interior or exterior is not only an obstacle to painting, but it also poses a dilemma. Should you continue the chip and scrape the paint away or should you try to repair the chipped area?

In some cases, you can simply paint over the chipped area. Covering up old, peeling, or chipped paint with a fresh coat often does the job, but it will leave telltale rough edges. If you’d like the area to be perfectly smooth, though, you’ll want to repair the chipped paint. The fix works well for small areas of chipped paint and the cost is minimal.

Wood Putty vs. Latex Filler for Repairing Chipped Paint

Repair chipped paint by filling the depression with wood putty or latex filler. The product will be flush with the surface or slightly higher than the surface. The area is sanded down smoothly to match the rest of the surface. Finally, the repair and the surrounding area are primed and painted.

Not only is this method more attractive than painting over the chip, but it also protects the edges of the chip to prevent the paint from peeling away. Interior areas like baseboards, door casing, and window sills can be fixed this way. Exterior areas that are prone to chipping like around faucets, windows, or corners can be repaired, as well.

Wood Putty

Water-based wood filler is a lightweight product best for interiors. By contrast, oil-based wood putty is tough and exterior-appropriate. While wood putty is difficult to sand, this attests to its strength. Wood putty cannot be left uncoated in exterior applications; it must be coated.

If you are staining the repaired area to match the surrounding natural wood, use wood putty. Wood putty comes in a few basic wood-like colors, plus it can also be primed and painted.

Acrylic Latex Filler

Exterior acrylic latex filler cures to a hard finish. The finish is sandable. Acrylic latex filler, true to its name, has a waterproof plastic-like feeling. Most acrylic latex fillers are white.

Acrylic latex fillers are not to be confused with acrylic latex caulks, which are flexible, cannot be sanded, and are inappropriate for filling wood. DAP Platinum Patch is one brand of acrylic latex filler

If you plan to prime and paint the repaired area, choose acrylic latex filler since it does not have a wood-like appearance nor can it be stained.

Safety Considerations

Older homes, especially those built before 1978, may have been painted with lead-based paint. Lead-based paint has been proven through research to cause neurological damage.¹ Lead is particularly harmful to pregnant women and to children.² Test the paint for lead before you begin stripping or sanding it. If it does contain lead, have the paint removed by a qualified remediation company.

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

• Putty knife
• Paint scraper or 5-in-1 tool
• Wire brush
• Sander with fine-grit sandpaper
• Paintbrush

Materials

• Wood putty or latex patch
• Primer

Instructions

1. Scrape Away the Loose Paint EdgesWith a paint scraper or a 5-in-1 tool, scrape away loose edges of the painted area. Stop scraping when it becomes too difficult to pry away the paint. Also, take care not to gouge or damage the wood with the sharp edges of the scraper.
2. Brush Away Loose PaintWith a wire brush, vigorously sweep away remaining debris from the area. Work the edges of the damaged area once again. If more paint begins to peel, go back and pry it away with the paint scraper.TipThis is the point where you decide whether to proceed with repairing the chipped paint or switch to scraping off more paint. As long as the edges of the chip are solid, you should be able to repair the chip.
3. Apply the Wood PuttyApply wood putty to a putty knife and spread a thin layer of putty across the damaged area. Make sure that the wood putty extends slightly beyond the perimeter of the damaged area. This excess wood putty will later be sanded away. Be sure to flex the putty knife to produce a flat surface.TipDo not apply the wood putty thickly as this will only be more material for you to sand away. Apply only enough to cover the damaged section, plus just a bit higher. Avoid sharp peaks.
4. Allow the Wood Putty to DryAllow the wood putty to dry as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions. This normally takes 45 minutes to one hour, but you may wish to give it at least two hours. If you try to sand before it has thoroughly dried, the putty will slough off when you sand.
5. Sand Down the Wood PuttyAttach a fine-grit paper on the oscillating sander, and grind down the patched area until it is flush and smooth with the surrounding paint. Avoid sanding down all the way to bare wood.
6. Check the Chip Repair for SmoothnessRun a bare hand over the patched area to feel for smoothness. The patched area should blend in with the surrounding paint. If you are unable to smooth the area entirely—such as when the board is badly damaged—a good option is to replace the board entirely.If the wood putty is not flush with the surrounding wood, repeat the earlier steps.
7. Apply the PrimerWhen the filled area is smooth to your satisfaction, apply a primer to the entire surface to prepare it for painting.TipPriming the entire surface will help the filled area blend in perfectly when you apply paint. If you do not prime, the patched area may absorb paint at a different rate than the surrounding area.

FAQ

• Can chipped paint be fixed?Chipped painted can be fixed by filling in the chip with wood putty or acrylic latex filler, sanding it smooth, then painting it.
• Should you paint over chipped paint?In some cases, you can paint over chipped paint. If appearance is less of a concern and the chipped edges are not actively peeling away, painting over the chips can be an option.
• How big of a paint chip can be repaired?Filling in chipped paint is best for small and infrequent patches of peeling or chipped paint, but it is impractical for large areas. If the surface is badly damaged, the paint should be scraped away.