6 Ways to Hide Screws in Wood

When building household furniture, how clean it looks is one of the driving factors behind the success of the project.

No one wants wood screws poking out of a new bookshelf or dining table, ruining the beautiful appearance. Luckily, you don’t have to settle for screw heads poking out of any wooden surfaces. 

With these tried-and-true tricks, you can hide screws in wood with ease for a professional and seamless finish. 

1. Countersink or counterbore the screws

One of the best ways to conceal screw heads is by countersinking the screw.

This method involves hiding the screw beneath the surface of the wood so it’s out of sight, out of mind. To do this, you’ll need:

• A drill and countersink bit
• Screws

Then, mark the position for your screws with a pencil and begin to drill a pilot hole to prevent the wood from splitting. 

After this, use your countersink bit to create a conical recess in the wood (this creates space to insert something over the top). This should be wide and deep enough for the screw head to sit below the surface. 

For bolts or screws, counterbore the screw by creating a deeper, cylindrical hole. This will hide the larger screw with ease. Then, drive in the screw head so it sits just below the surface. You can cover the hole with wood filler or a matching wood plug.

2. Use wood filler 

Sometimes it’s best not to overcomplicate things. Wood filler goes a long way when covering up screw heads, often used as a technique after countersinking or counterboring. 

This putty-like substance is great for cosmetic fixes. There are solvent-based, water-based, and stainable fillers to choose from (don’t use indoor filler outdoors!).

Once you’ve countersunk the screw, use a putty knife to apply and press the filler into the hole. Overfill slightly so that you can’t sand at the end. Let it dry for around 30 minutes, then use fine-grit sandpaper (180-220 grit) to level off and smooth the surface. 

You can finish by painting or staining the surface to match the rest of the wood. 

Top tip: To make the filler match the natural wood grain, mix some sawdust from your project wood with clear wood glue and use that as a DIY filler.

3. Place them in hidden places

We won’t go into much detail on this one as it’s quite self-explanatory. 

One of the easiest ways to hide screws in wood is by placing them in areas they won’t be seen, like underneath a chair, table, or cabinet. That way, you don’t have to go through all the fuss of concealing it. 

4. Try the chisel slip method

The chisel slip method is best left for those who are more advanced at DIY. This involves creating a thin flap of wood with a chisel, inserting the screw beneath it, and then glueing the flap back down.

What you’ll need:

• A sharp chisel 
• Mallet 
• Wood glue 
• Clamp 
• Painters tape 
• Fine-grit sandpaper 

Mark where your screw needs to go, then make two shallow cuts a few mm apart, working along the grain, and then one across the end. Use the chisel to gently lift the flap—don’t snap it off.

Once the flap is lifted, drill your pilot hole on your marking and drive in the screw beneath it. Make sure the screw head sits just below the surface. Then, add wood glue to the underside of the flap, press it back down, and clamp it in place. Use scrap wood to avoid clamp marks.

When it's dry, sand the area lightly to blend it in with the surrounding wood.

5. Add a decorative cap

There’s covering up screw heads, and then there’s doing it in a way that adds an extra touch to your project. 

Unlike plugs or fillers, decorative caps are prettier to look at (and that’s what we want for household projects). These can look like smooth domes, faux-metal finishes, or wooden textures that blend with or accentuate the surrounding wood.

Adhesive wood caps are a great choice, as they come in a variety of styles and colours to match your wood. Some are peel-and-stick; others snap or twist into place. You just insert your screw as normal, then pop the cap on top.

If you want to match the grain of the wood perfectly, create your own cap from the scrap material. You can use a plug cutter in a drill press to create your own caps from scratch.

6. Create a pocket hole

Pocket holes are the magic behind hiding visible screws in applications like flat-pack furniture. This involves creating an angled hole in one piece of wood, so the screw travels at a diagonal angle and pulls the two pieces of wood together.

Whether you're building a bookshelf, table, or cabinet, pocket holes let you screw pieces together from the inside, underneath, or behind—where no one will ever see them.

For this, you need:

• A pocket hole jig
• A drill with the right bit 
• Wood screws
• Clamps 

Adjust the jig so it’s the same thickness as the wood and secure it to the wood with a clamp. Then, using the special stepped bit, drill a hole through the jig into the wood. Once the hole is drilled, align the pieces and drive the screw through the pocket hole into the adjoining board.

If it’s on the underside of your furniture, you can leave the pocket hole exposed, as it won’t be seen. If not, conceal it with a cap or plug. 

Find the right wood screw for your project

Are you trying to find the right wood screw for your project? Whether you’re a professional or a DIY expert, we have a large selection of wood screws at Efixings, offering longevity, durability, and ease of use. 

From floorboard screws to zinc-coated screws, we have something for projects both big and small at great prices. Invest in the quality of your installation today by choosing Efixings for your screw needs.