Cabinet Rescue Kit – Bondo Wood Filler + Wood Hardener (Fix Chewed-Up Arcade Cabinets)

Ships in 1–2 weeks. We put each kit together by hand when you order.

What it's for: arcade cabinets that got beat up: chewed corners, gouged edges, and the swollen particle board at the bottom from years on a wet bar or basement floor. Bondo is what we use on our own chewed-up cabinets. It builds back missing wood, cures hard, and sands and paints just like wood.

What's in the box

• Bondo Wood Filler (2-part): cures in about 15 minutes, doesn't shrink, and can be sanded, drilled, and painted
• Wood hardener: soaks into soft, swollen particle board and locks it solid before you fill
• Plastic spreaders, a putty knife, and sanding sponges
• Our cabinet-repair card

How the pros fix a swollen cabinet bottom

1. Dry it out completely first. Never fill wet wood.
2. Harden it: brush wood hardener into the swollen area and let it soak in. Put on a second coat if it's really soft.
3. Shave or sand the swelling flat. Leave the T-molding in place as a thickness gauge so you don't sand too far.
4. Fill the chewed corners and gouges with Bondo, a little proud of the surface.
5. Sand it flush (80 grit, then 180), then prime and paint to match.

Extra trick: if the bottom is too far gone, glue a hidden frame of 1x2s just inside the base so the cabinet sits on new wood.

Bonus tip, courtesy of Overtime Arcade

Is light bleeding out around the edges of your marquee? Charlie of Overtime Arcade showed us this one: pick up car-door weatherstrip at the auto parts store and run it around the marquee opening. He says that's what the original cabinets used. Go watch his restorations. They're great.