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Biscuit and Plug Detailing Dress up your furniture with carpentry biscuits and plugs. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-133

Add details like these with a few biscuits and plugs.

Michele Beschen goes below the surface—way below the surface—to find new ways to detail and embellish furniture. In this project, the B. Original host uses wooden biscuits and plugs to create charming embellishments for plain wooden furniture.

Biscuits normally are never seen—they're internal supports used when building furniture. Wooden plugs are sometimes visible on fine wooden furniture, plugging the gaps left by countersunk screws. Both are often overlooked; both can add a lot of style to your décor.

Scroll down to see how to B. Original with these carpentry classics.

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Biscuit and Plug Detailing

• Select the furniture you want to detail: Flat wooden surfaces—like plain mirror frames and the backs of wooden chairs—work the best for this kind of detailing.

• Gather a collection of wooden biscuits, plugs and other wooden shapes (figure A). They come in a variety of sizes and are available at all home improvement stores.

• Sand down the biscuits and start mapping out a design on a piece of cardboard. (Michele Beschen created a leaf and flower motif for this project.) You can layer biscuits for added dimension.

• Biscuits are delicate, and plugs are tiny: Neither reacts well to nailing. Glue down all of your pieces using a strong contact adhesive (figure B). You can use wood glue, but you need to be sure to sand the furniture surface as well as the biscuits or plugs; they'll pop right off a finished surface.

• Once you have enhanced your furniture pieces, paint and decorate accordingly.

Keep your eyes open for ways you can B. Original with biscuits, plugs and other hidden hardware secrets!