Abstract: Four groups of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)-wood composite samples were prepared to study the effects of preexisting surface damage on the wood on the interfacial bonding in CFRP-wood composites. The effects of the extent of damage on the failure mode, load-strain, strain distribution and interfacial bearing capacity of the composites were analyzed. In addition, the influences of the damage on the mechanical properties of the interfaces were discussed. The experimental results show that the surface damage changes the failure mode of the CFRP-wood interfaces. As the extent of the damage increases, the shear failure surface is closer to the surface, and there are obvious characteristics of brittle failure at the interface. The preexisting surface damages cut the wood fibers, destroy the integrity of the surface fibers in the wood, weaken the interfacial stress transfer efficiency, concentrate the interfacial stress, and decrease the bearing capacity of the bonded interface. An expression for the interfacial stress distribution in the final composites was derived by analyzing the stress at bonded interface on the micron scale, and a model for the bearing capacity of the CFRP-wood interfaces that accounts for preexisting damage on the wood surface was established. The error between the calculation results of the interface bonding bearing capacity prediction model and the test results is less than 6%, which is in good agreement.