# fill wood...wood putty or drywall mud!?



## bergerdude

YES, 
At first glance it sounds silly. Wood putty is made to fill wood.
Drywall mud is for drywall.

BUT...my experiences with wood putty is that it is expensive, dries slow, hard to spread, difficult to sand.

This is for interior chair rail. I got some cherry chair rail for free...but it has many gouges and even some cracks I need to repair.
The trim will be painted white...so staining will not be an issue. 
(Cherry trim...painted over? Well...it was free!)

Anyway...5 minute drywall mix....dries fast, easy to sand or smooth with a sponge. It may shrink. It is not all that hard.

So what are the thoughts? I think drywall mud will be faster.
I will paint the chair rail with white latex paint, 2 coats....so a smooth finish IS desired.

Thoughts?


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## DangerMouse

I did the exact same thing at my old home, and it worked well. Paint covered it just fine.
(baseboards dinged up pretty badly)

DM


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## MrBill_DIY

I did the same thing, but with spackling, which is almost as easy to sand and tougher than drywall mud.


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## DangerMouse

Actually, I used Spackle in the tub too.... should have mentioned that. Thank for reminding me!

DM


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## bergerdude

Spackle...ok what about drywall MUD?


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## DangerMouse

I don't see why it would not work.... but of course, I could be wrong too. I've used drywall mud in a lot of places it was never meant to be, most worked out fine! Never anything important, of course....
Since it's your own project, the worst thing is you may have to re-do it is all. But I think you'll be ok.
Primer first!

DM


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## zman22

*moulding...spackle*

I love this site,
So I was reading this post and was thinking that I should finally fix that ding (that I caused) in some floor moulding during installation. I was nailing away with finishing nails and the hammer missed and put a noticeable ding in the moulding. What you guys are saying is that drywall spackle should do the trick to smooth it over. It will hold ?
BTW: A friend lent me his finishing nailer. I hooked it up to the compressor and could'nt believe how much easier it was to use than to hammer away. Gotta love the right tools for the job.


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## Termite

Sorry guys, but drywall mud for wood putty isn't an ideal way of doing things. Drywall mud shrinks and it is much less durable than the wood it is filling. It won't resist the wood's subtle movements, and I suspect that years down the road the bond between the wood and the mud won't be all that great. It also absorbs the paint at a different rate than the wood, so a couple of primer coats would be a must. 

Agreed, wood putty isn't the best thing to use either in a lot of cases.

You know what works better than anything out there? BONDO. Yeah, auto body filler. It is rock hard, doesn't shrink as it dries, and will be more durable than the wood you put it in. It can be laid in really thick or paper thin. It is easily sanded after application. Use a plastic putty knife to apply it. Whenever I need to fill an open knot, crack, dent, or uneven seam on painted work...I use bondo. Mix it to the consistency of peanut butter.


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## zman22

*Too good to be true.....*

OK, never tried Bondo myself but this sounds like it would be a strong repair. That it can be sanded really helps. Would this be a good fill for molding cuts? I mean I never seem to miter those 45 degree cuts quite accurately and always have little gaps that need touching up around doors.
BTW: Thanks for the info :thumbup:


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## DangerMouse

Bondo! hehehehe Whodathunkit? Great idea KC. Kinda expensive to keep around just for that though. LOL
zman, yeah, those 45° angles can be a real PITA. Especially if you don't have good tools to work with.
(I LOVE my 12" DeWalt compound miter saw!) Many years has it served me well, and never severed me either!

DM


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## tpolk

bondo and two part epoxy resin, millwork shops best friends


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## rgentil32

saw dust and wood glue...build up until workable consistency... sand it nice...take your time...the only time i have messed up wood is when in rush...if you think you are going too slow...slow down...wood putty...especially synthetic stuff is cheap...do not use gypsum...like putting apples w oranges...different types of materials going on there...


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## moorewarner

Bondo is a good trick, it's a regular tool and good to know about. I use it often when I really need strength, busted up jamb/lock set, moving/fixing hinge mortice's lot's of other spots.

But for dings, nail holes, gouges, trim seams and gaps it's overkill. It sands but not well, make sure you put it on tight or you will be sanding all day. It's also messy and sticky to work with, and you have little setup time.

For general cosmetic filling I highly recommend this,

http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=142&SubcatID=23

Get your self a 6" drywall knife and a 4" tapered and use the 6" like a hawk and work off of that.

It holds it's shape, you can recreate trim profiles. It sands like a dream. It wont flash your paint. Give me a tub of that ($20 at Lowes or HD) and I can make any trim, no matter how dogged, look right as rain.

It is rated for interior/exterior, wood, metal, drywall plaster. I use it on walls when I want a patch that needs more strength than mud.

Get the gallon tub, it holds its moisture better (you can re-wet it with a few sprinkles of water as well) and you can use it just about every where.

And it cleans up easily with water.

I have trim work going on five years old now that looks as good as the day it was done (with Bondo used in certain key spots as well :thumbsup.

Best $20 you ever spent. :thumbsup:


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## slickgt1

I like auto body filler. Bondo, whatever. Get the proper sander for this and you can sand, shape this no problem. The dry time is ultra quick too. I have had great success repairing really damaged window sills.


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## DangerMouse

Speaking of bondo..... What do I do with this gallon of bondo that the other can came up missing?

anyone?

DM


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## slickgt1

DangerMouse said:


> Speaking of bondo..... What do I do with this gallon of bondo that the other can came up missing?
> 
> anyone?
> 
> DM


Buy the other can. Find an auto supply store, not the big box ones, a real body shop supply. Prices are usually better, especially if you have anyone in the busness that has an account with them.


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## DangerMouse

I already asked a couple places, no-one sells just the one can....

DM


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## slickgt1

DangerMouse said:


> I already asked a couple places, no-one sells just the one can....
> 
> DM


Visit some body shops. See if they can help. I can find out localy if you want.


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## [email protected]

I mixed mud with powdered filler to skim over a bad paint job on doors and trim. I sanded and primed first then mixed the mud and filler. I wiped it or used a putty knife to apply. I then sanded and painted. I'm remodeling a 7 SQ ft Queen Anne. The doors I stripped bare compared to the doors I did this way don't look as good. It saved me time and I got a better finish. The mixture is super tough and easier to work with then straight wood filler.


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## joed

12 year old thread


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