Finished dadoing and carving my rails on the table saw. 4 ea. 12 foot long
2x6's. Unfortunately I had to use framing lumber. This is going to be indoo r paint grade railing. Need to fill dents, nicks and saw marks. Considering Bondo or simply painters caulk applied with a broad knife prior to sanding . Even thinking of joint compound. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
g 2x6's. Unfortunately I had to use framing lumber. This is going to be ind oor paint grade railing. Need to fill dents, nicks and saw marks. Consideri ng Bondo or simply painters caulk applied with a broad knife prior to sandi ng. Even thinking of joint compound.
I can tell you what I do when finishing up a project, repairs or refinishin g.
First, if you slather caulk all over your wood, you will get all kinds of s trange textures on your paint. The caulk does not absorb the paint the way wood does, and wherever you put the caulk on it will give you shiny spots. I would advise you to try floating out a piece of wood with caulk, then tr ying to sand out your tool marks to see how impossible it is to get a good surface. Caulk is good for intersecting joints when applied in as small a bead as possible (so it doesn't take away from your joinery) but it isn't a good choice for filler pr float material on a nice finish.
Joint compound doesn't adhere well to wood, although some have gotten away with its application. It can crack, break into pieces, and do all kinds of things you don't want.
Bondo makes a wood filler now, and it is pretty good. Regular Bondo, not s o much. It is formulated for metal, fiberglass, etc., not for organic surf aces. This video says it best, and most painting contractors have had this experience. This is why it isn't used by professionals.
For me, I caulk all the joint intersections with a good acrylic latex caulk . Inside cabinets, shelves, staircases, under crown molding, you name it. For nail holes, scratches (small or large), dents, bangs, rough grain area s around knots, you name it, I use Durham's Rock Hard water putty.
It is CHEAP, and it will keep in the can for a couple of years. You only h ave to mix as much as you need, and you get to pick your consistency. I us e it a lot for new and refinish painting as it sticks well to just about an y surface. If I am filling a small nick, then I usually take my drill with an 1/8" bit in it and make it bigger. When I am filling a long groove tha t come from dragging a board across a nail or other surface, I make sure th e surfaces of the groove are a bit ragged on the inside, roughing them with the side of a chisel.
The beauty of this material is that it doesn't shrink. In my experience, e ver. I have used it outside to fill fascia cracks, inside to fill and pain t damaged cabinets, used it on painted brick, and just about anything you c an imagine. It doesn't dry really hard (don't be fooled by the name) so it cannot be used to resurface concrete or floors where there is foot traffic .
It tools great, you have about a 15 minute pot life per batch, it sands lik e a dream. It will sand perfectly smooth if you allow it to dry completely. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it, but now I take it for g ranted to the point of keeping it in my paint tote, and mix it in whatever cup, can lid, or anything else I have when I need a small amount. When I n eed a large amount, I mix in styrofoam cups like I have my coffee in from t ime to time. Wouldn't be without that stuff.
It holds paint very, very well, and never in the last 25 years that I have been using it (recommended by my painter at that time) have I had any of it fail under a couple of coats of paint. I never sand beyond 220gr when pai nting, and a good piece of sandpaper will flush out your filler nicely with the surrounding surfaces. It really doesn't shrink, crack or come loose a fter painting! If you are sanding it and it feathers out too much and a sm all piece from a filled edge pops out, just add more, and sand the thin edg e by hand.
With some practice, you will find a million uses for it. Check out some of the comments on the google link and you will see how well received it is b y the industry.
Robert
Bondo will work for largish imperfections. Joint compound will work for smallish ones. If you use setting compound you wind up with gypsum, same as Durham Rock Putty.
A very handy material is auto glazing putty. Bondo is basically polyester resin and talc, glazing putty is basically lacquer and talc in a tube. Biggest problem with it is that it has become ridiculously expensive.
You can make your own glazing material with any fine powder such as talc, calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, pumice, etc. and a binder. Binder can be lacquer, shellac, varnish, etc. I prefer lacquer or shellac. You can make a thick putty or a thin glaze; both can be reconstituted with binder if they dry out, both dry quickly, sand easily.
Sawdust and glue works too.
All the fillers consisting of a fine solid + binder need a fresh, clean surface. I suspect the main cause of the Bondo filler in the video Robert linked was that the wood surface was weathered.
BTW, the talc I'm talking about doesn't come from a drugstore, it comes from some place that sells epoxies, polyesters, fiberglass, etc.
Nailsh and dadIO, thank you so much for your thoughtful response. Can't believe that someone would take that much time and effort. THANKS! Durham Rock Hard it is!!!
I've used MH Ready Patch for this kind of work for about 20 years now... I get it at a local independent home center but I've seen it at HD and Lowe's.
For example
It also comes in gallons but I've never needed that much!
That stuff is great! It's what I use and it outperforms everything else. Stinks pretty bad since it's oil based, but dries faster than any oil based product I've ever used.
Excellent reply, as usual. Only comment I'd make is it will not only keep "in the can for a couple of years", but many, many years. In fact, I doubt it ever goes bad, but can't say for sure. I've used some very old stuff and it worked same as new.
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