How to Choose and Use Wood Filler | This Old House

The best substances for plugging holes and filling cracks, with This Old House general contractor Tom Silva.

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Up in the loft, Tom and Kevin discuss different types of fillers used for filling small holes and cracks in both wood and PVC trim. For interior, painted wood, Tom recommends products like spackle or water-based paintable fillers. He also showed how to make your own wood filler using sawdust and yellow carpenters' glue. For interior wood that will be stained, Tom recommends "stainable" wood fillers, either water or solvent based. For wood that has already been stained, Tom showed wax crayons and putties that are tinted to match a variety of wood stain colors. For very large cracks or holes inside the house, Tom recommends auto-body filler. For exterior use, Tom recommends a two-part flexible epoxy filler that will flex with the wood when it expend and contracts with changes in humidity. For trimboards that are made from PVC, Tom suggests a two-part acrylic adhesive that also works well as a filler for small nail and screw holes.

Tom demonstrated a variety of wood fillers manufactured by Minwax [https://www.minwax.com/], Dap Products, Inc. [https://www.dap.com/], 3M Bondo Corporation [https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/bondo-us/], and Elmer's [https://www.elmers.com/].

Tom also showed a two-part architectural epoxy for repairing rotten wood manufactured by Advanced Repair Technology, Inc. [http://www.advancedrepair.com/]

The filler that Tom showed for PVC trimboards is available at professional lumberyards and is manufactured by Bond&Fill [http://www.bondfill.com/].

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How to Choose and Use Wood Filler | This Old House
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