Filling nail hole in trim and recessed nail in cedar siding. Any suggestions for a reliable, exterior nail hole filler. For the clapboards, would you prime first, then fill the holes, sand, etc and paint? Thanks
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Greetings kt ,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again which will increase it's viewing.
Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
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I have no direct experience with this stuff, but a friend has used it with success:
http://www.eclecticproducts.com/famowoodfillers.htm
Scott.
You're siding a house with cedar clapboard and then you're filling all the holes???
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The Woodshed Tavern Backroom
The Topics Too Hot For Taunton's Breaktime Forum Tavern
If you're serious.......
Caulk.
I've occasionally worked for folks who like a perfectly smooth clapboard face. The old galvanized box nails disappear pretty well under a few coats of paint but the stainless steel ring shanks we use now have a prominent head.
If you are painting or staining your clapboard, I'd strongly recommend priming the face, back and any end cuts before installation. One finish coat on the face before installation is not a bad idea but it depends on the situation.
With any paint job that includes filling holes, inside or out, the general method is prime, fill, sand, prime, fill, sand, finish, finish. If the carpentry is well done you can often skip the second round of filling, and sometimes the second round of priming.
This is a product I've seen good painters use: http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?BrandID=152&SubcatID=24
Edited 7/29/2009 5:32 pm ET by Mike_Maines
Thanks Mike. I have been back priming the clapboards and will change my method of priming the cut ends and filling the nail holes. Kieran
Dr. Kamm, I didn't recognize you ;-)
Trying to take advantage of this week of decent weather?
Mike, I have! I am one tired pup. I give you guys credit to do this physical labor stuff day in and day out. It is definitely for the younger ones. I think I am done the deconstruction phase so things should go quicker. Thanks again for all your help.
Kieran
Personally I like Elmer's best and it comes in several colors which is helpful. Sands and stains easily. Epoxy fillers are great but are a bit of hassle for some projects where they're not 100% necessary. Having to mix it up all the time is a hassle and it doesn't sand nearly as easily as Elmers. I use Bondo a lot...the Bondo made for general use...not the car Bondo. Home Depot sells both home use and car use. I think they're close to the same. I've used it in the cracks between the floorboards in my circa:1680 house and it's been about 4 years since I filled those cracks and they're still rock solid. Even surprised me. Different fillers for different projects.View Image
The Woodshed Tavern Backroom
The Topics Too Hot For Taunton's Breaktime Forum Tavern
So you used the home bondo between your floorboards. Did you stain afterwards?
Got any pics?
yeh...I stained it. comes out a bit lighter then other fillers but I spect all epoxy fillers are like that. There's a pic of that piece a floor in my website below under "The Goose Hill Rd Project". You can click the photos on to enlarge them. It's in the hallway upstairs by the banisters. If you really need a better shot I can do that for you..if you REALLY must...lol. There's not even a hairline crack in it. The photo actually shows it a bit lighter then it is.I 'spose if I wanted to..if it really bothered me I could go over the cracks with an artists brush and darken the stain but it looks fine the way it is.The floor in that area is wood thats probably 400 years old and
I suspect it's been seasoned purty good by now as are the floor joists below so there ain't all that much movement.View Image
The Woodshed Tavern Backroom
The Topics Too Hot For Taunton's Breaktime Forum Tavern
Took these pics from a 1740s structure in New Hampshire a few years back. Downstairs woodwork had been 'grained' by a grainer. That was what the guy did, travel around and grain. The family has managed to keep the it all pretty much intact and safe from remuddling even after all those years.
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Those old tradesmen. Folks have an 1840s farmhouse whom it was said had a siding gentlemen arrive during it's construction and set up a tent in which he lived in on the grounds.
Hand made the siding and installed one row a day.
Wonder if there's still brownstoners working their specific labor and nothing else?
I've done quite a bit of graining mself but not to the extent that guy does. Years ago I bought a very expensive furniture touch up kit. Lots of tins of powdered dye colors and artists brushes etc etc.
I once drilled a 1 1/2" hole in a curved oak bottom step in a house I was selling to install a newel post...hole was in the wrong place...ugh!! I cut another piece of oak with a 1 1/2" hole saw and glued it in the spot I F'd up. Sanded it all smooth..did a little filling then used the touch-up. NO ONE could see the mistake. Even I was amazed.I used to have a few graining tools that imprint grain from it to the surface you're working on. that worked nice in some cases but the artists brushes let you continue the line of the grain to the opposing side.Patience is most definitely a virtueView Image
The Woodshed Tavern Backroom
The Topics Too Hot For Taunton's Breaktime Forum Tavern
I recall looking closely at the graining in that 1740s place and amazed on how real it looked.
Had to really stare it down knowing it was a stain job to catch the quirks.
Just for interest since I was in the files I'll post a couple others of the house.
A three hole togetherness sitting room and 'indian shutters'.
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Sorry, I guess I should have said " you can't easily stain bondo to match" I have always tried to make filler invisible and I don't think a bunch of lighter dots on siding would look too good. It seems to me using a darker stain on just the bondo would be a major PITA. To be honest I have only tried to stain bondo a couple of times and didn't have great success, but I am always looking to learn, I would like to see pics of it done right. Maybe I can add the method to my arsenal!
Quick: Bondo - used it on boats, even under the water.
Best: Restore-It 2 Filler Kit - http://www.restor-it.com/ - it may be intended for dry rot repair, but it's an excellent nail/screw hole filler.
Gary W
gwwoodworking.com
Thanks Gary
Another DAP product, this one in a 10 oz. tube for a caulking gun: Painter's acrylic latex caulk. Comes in several colors and white. Two hours set up time. Twenty-five year durablility guarantee. Available at HD for about $1.35 each.
Being able to cut the tube's tip to fit the nail holes, then apply it directly with the caulking gun makes is simpler and faster than other methods.
A painter friend recently introduced me to Elmers wood filler. Elmers as in the guys who make white glue like we used in grade school.
I think the tub is white with orange and blue printing on it.
I can only find it at Home Depot and it has worked better than any spackle filler I have tried to date.
I have used it to fill fastener holes in exterior redwood siding, interior MDF, and to touch up dings in drywall.
The stuff is great. I haven't tried the stainable one, just the paintable.
Dries quick, sticks well, sands easily, shrinks minimally.
Try it, you'll like it.
Karl
Elmers has a wood filler in a bottle that has a spout top. Haven't tried it but it looked kinda thin. It was ~$8 at Lowe's.
I have also used exactly this Elmers filler on a garage (1000 sq ft). I sank the nail heads, over-filled with Elmers, sanded the filled spots down after the stuff hardened (quick pass with random-orbital sander), and painted. They look fine now, 8 years later.
Bob Chapman
Glad to hear you had good results with the Elmers as well. I ended up with a few screw holes needing a second fill but they were pretty deep holes.
The strange aspect of the elmers filler is that no one other than the big box stores seem to sell it.
Karl
I got mine at my local lumber yard, but I suppose that varies by region and by lumber yard.
Bob
A filler I really like is WEST System epoxy resin mixed with their #407 lightweight additive, which is primarily microscopic hollow spheres of phenolic plastic. The resulting putty is very nice to work with and sands easily when cured. I mostly use it on bare wood, but it should stick fine to primer.
Ditto what others said about backpriming and sealing all cut ends, etc. It makes a huge difference in longevity.
Bill
We've been doing remodels on our place, and have gotten into using ACE vinyl spackle. Seems to work fine, sands easily, disappears under the paint.
Hatchet, piece of scrap, penknife.
Thanks again to all.
Sorry ktkamm. Hope you got what you needed.
Didn't mean to highjack your thread but figured the thread had already run it's pace on the original question.
Cheers
One word...BONDO!
I don't like anything you have to use mix and use up in 5 minutes for filling nail holes. Bondo is one word, but that's it. I have used bondo many times where I need a bigger fill than nail holes.I like the elmers filler in a tube for exterior. Don't get the tub unless you plan on using it all up quickly. The lid lets too much air inside and it dries up.