Selecting the Right Patching Compound to Repair Your Wall

Spackling Compound

Is used for patching cracked plaster, filling nail holes, repairing wallboard and smoothing surface imperfections on unprimed wood.

Lightweight vinyl spackling is the easiest to use—it resists shrinking, cracking and sagging and requires little sanding.

One type of spackling changes color when optimum drying time is achieved. It goes on pink and turns white when dry to signal time for sanding and painting.

While some are formulated specifically for either interior or exterior applications, many can be used in either situation.

Available in 8 oz., pint, quart and gallon buckets as well as 6 oz. tubes.

Glazing Compound

Is a long-lasting material used for glazing wood or metal sash.

It remains semi-elastic under a smooth, firm, wrinkle-free film that forms when the material sets.

It does not dry rock-hard and is easier to remove when reglazing.

It resists cold, heat and moisture and is used for patching or sealing small openings or cracks.

Glazing can be tinted with oil color.

Drywall Joint Compound

Is used in drywall construction as a bedding compound for the joint tape and to finish seams between drywall.

It is available in powder or ready-mixed form and comes in quarts, gallons and 5-gallon pails. Some ready-mixed types may also be used as texture paint.

One pound is sufficient for four lineal yards of joint surfaces.

Patching Plaster

Is a fast-setting powder ready to use by adding water. It dries hard to uniform, white color.

It repairs and covers large holes and deep cracks in plaster walls and ceilings.

Patching plaster may be drilled, sanded and painted and can be textured to match existing surface.

Plaster of Paris

Is a quick-setting white powder used to repair wallboard, plaster walls and ceilings, set bathroom wall fixtures—towel racks, soap dishes, etc.—and for art projects.

It usually hardens within 30 minutes.

No more water than necessary should be added; when water evaporates, the plaster shrinks.

Painters Putty

Available in either dry or pliable form.

Repairs cracks, dents, breaks and holes in furniture, wood and concrete floors, woodwork, metal and other interior surfaces.

In dry form (known as water putty because water must be added), it dries to the shade of new wood but can be tinted with dry color. It sets rapidly, cannot be reworked, dries hard and can be sanded, tooled and finished like wood.

Pliable Putty (also known as wood putty because it is made from hardwood) is rubbed on wood surfaces before painting to close pores in certain woods such as oak, mahogany, walnut, chestnut, elm, butternut, hickory, ash, rosewood and satinwood. It is not synonymous with patching materials, which fill holes or cracks in finished or unfinished surfaces.

Most wood putties come in paste form and must be thinned; the container label tells which thinner to use. Putty is brushed on, rubbed, sanded and sealed before finishing.

Wood putties are available in water-based form, allowing greater safety, rapid drying and less shrinkage. All wood putty patches must be sanded flush with the old surface. Patches can be stained, painted or varnished.

Vinyl Patching Kit

Contains a patching material that forms a permanent patch over holes, tears, etc., in vinyl.

Some kits require heat, while other patching material cures in air and requires no heat.

Also included in these kits is an assortment of “graining paper,” used to reproduce any design in the vinyl.

With a backing behind the hole in the vinyl, patching material is brushed over the hole and proper graining paper is laid over the patch.

With material that requires heat, an iron is then pressed over the graining paper to apply the proper heat to the patching material, causing it to take on the pattern of the vinyl and to set properly.

An assortment of touch-up colors is available to blend the patch into the color of the vinyl.

Fiberglass Repair Kit

Contains fiberglass fabric for patching and waterproofing. It remains flexible after application, preventing reappearance of the same crack.

Kits includes fiberglass tape and oil-based mastic.

After the tape is applied over the crack, the mastic is brushed over the tape.

The edges are then feathered to blend with the surface being repaired.

Recommended for repairing rain gutters, roofing, interior walls and wood surfaces.