Should you caulk or spackle nail holes?

We do not recommend using caulk to fill nail holes.
The downside of using caulk to fill nail holes is that caulk is not sandable, so you can get it as smooth as wood filler or spackle. Caulk is also fairly messy, so it's a risk to use caulk to fill a small nail hole.
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Should you fill nail holes with caulk?

Filling Nail Holes

Nail holes in exterior surfaces, just as with cracks or gaps, can be dealt with using a good caulking. Take the time before you apply any paint on your next project to fill all of the gaps, cracks, and nail holes.
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Can I use caulk to fill nail holes in drywall?

Can You Use Caulk to Fill Nail Holes? While caulking is great for filling gaps or cracks in exterior surfaces, it is not often recommended for filling nail holes in drywall or interior surfaces made of wood. The reason being that over time, the product is flexible and will shrink, leaving a divot in the wall.
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Is spackle good for nail holes?

Spackling paste is the best material to use to fill nail holes in either plaster walls or drywall in a long-lasting way. It is also called joint compound or patching compound. Remove any excess paste with a clean putty knife. Remove putty from the putty knife with a damp cloth.
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What is the best product to fill holes in drywall?

Read on for more info about spackle and the best spackle choices on the market.
  • BEST OVERALL: DAP DryDex Dry Time Indicator Spackling Paste.
  • BEST VALUE: DAP 18746 Alex Plus Spackling.
  • BEST FOR NAIL HOLES: DAP 12142, 32.0 Fl Oz, White.
  • BEST FOR LARGE HOLES: 3M High Strength Large Hole Repair.
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Nail holes - caulk vs joint compound *months later*



What is the best product to fill nail holes on painted wood trim?

You can use caulk to fill nail holes in painted trim, but caulk tends to be messier and shrinks more than wood filler, and it can't be sanded smooth like filler can. If you use caulk, make sure it is labeled as “paintable,” and don't leave a smear on the wood surface, which might show up after painting.
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How do I cover my nail heads before painting?

Caulk the nail heads with acrylic caulk. Apply a rust-inhibitive or stain-blocking primer to the nail heads and surrounding area. Apply multiple primer coats to the nail heads. Re-paint the surface.
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Can I use caulk as spackle?

Because it's so flexible and you can't sand it, caulk isn't the ideal material for filling holes. You should instead do that with a quick application of spackling compound, using a putty knife.
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Can I patch a hole with caulk?

It's important to seal these holes before you paint for a finished, professional appearance. Patching holes with caulk is easy and is only as time consuming as you have gaps to fill.
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Does caulk fill holes?

Caulking is often applied around windows to seal out air and moisture. Spackle and caulk are two soft, semi-liquid materials that are used to fill cracks or holes in various types of surfaces. Although at first glance, they may seem interchangeable for a number of home improvement jobs, they are not.
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Can you use caulk to fill holes in wood?

Yes, caulk can be used as a filler.

For example, Even though wood filler does a great job when filling nail holes and other holes in wood, caulk is terrible because it tends to shrink and cause a divot over time.
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Can I use spackle to fill nail holes in wood?

Spackling paste does an excellent job filling nail holes in wood. Simply feed generous amounts of the compound into the nail holes and use a putty knife to spread the paste on the surface to make it flush with the surrounding wood. Once finished, use a damp rag to wipe the excess and let the patches dry.
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How can I cover my nail heads?

Spread a little spackle over the nail head.

Then, spread spackle over the nail head to hide it. If you'd like, use a putty knife to smooth out the surface of the spackle. Once the spackle is dry, sand it lightly with 180-grit sandpaper, then paint the area.
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Can you use drywall compound to fill nail holes in trim?

To properly fill nail holes, you'll want to use wall putty or drywall compound. Wall putty – A tube of wall putty will do the trick when you're filling in a few holes. Simply dab a small amount on an old knife and push the putty into the nail hole. Let the putty dry and follow the instructions from the putty.
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How do you cover nail holes in the wall?

Filling small nail holes is a pretty straightforward process:
  1. Apply spackle. Using the sharp corner of your putty knife, scoop out a tiny amount of spackle and gently push it into the hole. ...
  2. Let spackle dry. Allow the spackle to dry. ...
  3. Sand the spackled area. ...
  4. Paint.
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What product fills holes in walls?

Erase-A-Hole is a quick and easy solution to fill the holes in your walls.
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