Which wood filler? (second fix)

[Bm101]

Maybe it's me. Can't get on with cuprinol 2 part. Nasty gear.
Loft conversion here, lot's of second fix snagging.
Door liners, architraves etc etc All the usual.
What do the wise use? Ideally I'd like a gun on tube solution if there is a good product out there. Am I missing a life changer?
Any advice very welcome.
Cheers
Chris

 

[Homers double]

Hi chris
I use everbuild 2 part and find it pretty good as long as I only mix up smallish amounts, mix up too much and it’ll set before your done, I also use this one quite a lot it’s only about £4 a tube and comes in several shades, I keep a white and a medium in stock all the time.
https://www.brewers.co.uk/product/NC13405510R

 

[Phil Pascoe]

A woodfiller or a decorating gap filler?

 

[Jacob]

Putty, if its painted. I'd prime first, then fill.

 

[ColeyS1]

I don't think you'll find the answer in a tube [WINKING FACE]

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[mr edd]

For internal painted 2-part wood filler but i use an electric sander hooked up to a hoover for most rubbing down, for internal clear finish hardwood brummer, but this is only ok for v small brad holes, and the colours do not match brilliantly, also for some hardwoods but especially kitchen type applications the wax touch up sticks are ok but they seem to take much more work than a bit of brummer rubbed over with sand paper,

Thing to bear in mind is 2 part filler is v stable and hard as nails once it has cured, timber used in the average second fix new build will shrink like a right bar steward as soon as the customer gets in and as usual, cranks the heating up to 25 deg C and the timber moves far more than the filler.

Cracks will appear in any new work so i am starting to leaning towards something easier to rub down as i know it is likely to crack anyway so might as well make life easier the first time around as even sparingly applied 2-part is a pain to rub down. I'm been wondering about some of the light weight fillers and want to try some out soon.

 

[mr edd]

This is actually a problem i run into quite frequently as i do a quite a lot of snagging work for builders. Quite a lot of it is a complete waste of my time, one customer and i quote ''Edd i can't believe you missed this huge gouge on the woodwork its shocking,.........sorry just give me a moment to find it.............oh, can you shine your light here i think i have found it, oh no that was just dust, when i do find it i'll email you a photo''

I generally point people in the direction of the builders house book which will state along with the NHBC stuff etc what you can expect the builder to cover over the maintenance period and the warranty.

Advice in the old carpentry text books used to state to leave timber in the weather proof building for 6 weeks before fitting, but your lucky to have 6 min now, similarly an old gent i was lucky enough to know was a decorator in the days before caulk/rollers etc said the man who taught him would go in and fill woodwork with linseed oil putty and they would come back months later to rub down
Second fix woodwork to finish well and have the results last beyond 6 months in a new build is just as much at the mercy of moisture content and humidity as all other woodwork. You stand a better chance if fitting new work in an existing home but the effect of the amount of water which goes into skim and screed etc should not be under estimated.

 

[Geoff_S]

2 part for small bits, white powder fillers because I find them so much easier to sand than any ready mixed stuff I have ever found. Mind you, I have recently found Ronseal Hardwood Filler to be very good. I needed something with a colour.

Decorators Caulk, hideous stuff, always ends up shrinking for me.

But then, living in a 140+ year old house for the last 23 years I realise that it doesn't matter what I do, there is constant movement and I could get really, really stressed about it if I felt so inclined. It's seldom the fillers that move, it's the materials it's filling, so there is no magic answer to what is the best filler to use, in my opinion.

Sort of related, I recently bought a solid oak desk, brand new. When it arrived and was unwrapped I spotted a dent in the surface and pointed it out to the delivery man. He said "Oh no, that's normal sir, the manufacturers deliberately distress the piece to make it look old". And sure enough there were other, almost exactly the same size, dents in the piece. They must have a special distressing tool.

Now that is clever. Deliberately lightly damage a piece of furniture and call it "distressing". That way, if there is other light delivery damage you can get away with it, calling it distressed! And you know what, in this instance it really looked OK actually. Anyway, the moral of this is one man's snag is another man's distressing.

 

[Jacob]

... fill woodwork with linseed oil putty and they would come back months later to rub down.....

Only takes a few days. Can be painted over (with oil based paints) as soon as it is firm enough to be sanded back. Doesn't have to be rock hard.
It's cheap, very easy to apply and smooth, very permanent and durable once its gone right off

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The OP is looking for a gun filler, which would suggest he's not filling flaws in the wood, but gaps between the wood and the wall. What's wrong with decorator's caulk? It's flexible because that's what it's made for.

 

[Geoff_S]

I’ve always found that it shrinks,cups and not just in big gaps. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Jacob]

I’ve always found that it shrinks,cups and not just in big gaps. Am I doing something wrong?

Yes. Not sure what.
It's very stable. I've left windows unpainted for a long time and the putty hasn't shrunk or cracked, though it will eventually if not painted.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I thing Geoff is referring to caulk, not putty. As regards caulk, try different brands- some are much more dense than others, so a bit less likely to shrink.
I've answered this once before Jacobs reply and yet another post has disappeared into the ether.

 

[Bm101]

Thanks all for the response. As always it's much appreciated.
Sorry for the delay in replying. Started this morning with a fairly minor repointing job on the chimney stack and a lovely sunny day. Ended the day with sleet and high winds having rebuilt the back half of the stack after discovering it was held together by moss and cobwebs. Managed to get it finally sheeted up and tied down by a mad combination of sheer bloodyminded willpower, Benny Hill Farce and the eloquent use of a 1000 different swearwords all used consecutively and more than once. Sometimes I resorted to swearing madly in languages that I dont even speak.
Sheeesh.
People walking dogs down the road were phoning the coastguard to report a madman in distress at sea.
Coastguard "Can you verify the man's location? What part of the costal waters should we concentrate the search on?"
Dogwalker "Well he's not in the sea yet ... but if he keeps on holding to that tarpaulin he could end up anywhere between Sole, Bailey and Geman Bleeding Bight."

Anyway. It's all sent to try us I suppose.

The filler question was for internal wood filler, (tearout, knots, joints... all the usual PAR Howdens etc suspects) sorry I could have been clearer. I just find the cuprinol gear hard work and shrinkage is a big issue to my mind. It sands ok but it takes a (relatively) lot of time to achieve. It dries 'grainy', shrinks back a lot, etc.
I get its two part and it's the nature of the beast to some point. Wondered if there was a best product out there if you like.
I'm quite handy with the old decorating so it's not a new thing. I use caulk where it's fine. Really I was after recommendations for a substitute such as Homer's Brewers gear. I've used cuprinol gun on wood filler in the past and curiously it seemed a better solution in many ways. As mentioned, given that the filler won't move it'll be everything else was kind of why I was asking I guess. A better question might have been is 2 part filler even worth using.
I have a lot to do in a short time and was after a short cut solution that wouldn't cut too many corners if that makes sense.
All the new rads are turned off upstairs to help acclimatisation but obviously I expect some cracking etc. I can snag for a few weeks, that's not an issue, it's just getting the main body of work done. Handily, the ever optimistic Wise One has ordered the carpet fitting for the front bedroom for Tuesday. Tuesday.... I managed to put back the other room.... #-o
@Jacob. The putty recommendation is welcome, I know you know your stuff. I always thought it took a very long time to cure so I never considered it for the timescale on this work. Glad to know for the future though so thanks for that.

TBH, I recently discovered this gear called CT1 by accident and I'd use it all over but it's not cheap. Tenner a tube (Aiiii! :shock: ) but it's wonderful stuff as a quick fix. Just don't put it anywhere you don't want it because it's not coming off! Amazing gear though.

Sorry if the reply's a bit rambling. Been a long day and the roast chicken and yorkshires have gone to my head quicker than normal. So to speak. :-"

Many thanks all for your help and advice.
I should really head upstairs with some pva and water to face some mdf edging and sanding but I might just have another pint and call it a day today. :-$
Cheers fellas.
Much appreciated.
Chris

(Edit: I miss the thankyou option! I 'like' is not the same as saying 'thanks for helping'. I'm old fashioned it seems! )

 

[mr edd]

Oh wow, sounds like you have had some fun! definitely another pint to recover i think

 

[ColeyS1]

If you like ct1, try stixall from toolstation. Around a fiver a tube, white clear or black. Haven't gone back to ct1 since I tried stixall.



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[Bm101]

Lol. There are some benefits to being an abseiler Coley. A complete disregard to plummeting to your certain death becomes normal after 20 years odd working daily at 300 foot above the floor on a 10 mm rope. I'd think most right minded roofers would have given up by the point they were holding onto the chimney stack with their toes mate. Amateurs.