"Patching Plaster" Question (and no, I'm not cooking with it!)

[Nerak936]

Got let out of work early today due to snowstorm and figured it was a good opportunity to lightly sand down the walls in my guest bedroom (the "baby's room" of the previous owner) and apply spackle as needed in preparation for the Kilz primer.

I swear the previous owners gave that baby darts and lead balls to toss around in that room, cuz my putty knife and I are having a field day applying my "DAP Patching Plaster" all over the place!! (I keep telling myself... "There's no such thing as a perfect wall, so stop being so damn picky!!!")

Question: Can I use this stuff on the wood in the room too?? The bedroom and closet doors and floor/window moldings have little nicks here and there, and before I pour Glass o' Wine #3, I figure I could take care of those too while I'm at it.

The container doesn't say anything about it NOT being okay for wood.... It reads: "... is a ready mixed, easy-to-use, general purpose patching material used to fill hole and cracks and treat surfaces prior to painting."

To me, it sounds like there'd be no problem if I used this on the wood surfaces too. What do you think???

[SunKneeMarie]

I'm sure one of the pros will chime in to tell you if you CAN use regular patching plaster, but we used wood putty to fill small holes/nicks in baseboards, etc before painting.

As for babies and darts, I know what you mean... I don't know what this kid does but she makes paint chip just walking past...

[Nerak936]

Originally Posted by SunKneeMarie

As for babies and darts, I know what you mean... I don't know what this kid does but she makes paint chip just walking past...

She's not making the paint chip, Char.... she's melting it with her b e a u t y . . . .

As for whether or not to use the stuff, being the impatient soul that I am, I went ahead and used it in a few spots here and there on the doors. I know I have wood putty downstairs, but this Patching Plaster stuff is NICE. Good consistency and very easy to work with (i.e. I can easily wipe off excess with a finger and smear it on my sweatpants). And besides that... I'm too lazy to go open up the wood putty right now.

[Rissask]

It sounds like that stuff should work fine for wood, if it says general purpose. Is there a customer service helpline number on the can you can call? There should be.
So you are going to paint over the wood then, right? Prime it and then paint a semigloss or what?

[Nerak936]

Originally Posted by Rissask

It sounds like that stuff should work fine for wood, if it says general purpose. Is there a customer service helpline number on the can you can call? There should be.
So you are going to paint over the wood then, right? Prime it and then paint a semigloss or what?

Call a customer service helpline # when I have the forum to bother you guys with???

Yes, I do plan to paint a semi-gloss (white) over the wood. Probably not going to bother with a primer on the wood parts, only on the walls, as they are tarnished by the soot of the radiator, and I'm going to be painting them a light yellow. And I'll probably use an eggshell or satin finish on the walls.

So, Riss.... what DID you do to Fidel while you were there??

[Gulliver]

Originally Posted by Nerak936

She's not making the paint chip, Char.... she's melting it with her b e a u t y . . . .

As for whether or not to use the stuff, being the impatient soul that I am, I went ahead and used it in a few spots here and there on the doors. I know I have wood putty downstairs, but this Patching Plaster stuff is NICE. Good consistency and very easy to work with (i.e. I can easily wipe off excess with a finger and smear it on my sweatpants). And besides that... I'm too lazy to go open up the wood putty right now.

You made the right choice. it will wash out of your sweatpants much easier than the wood putty.

[NiceTom]

It will work just fine, but make sure you have it sanded really smooth, because that semi-gloss will really show any lumps. Caulk and a wet rag can be handy also.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by Nerak936

Call a customer service helpline # when I have the forum to bother you guys with???

Yes, I do plan to paint a semi-gloss (white) over the wood. Probably not going to bother with a primer on the wood parts, only on the walls, as they are tarnished by the soot of the radiator, and I'm going to be painting them a light yellow. And I'll probably use an eggshell or satin finish on the walls.

So, Riss.... what DID you do to Fidel while you were there??

I just told him like it is....you know me, Karen.

This is something I found about painting (never before painted) wood trim:

New Wood:

Start by cleaning to remove sawdust dirt and other contaminates.
Prime with a quality latex or oil base primer. When dry fill all holes with spackling compound and caulk all cracks.
Lightly sand with 120 grit sandpaper and wipe clean using a damp cloth or tack rag prior to applying your finish coat of enamel.
Two coats of finish paint are recommended with sanding in-between using 150 grit sandpaper.

That is a heck of a lot of work though!

[Rissask]

I found this too:

from here: How to paint interior trim.

Damaged interior wood trim will need repair after the initial sanding. Before wood filler can be applied prime the damaged area with a high quality, fast drying, oil based primer. Allow to dry. This can take 24 hours depending on brand. The primer will maximize the fillers adhesion.

Start with 80-grit to cut down the ruff paint edges and level the surface. Follow this initial sanding with 120-grit paper or medium-fine sanding sponges. The deep groves left by the ruff sanding will have to be removed with finer sanding paper.
Lightly cracked paint on the interior trim can be sanded with 120-grit sand paper or a medium sanding sponge. If the areas are still ruff after using 120-grit continue sanding using 150-grit.


There are many types and brands of wood fillers on the market. The options are two-component repair compounds, example Bondo, wood dough and spackle.
Two-component compounds and wood dough dry very hard and fast. Although difficult to sand when cured they offer a permanent repair. Spackle is the easiest to use and the popular choice but will not provide the same level of performance.

After all repairs are finished, caulk any gaps at the wall or between two adjoining pieces of interior trim. Use a damp soft rag wrapped around a finger to smooth the caulking.

but...."ruff"???

[Babaloo]

oil based primer??
no way
this is 2008

[SunKneeMarie]

Originally Posted by Nerak936

She's not making the paint chip, Char.... she's melting it with her b e a u t y . . . .

As for whether or not to use the stuff, being the impatient soul that I am, I went ahead and used it in a few spots here and there on the doors. I know I have wood putty downstairs, but this Patching Plaster stuff is NICE. Good consistency and very easy to work with (i.e. I can easily wipe off excess with a finger and smear it on my sweatpants). And besides that... I'm too lazy to go open up the wood putty right now.

I thought for sure you were going to reference the caustic smell of her diaper...

[Nerak936]

Thanks for the help, you guys!!

And Riss... you're right. That IS a lot of work!! Geesh!! I like the "use low-wattage bulbs and keep the shades drawn during the day" approach myself. Hides a lot of sins.

[tomkat]

Do you have actual plaster or drywall wall's? My house was built in 1925, very cool multi-level. Downside all of my walls are plaster ,cept where I've been working on same. Depending on size of blemish, would really have a factor on what you would want to use. Small stuff, no big deal with what your talking about. I use something called "Onetime" it's a drywall patch compound that dry's pretty quick. (also wood friendly for small abrasions) The key is to go SLOW. Skim coat, let dry, repeat. That would go with any compound, skim it on and let dry. Repeat as ness, and you will have less sanding. If your working on "living areas" the ideal situation is to keep sanding a minimal. If your talking hole's and such. You must really go slow and figure about fill a hole or fill in a patch.
As far as wood work or trim. If it's unpainted, do yourself a favour, prime with "Killlz" twice and then paint. Unprimed wood will tend to suck up some paint. You might go 4 or 5 times without .

[eccentrictinker]

Congratulations on tackling your project. I do this for a living and it can be frustrating.

You can use "spackle" for small shallow dents in the trim, but it's not very strong (it'll chip out if bumped). Some painters use a product called 'painters putty'. It's the consistency of modeling clay. I use it mostly for nail holes. The best part is you can paint over it as soon as it skins over.

Wood filler is the best for wood. Use the latex stuff. It dries quickly and sands easily. Don't wait too long to sand it smooth. If you leave it overnight, it gets really hard.

I use Zinsser 123 primer under oil and latex paint. It dries quickly and sands beautifully.

BTW, if the patching plaster you're using is the really lightweight stuff, don't let it dry overnight. After 24 hours it's like granite (DAMHIKT)

Also, most of the home stores will tint primer the same as your finish color for you for free. It can save you having to do a second coat.

Dark red or burgandy is a popular color for accent walls these days. It doesn't cover very well. I've found that a primer tinted black works best.

Just a few tips from "Husband For Rent, LLC"

Good luck,

J.D.

[Eileencc]

Nerak, is this the room you're going to use as an office? What color did you decide to go with for the office?