WHAT YOUR HOLES NEED

Have you ever thought about what your walls need? There are tricks in filling those little cracks and dull spots. Your wall should and can look like a crisp flawless canvas.

There's a lot of spakeling pastes out there. Look for one that will not need a lot of primer and that will not crack. What you can look for is something that dries hard and fast. How can you tell what one to buy? Most containers say that their product has these characteristics.

Test to achieve your desired look

If you have use a spackling paste in the past and you have not been happy with the outcome than do not use that product again. Throw it out!

Filling holes in walls or nail holes in your trim? YOU can find ONE paste that works for all. The only time you are going to need to break out the military grade materials is if your hole is as big as the grand canyon. Let's get in to the nitty gritty and cut some of the guesswork out for you.

What products really do what you want

Waterborn pastels and oil based pastes are all over the market. When you find the right one you will be in wonderland. Carpenders grade Elmer's Wood filler is for interior. As is all WATER BORN ingredients. Oil born paste's are for Exteriors.

At least that's what the "Market" tells you. Reality check! You CAN use a waterborne product outside! Latex paint, caulk, crawford's vinyl spackling.

Add your projects to #elmerswoodfiller or just take a peek to see what others are doing with this product.

Let's talk basics and get into the dirtier content bellow

Get competitive and don't settle when it comes to your home projects.

a million on the gun he used, you will likely see gouges around the nail hole. you will have a harder job here. Use a putty knife and use the putty liberally if you need to fill the dents around the hole to. Otherwise you can just use your finger method and get just the hole.

80any unwanted material around the nail holes. If the contractor had the pressure up to a million on the gun he used, you will likely see gouges around the nail hole. you will have a harder job here. Use a putty knife and use the putty liberally if you need to fill the dents around the hole to. Otherwise you can just use your finger method and get just the hole.

If you had to use the paste liberally that you are going to need to sand with 150 grade sandpaper and you will have a mess to vacuums up.

If you were lucky enough to use your fingers then you can use grab a bucket of water and a 220 grit sanding sponge. Dip the sponge getting it nice and wet and gently sand your holes this is "wet sanding". This method is so clean.

Bigger holes need harder material

Perhaps your door knob went through your wall? Cut a large, clean square of dry wall out. Take a pice of wood and some screws. Use a drill to secure a pice of wood behind the drywall. Check out this video #fixthathole .Then you can screw a pice of drywall to the board. This will be so strong! Use 15, 20, or 45 minute hot mud to go over the patch. This mud dries so hard, it's impossible to sand. Use sparingly. You can "wet sand" this to keep the dust down. If you need texture you can buy a can of spray texture and use the can all over the wall to ensure a texture match, or you can get creative with the mud to create the texture you desire.

This will need primer and you will need to repaint the whole wall to create a flawless look.

You can use this method in your garage where you drove into the wall thinking your car was in reverse. You will need a larger pice of drywall! If the structural integrity of the building has been compromised you will need to call a carpenter or a structural engineer.

Sometimes the damage is to big

If the damage is to extensive that you can not "fill the hole" then you need to replace the piece of trim or the railing. Filling holes is a nice, easy way to take the guesswork out of contractors. It's also cheap. If you have water damage you could need a new roof or the problem will reoccur.

If your siding is molding and falling apart you will need a gutter. Some problems have a deeper root cause. As a homeowner you have to correct the cause before cosmetically correcting the problem or the problem will persist and you will waste your time and risk damaging your home.