Debating whether to use wood filler or spackle for a small hole in my door frame

My neighbor Debbie told me last week that spackle is for drywall, not wood, but my dad always used wood filler for everything. She said wood filler shrinks less and sands easier on trim, which got me thinking I've been doing it wrong for years. What do you guys use for patching small holes in painted door frames that won't crack later?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jana8d agoOG Member

Oh man, wood filler all the way for door frames. Used spackle once on a bedroom door and it cracked within a month from the door slamming. Wood filler dries a bit harder so it holds up better on trim that moves or gets bumped. Just make sure you push it in good and let it dry fully before sanding.

parker5438d ago

You ever tried using spackle on a door frame that gets slammed a lot? Yeah, I feel your pain on that one. Wood filler is definitely the way to go for ANYTHING that moves, even a little bit. I learned that the hard way too after patching a closet door with spackle and it looked fine for about two weeks then cracked right down the middle. Wood filler just has that extra grip and hardness that spackle can't match for trim work. And you're totally right about pushing it in deep, I always overfill a tiny bit so I have room to sand down smooth without hitting the bottom of the hole.