Had to pick between wood filler and spackle for a hole in my kitchen wall

Tried to fix a 2 inch hole from an old outlet box in my kitchen last week. Grabbed wood filler first since it was closer, but it dried all hard and cracked because the wall is drywall not wood. Should I just use spackle next time or is there a trick to make wood filler work on drywall?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_wilson9d agoProlific Poster

I used to grab whatever was closest too. I kept a big tub of wood filler around for everything. But last year I patched a hole in my hallway wall with it and it cracked just like yours did. Spackle is way better for drywall, it stays a little flexible. Just get the lightweight stuff in the pink tub, it goes on smooth and you can sand it easy. I still use wood filler for actual wood stuff but never again for wall patches.

charliew999d ago

My buddy did the SAME thing last year trying to patch a hole in his plaster ceiling with wood filler. Took him like three attempts before he realized it was never gonna work right because the stuff just doesn't flex at all. The cracking drove him NUTS so he finally switched to spackle and it was done in like ten minutes. That lightweight pink spackle is honestly a game changer for walls and ceilings. Wood filler has its PLACE but it's definitely not for drywall patches no matter what anyone says.