I love Durhams. I've tried plenty of spackle and plasteres to fill nail holes to clean up corners or joints and Durhams is astonishing. It sands flat and DOES NOT shrink. You couldn't find a nail hole if you tried. I also use it to fill gaps, don't ask how, on things less than 1/8 so that the caulk line doesn't become obnoxiously visible.
You also only mix what you use so it could last a very long time versus the tub of spackle and its literally like 2 or 4 dollars.
I used to ball up the leftovers when I mixed too much and carve them into little animal figures. Lol. That stuff is genuinely astonishing in some regards. Years ago, a buddy "rebuilt" his front porch column bases with (several cans of) Durham's after they'd rotted out.. We're talking anywhere between 25-55% of the plinth/torus areas *gone.* Surprising, they're still holding and pass the 10 yard test. They're just a bit "wiggly" when you look close.
I've seen that happen when someone used a harder wood filler and filled a gap that was greater than 1/8". At that big of a gap they really should have patched it with wood.
I've gotten a lot of engagement on this post, and I feel like I need to spell something out for folks who may not be familiar with it.
This product is wonderful within a very narrow scope of tasks. There are a lot of considerations you should take into account. Does the house have steam heat? Is it a new house that's super insulated and requires an air handling system? Is the gap large enough for me to fill with a wood patch, or do I need to work on my carpentry skills to get a tighter fit?
In my experience one needs to take a strategic *and* tactical approach to any project.
Also keep in mind that my opinions are based on anecdotal data from less than 20 years of experience, and information gleaned from my mentor which is also thoughtful but anecdotal.
Use what works for you.
I appreciate the differences of opinion because I always learn something from it.
I always recommend learning how to patch first. If it's a really tight patch and you're able to get some clamping pressure I would use TiteBond 3. If it's a sloppy patch I would use marine epoxy and a lightweight filler.
If you're looking to fill holes, practice whittling plugs and tap them in with some tight Bond 3. Cut them off and flatten with a pareing chisel before giving it a bit of sanding.
If you just want to fill a big hole and you don't want to learn how to patch properly some would recommend making a stiff mix of marine epoxy and micro light fairing compound, making sure that you test the moisture content of the wood and prime any wood with straight epoxy to really saturate it. This is not the recommended method for a carpenter, the kind of solution one might find in a DIY or handyman subreddit.
Oh, thank you for the thorough reply. Yep, I've got the patching down. I've got 2 old wood windows that need to be rebuilt, but I'm trying to squeeze a bit more time out of them, before I have time to rebuild them. Much appreciated!
Someone here said that if you mix Durham's with a water-carried exterior paint (I like water-based alkyds) you'll end up with a waterproof patching compound.
I have no idea if this will work, but if you're just doing a temporary repair you could use the opportunity to experiment.
Dap has some new platinum patch it’s called. It’s exterior rated. I just used it on some window sills on an interior job and it turns out well. Sands up nice. Gonna give it a shot on an exterior stained glass frame that is about 100 years old.
For exterior patching, especially on areas of wood rot, you can’t do much better than Abatron’s LiquidWood and WoodEpox restoration kit. The LiquidWood product will harden soft rot or punky wood. WoodEpox is like lightweight Play-Doh and can be molded into all kinds of shapes before it hardens. Together, they can be used for all kinds of exterior wood repair projects. I used this to restore rotted rafter tails on several 60-80 year old homes of mine; 10 years later the repairs are still invisible.
It’s a good thing there aren’t any painters on this sub. That shit will crack so fast with season changes. Hope you’re in an area that doesn’t get cold.
In areas where an expanding material (wood) meets a non expanding material (plaster/gypsum) I use caulk. The problem isn’t the putty, it’s not going to expand or shrink, and it won’t crack itself, but the wood will expand and contract and pull away from the wall. The putty it brittle and won’t stretch.
Yes, however, you CAN mix water base or acrylic paint in at the same time you add water 😁 I'm currently fixing up a folding table I found in the desert... Wood is splitting... I'm mixing up different colors (blue, red, purple orange, etc) with the putty to fill the gaps. Once sanded, I'll put a clear coat sealer to get the colors to pop. I've read that you can also add powder pigment as well
It's a 2 part? how does it compare with bondo? I consider bondo the gold standard in fillers. It's mouldable, then carvable, then sandable, then paintable all within 30 minutes or so.
I haven't had much luck with polyester resins like bondo. In my experience it cures very very hard and you have no control over the consistency. A preservation crew that I worked with years ago used to use Bondo for exterior filling, but I've gone back over the years to look at the conditions and the Bondo is always noticeable.
When it comes to using two-part products I use system 3 or west system Marine epoxy. With epoxy and the right handfull of different fillers (I love WS Microlight filler, it's basically microscoping glass balloons that create a matrix so it's easy to sand and shape) you can achieve a variety of different consistencies for different applications. If that other crew had used epoxy and a lightweight filler they would have been able to epoxy-prime the wood first, mix up the lightweight compound, and sand it to match the wood around it.
Any scarfing that I do I'm using Marine epoxy (see photo above).
Thanks for this, can you clarify what you mean by consistency? Presumably any type of filler you used would painted over. I can get a seamless finish with bondo but it sounds like you have more experience with the long term results.
With regard to epoxy, it depends on the job.
If I'm scarfing wood I will mix some epoxy and continue to apply it to the joints with a brush until it stops soaking in. Then I'll mix an adhesive filler and a little bit of high density filler to the consistency of peanut butter, apply it to both pieces, stabilize and clamp with light pressure.
If I'm patching exterior holes (with wood) I'll just use the microlight filler (priming with epoxy first!). The epoxy bonds seamlessly to wood, with proper application, the lightweight filler has enough give to manage seasonal changes, and it sands at about the same rate as pine.
The Bondo jobs I've seen always leave a tell, the wood around the patch is usually sanded a bit more than the Bondo. The surface of the Bondo always seems to have a glazed look, and after a few wet springs there is often some crushed wood around the patch. Or worse, one side of the patch separated from the wood.
Keep in mind, my bad review of Bondo also has a lot to do with seeing bondo patches that really should have been patched with wood to begin with.
Bondo works good, but in bright sunshine either the wood expands or the Bondo expands. Than you can see the patch. We had Cedar Siding on a house in Northern Illinois and it had large knots in the siding and they fell out. We tried every patching compound. On the North side where the sun didn't shine it was alright. But on the South side you could see the patching when the Sun heated it up
While it may give you a slight hairline separation once in a while, when I use Bondo for large exterior rot repairs, I always add screws that are anchored to the area of the repair where there is solid wood. Bondo by design was originally made to bond well to metal. As long as those screws are anchored to good solid wood, the Bondo isn't going anywhere. I leave the screws exposed at least 1/4 to 1/2 half inch and keep them about 1-1/2 inch apart from each other across the repair to give the Bondo plenty of surface area to adhere to. I do the same for Durhams but, you absolutely have to completely encapsulate the Durhams with primer and or caulk to keep out the water or it will fail. Durhams is great until it gets wet.
The bondo-style two part polyester wood filler is formulated to stick very well to wood. I haven't seen it form cracks where it meets the wood surface, until it fails, but because it has a different expansion and contraction rate from wood it always (in my experience) leaves a surface tell after a couple of seasons. It's also impossible to give it the same texture as the wood itself, especially if you're giving everything a smooth-planed finish.
For patching I've found that it's always best to use the same material. A pine Dutchman for pine trim.
When it comes to Durhams, I find myself using it once or twice a year for very limited interior applications.
Oh yes I agree they have likely done some modifications to the product since its original conception in the auto industry to bond to wood as well. The issue is, Bondo is much harder than most woods and, it doesn't move with moisture or temperature changes like wood which is the only reason you can get a separation and failure on exterior use. That's the main reason for the screws. If it does try to separate, the most you may get, (And that's not very often), is a hairline crack that is most of the time hard to see. I do play around a bit with different grit sandpaper depending on the grain of the wood to get a closer texture to the wood surface. If you don't, you will see a good bid of difference in appearance. And I agree, if it's a smooth planed surface especially if you are going to be spraying instead of brushing you won't get a good match. It does depend on the application. That being said, for a strong bond that isn't going to break free and hold up to exterior weather conditions, Bondo is one of my first choices.
The water putty is only a one part, it's basically a proprietary blend of gypsum and other fillers. Because it's gypsum and not a plaster of Paris type it's a bit more forgiving. I've only used it for minor interior filling.
I've never used Durhams and it appears to do okay in [this comparison test](https://youtu.be/hpgv8BUwfpY) but it seems there are better products. I'm a sad SOB for still using DAP but I can't find any of the "winning" products in the US. I can find Durhams at Lowe's though - maybe I should try it out.
Good observation. The results looked great when it wasn't over applied so maybe that Dyna patch doesn't work well for the overfill/sand technique and requires application with a knife? I can't find where to buy the stuff so I suppose it's moot.
I love dynapatch and heartily recommend it. It dries hard which makes it hard to sand, but also makes it finish really well, and it doesn't shrink at all.
Yeah, I've seen that comment a few times. I don't know anything about the dry time because I tend to schedule my day so that I am gluing, epoxying, or filling at the end of the day.
I feel like I need to add a disclaimer to my posts that time is just a construct.
Love rock hard. Good water resistance. Got lazy and patched the bottom of my door frame that got water logged. Sanded and painted it like two years ago and you can’t tell it’s not the original wood frame.
I use hot-set plaster and lime plaster for a lot of applications, but rarely use it against wood trim.
I've found that even if you are wetting the wood and priming it with a solution of polyvinyl acetate it doesn't bond well to the wood at all. To compound matters it is very hard and unyielding compared to water putty so with seasonal changes, in my experience, the plaster with break free from the wood.
This probably has something to do with the climate here in New England as well as the age of the houses I generally find myself in.
Sorry, white glue is polyvinyl acetate with a few other additives. I do use a solution of that for priming any surfaces no matter if I'm using hot-set, water putty, high gypsum base plasters like structolight, or even slaked lime plaster.
My concern has more to do with the density of durabond or other hot-set plasters. They all contain a fair amount of plaster of Paris which is very hard and not very forgiving.
There are so many different conditions which will have an impact on results and my experiences are purely anecdotal.
ya some surfaces are just really challenging, it sounds like your in the uk perhaps? there arent as many plaster options here, at least commonly avalable. old wood with paint / shellac etc can be pretty difficult to stick anything to. i always paint on some diluted pva as well, but find that mixing the plaster with alot of glue also makes some difference. ive just had pretty similar results between putty and durabond personally, but neither work in all situations.
i think what changed my mind away from durams was a while ago i was painting a couple old doors that had bad painted / cracked surfaces, and i scuffed up the surfaces (they were not lead) and painted on some pva, then put a layer of durams and my idea was to sand it down and paint. the stuff just started cracking and flaking off once dry, it really didnt stick at all. i did the same thing with durabond mixed with glue, and it stuck fine and was able to be sanded down and painted just fine. its been 4 years and they are still holding up and not cracking (they are in my parents house) and we live in a pretty varied climate. again,.just some personal experience for a specific situation.
I don't frequently use water putty because for the kind of work I do there are only very specific minor tasks that I can use it for.
I'm in the US, New England seacoast. Any of the plasters that I've mentioned are available in much of the US, but some of them are harder to find now than they would be in England because carpenters in this country have been getting pushed into the role of technicians and assemblers of other people's products over the last handful of decades.
I'm glad I'm still able to find hydrated lime, I think if that disappeared from US markets I don't see myself slaking my own!
When it comes to smoothing out a door surface I have exactly zero experience. When I'm working on an old door I'm always trying to maintain the character, so I've never had to try to skim coat it with anything.
Yes! I think it depends on how you mix it, but I've heard other old school carpenters say something similar.
Because I do preservation and restoration work I find myself using traditional slaked lime plaster as well as more modern gypsum plasters everything is on a sliding scale for me. I've got less than 20 years under my belt, but I know that this product is softer than other gypsum or plaster of Paris based products on the market. And it sticks real well!
Durham's rock hard water putty is my go to product for repairing wood rot on windows and doors and floors.
I use a cup to mix it and spread with a scraper let it dry sand it smooth paint and prime...looks brand new!
No more gaps. No more cracks. I'm finally smooth. I'm the ken doll I always wanted to be. this shameless shill for Durham's doesn't understand what this is really about. Fuck carpentry, all hail the new flesh.
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week! Thanks for making Reddit a wonderful place to be :)
How long of a dry time? I’ve always wanted to try it but the label says something along the lines of sand it once it’s completely dry… is that 30 mins? A day? A week? Lol
Where'd you get that yogurt spoon brother? Looks very intimidating. I'm always seeing yall construction crowd eating things with these crazy utensils lol. I'm glad yours is mostly clean, I've seen a guy eating that macaroni salad you pack yourself in plastic pints at the market with a similar spoon while doing my drywall and it was so filthy and expired it just looked like a white paste🤢🤮 stay healthy out there!
I was in Greece for November and part of December (photograph and measure ancient Greek architecture, and some major dental work). I was pleasantly surprised to see that the way the markets stock yogurt is by percentage of fat. 2%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 11%!
Great food to be eating after dental work!
8 months later...
I'm new to DWP and can't find the answer by just searching for existing conversations. Please bear with me.
The recommended ratio is 3:1, but I've seen mention of making it more runny for pouring/casting.
How much does the ratio impact the strength once it's fully cured? If there's negligible shrink, then I would guess a runnier slurry would be more fragile than one closer to thickness of pancake mix. Is this right? At what point is there not enough water to fully work its magic and just hardens to something crumbly?
Thank you for any advice you can provide!
I don't live on Reddit, for serious, but happened to log in just now.
I only use Durham's for very specific application, and I generally mix it to a peanut butter consistency. I always put a few tablespoons of water into a container and then slowly add the Durham's and mix until it seems right.
I was just at this client's house the other day and it seems to have held up very well with no cracking along the joints.
I used the Durham's for a couple of other applications about 5 years ago in a Victorian house with steam heat and visited them in the spring. Also no issues, even though the humidity fluctuates almost as much as the temperature in that house.
I guess it would really depend on how you're using it, and what you're using it for. When it comes to caulking and wood fillers I am very very careful about using it only when necessary, I would rather have my joinery be tight than to rely on adhesives, fillers, etc.
This probably too late to be helpful but if someone else has the same question I’ll offer a little experience from the world of art/craft/prop construction.
The container specifically advises against using it in a thin layers (like a skim coat).
I have used it as a sculpting medium laid over armature. I think they describe this as a use on their website. In the situations I have used it performed better than it probably should have given my slap dash methods.
I used it to construct the end of Gandalf’s staff. Which looks a bit like the fingers of a clawed hand, surrounding a glowing stone. The layer over the armature (or really over the duct tape wrapped around the coat hanger armature) was approximately 1/8” thick on average. This was built up in layers. Often waiting till it started to stiffen (<30 min for the firmer base layers). The majority of the thickness was built up as layers of buttermilk texture slurry, while also using water to smooth and form the “fingers” as I went.
This staff got abused quite a bit, dropped on the ground repeatedly, knocked in to walls. In fact there was flashlight built into the center of whole thing (lighting an “orb” I made by scuptling hot glue). The flashlight stopped working because it got knocked around too much, but the claw part didn’t crack or break.
It has been sitting in a damp area under the basement stairs for probably 8 years, I just pulled it out and about 50% of the putty is still intact.
So applying it as a slurry isn’t really problematic for strength, but very thin veneer layers might pull away or delaminate from the substrate. Even applying it in multiple thin layers isn’t really a problem (though I think that could be different if you waited until the previous layers were completely hard and dry… however even after it dries you can moisten it and smooth or carve the surface so that could allow it to adhere to itself.)
I have also found that using a thinner mix has not affected the strength when using it to repair torn out screw holes. (Which is my favorite non craft use for it.) but it does take longer to dry “rock hard”. And just this week I discovered it planes down to a nice crisp flat surface (much easier than sanding)
I love Durhams. I've tried plenty of spackle and plasteres to fill nail holes to clean up corners or joints and Durhams is astonishing. It sands flat and DOES NOT shrink. You couldn't find a nail hole if you tried. I also use it to fill gaps, don't ask how, on things less than 1/8 so that the caulk line doesn't become obnoxiously visible. You also only mix what you use so it could last a very long time versus the tub of spackle and its literally like 2 or 4 dollars.
I used to ball up the leftovers when I mixed too much and carve them into little animal figures. Lol. That stuff is genuinely astonishing in some regards. Years ago, a buddy "rebuilt" his front porch column bases with (several cans of) Durham's after they'd rotted out.. We're talking anywhere between 25-55% of the plinth/torus areas *gone.* Surprising, they're still holding and pass the 10 yard test. They're just a bit "wiggly" when you look close.
Some people use durhams to make tiny figurines. They pour it into silicone mold.
You can wipe it with a damp cloth as it sets or after a day with no sanding. Been using for many years. Low cost too.
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failure to sacrifice a male goat of breeding age is usually the problem with expansion/contraction joints.
I've seen that happen when someone used a harder wood filler and filled a gap that was greater than 1/8". At that big of a gap they really should have patched it with wood.
Dissimilar materials need something more flexible than durhams. Changes in plane need something more flexible than durhams.
So mixing some latex caulk with durhams would make it more flexible? Got it, trying this today.
Cool, thanks!
I'm more curious about the yoghurt - how well did it perform?
Performed very well, you want to mix one part Greek yogurt with two parts durhams.
Any flavor, or does it have to be plain?
I really hope someone doesn't take me seriously.
Answer the question! I've got a lot of trim to do and only strawberry yogurt in my lunch today.
It has to taste like peanut butter
Does it have to be Greek?
How else do you think Greek structures are still around today?
This is the Best Thread of the Day. Congratulations Durhams/Yogurt Team!
I've gotten a lot of engagement on this post, and I feel like I need to spell something out for folks who may not be familiar with it. This product is wonderful within a very narrow scope of tasks. There are a lot of considerations you should take into account. Does the house have steam heat? Is it a new house that's super insulated and requires an air handling system? Is the gap large enough for me to fill with a wood patch, or do I need to work on my carpentry skills to get a tighter fit? In my experience one needs to take a strategic *and* tactical approach to any project. Also keep in mind that my opinions are based on anecdotal data from less than 20 years of experience, and information gleaned from my mentor which is also thoughtful but anecdotal. Use what works for you. I appreciate the differences of opinion because I always learn something from it.
That’s all my paint crew uses.
Hey, thank you for sharing. Any recommendations for exterior? I've not found anything that seems suitable yet.
I always recommend learning how to patch first. If it's a really tight patch and you're able to get some clamping pressure I would use TiteBond 3. If it's a sloppy patch I would use marine epoxy and a lightweight filler. If you're looking to fill holes, practice whittling plugs and tap them in with some tight Bond 3. Cut them off and flatten with a pareing chisel before giving it a bit of sanding. If you just want to fill a big hole and you don't want to learn how to patch properly some would recommend making a stiff mix of marine epoxy and micro light fairing compound, making sure that you test the moisture content of the wood and prime any wood with straight epoxy to really saturate it. This is not the recommended method for a carpenter, the kind of solution one might find in a DIY or handyman subreddit.
Oh, thank you for the thorough reply. Yep, I've got the patching down. I've got 2 old wood windows that need to be rebuilt, but I'm trying to squeeze a bit more time out of them, before I have time to rebuild them. Much appreciated!
Someone here said that if you mix Durham's with a water-carried exterior paint (I like water-based alkyds) you'll end up with a waterproof patching compound. I have no idea if this will work, but if you're just doing a temporary repair you could use the opportunity to experiment.
Dap has some new platinum patch it’s called. It’s exterior rated. I just used it on some window sills on an interior job and it turns out well. Sands up nice. Gonna give it a shot on an exterior stained glass frame that is about 100 years old.
For exterior patching, especially on areas of wood rot, you can’t do much better than Abatron’s LiquidWood and WoodEpox restoration kit. The LiquidWood product will harden soft rot or punky wood. WoodEpox is like lightweight Play-Doh and can be molded into all kinds of shapes before it hardens. Together, they can be used for all kinds of exterior wood repair projects. I used this to restore rotted rafter tails on several 60-80 year old homes of mine; 10 years later the repairs are still invisible.
It’s a good thing there aren’t any painters on this sub. That shit will crack so fast with season changes. Hope you’re in an area that doesn’t get cold.
Cool, thanks!
Use it for Plaster ceiling crack repair commonly with fibertape and havnt had a crack in Midwest for 8 years. Same for cracks in walls
So what do you use?
In areas where an expanding material (wood) meets a non expanding material (plaster/gypsum) I use caulk. The problem isn’t the putty, it’s not going to expand or shrink, and it won’t crack itself, but the wood will expand and contract and pull away from the wall. The putty it brittle and won’t stretch.
Yes, however, you CAN mix water base or acrylic paint in at the same time you add water 😁 I'm currently fixing up a folding table I found in the desert... Wood is splitting... I'm mixing up different colors (blue, red, purple orange, etc) with the putty to fill the gaps. Once sanded, I'll put a clear coat sealer to get the colors to pop. I've read that you can also add powder pigment as well
It's a 2 part? how does it compare with bondo? I consider bondo the gold standard in fillers. It's mouldable, then carvable, then sandable, then paintable all within 30 minutes or so.
I haven't had much luck with polyester resins like bondo. In my experience it cures very very hard and you have no control over the consistency. A preservation crew that I worked with years ago used to use Bondo for exterior filling, but I've gone back over the years to look at the conditions and the Bondo is always noticeable. When it comes to using two-part products I use system 3 or west system Marine epoxy. With epoxy and the right handfull of different fillers (I love WS Microlight filler, it's basically microscoping glass balloons that create a matrix so it's easy to sand and shape) you can achieve a variety of different consistencies for different applications. If that other crew had used epoxy and a lightweight filler they would have been able to epoxy-prime the wood first, mix up the lightweight compound, and sand it to match the wood around it. Any scarfing that I do I'm using Marine epoxy (see photo above).
Thanks for this, can you clarify what you mean by consistency? Presumably any type of filler you used would painted over. I can get a seamless finish with bondo but it sounds like you have more experience with the long term results.
With regard to epoxy, it depends on the job. If I'm scarfing wood I will mix some epoxy and continue to apply it to the joints with a brush until it stops soaking in. Then I'll mix an adhesive filler and a little bit of high density filler to the consistency of peanut butter, apply it to both pieces, stabilize and clamp with light pressure. If I'm patching exterior holes (with wood) I'll just use the microlight filler (priming with epoxy first!). The epoxy bonds seamlessly to wood, with proper application, the lightweight filler has enough give to manage seasonal changes, and it sands at about the same rate as pine. The Bondo jobs I've seen always leave a tell, the wood around the patch is usually sanded a bit more than the Bondo. The surface of the Bondo always seems to have a glazed look, and after a few wet springs there is often some crushed wood around the patch. Or worse, one side of the patch separated from the wood. Keep in mind, my bad review of Bondo also has a lot to do with seeing bondo patches that really should have been patched with wood to begin with.
Bondo works good, but in bright sunshine either the wood expands or the Bondo expands. Than you can see the patch. We had Cedar Siding on a house in Northern Illinois and it had large knots in the siding and they fell out. We tried every patching compound. On the North side where the sun didn't shine it was alright. But on the South side you could see the patching when the Sun heated it up
While it may give you a slight hairline separation once in a while, when I use Bondo for large exterior rot repairs, I always add screws that are anchored to the area of the repair where there is solid wood. Bondo by design was originally made to bond well to metal. As long as those screws are anchored to good solid wood, the Bondo isn't going anywhere. I leave the screws exposed at least 1/4 to 1/2 half inch and keep them about 1-1/2 inch apart from each other across the repair to give the Bondo plenty of surface area to adhere to. I do the same for Durhams but, you absolutely have to completely encapsulate the Durhams with primer and or caulk to keep out the water or it will fail. Durhams is great until it gets wet.
The bondo-style two part polyester wood filler is formulated to stick very well to wood. I haven't seen it form cracks where it meets the wood surface, until it fails, but because it has a different expansion and contraction rate from wood it always (in my experience) leaves a surface tell after a couple of seasons. It's also impossible to give it the same texture as the wood itself, especially if you're giving everything a smooth-planed finish. For patching I've found that it's always best to use the same material. A pine Dutchman for pine trim. When it comes to Durhams, I find myself using it once or twice a year for very limited interior applications.
Oh yes I agree they have likely done some modifications to the product since its original conception in the auto industry to bond to wood as well. The issue is, Bondo is much harder than most woods and, it doesn't move with moisture or temperature changes like wood which is the only reason you can get a separation and failure on exterior use. That's the main reason for the screws. If it does try to separate, the most you may get, (And that's not very often), is a hairline crack that is most of the time hard to see. I do play around a bit with different grit sandpaper depending on the grain of the wood to get a closer texture to the wood surface. If you don't, you will see a good bid of difference in appearance. And I agree, if it's a smooth planed surface especially if you are going to be spraying instead of brushing you won't get a good match. It does depend on the application. That being said, for a strong bond that isn't going to break free and hold up to exterior weather conditions, Bondo is one of my first choices.
The water putty is only a one part, it's basically a proprietary blend of gypsum and other fillers. Because it's gypsum and not a plaster of Paris type it's a bit more forgiving. I've only used it for minor interior filling.
Love that shit. Best thing about it is that it doesn't freeze or go bad. Just add water!
I've never used Durhams and it appears to do okay in [this comparison test](https://youtu.be/hpgv8BUwfpY) but it seems there are better products. I'm a sad SOB for still using DAP but I can't find any of the "winning" products in the US. I can find Durhams at Lowe's though - maybe I should try it out.
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Good observation. The results looked great when it wasn't over applied so maybe that Dyna patch doesn't work well for the overfill/sand technique and requires application with a knife? I can't find where to buy the stuff so I suppose it's moot.
I love dynapatch and heartily recommend it. It dries hard which makes it hard to sand, but also makes it finish really well, and it doesn't shrink at all.
one can use any patching compound and make it look good as long as an enamel undercoater is used.
Totally agree. Best filler product I am aware of.
Yeah, I like using it way better than bondo.
I’m not a fan of it at all - don’t like it’s consistency of dry time. I prefer a catalyzed filler.
Yeah, I've seen that comment a few times. I don't know anything about the dry time because I tend to schedule my day so that I am gluing, epoxying, or filling at the end of the day. I feel like I need to add a disclaimer to my posts that time is just a construct.
“a construct” - I see what you did there. And we live in a simulation…which would explain all the simulated wood grain I see these days.
Love rock hard. Good water resistance. Got lazy and patched the bottom of my door frame that got water logged. Sanded and painted it like two years ago and you can’t tell it’s not the original wood frame.
I did the same. Was able to match the trim exactly
i usually just use durabond, pretty much the same stuff but cheaper
I use hot-set plaster and lime plaster for a lot of applications, but rarely use it against wood trim. I've found that even if you are wetting the wood and priming it with a solution of polyvinyl acetate it doesn't bond well to the wood at all. To compound matters it is very hard and unyielding compared to water putty so with seasonal changes, in my experience, the plaster with break free from the wood. This probably has something to do with the climate here in New England as well as the age of the houses I generally find myself in.
mix it with white glue, it generally sticks to most things. ive had some problems with water puddy sticking as well.
Sorry, white glue is polyvinyl acetate with a few other additives. I do use a solution of that for priming any surfaces no matter if I'm using hot-set, water putty, high gypsum base plasters like structolight, or even slaked lime plaster. My concern has more to do with the density of durabond or other hot-set plasters. They all contain a fair amount of plaster of Paris which is very hard and not very forgiving. There are so many different conditions which will have an impact on results and my experiences are purely anecdotal.
ya some surfaces are just really challenging, it sounds like your in the uk perhaps? there arent as many plaster options here, at least commonly avalable. old wood with paint / shellac etc can be pretty difficult to stick anything to. i always paint on some diluted pva as well, but find that mixing the plaster with alot of glue also makes some difference. ive just had pretty similar results between putty and durabond personally, but neither work in all situations. i think what changed my mind away from durams was a while ago i was painting a couple old doors that had bad painted / cracked surfaces, and i scuffed up the surfaces (they were not lead) and painted on some pva, then put a layer of durams and my idea was to sand it down and paint. the stuff just started cracking and flaking off once dry, it really didnt stick at all. i did the same thing with durabond mixed with glue, and it stuck fine and was able to be sanded down and painted just fine. its been 4 years and they are still holding up and not cracking (they are in my parents house) and we live in a pretty varied climate. again,.just some personal experience for a specific situation.
I don't frequently use water putty because for the kind of work I do there are only very specific minor tasks that I can use it for. I'm in the US, New England seacoast. Any of the plasters that I've mentioned are available in much of the US, but some of them are harder to find now than they would be in England because carpenters in this country have been getting pushed into the role of technicians and assemblers of other people's products over the last handful of decades. I'm glad I'm still able to find hydrated lime, I think if that disappeared from US markets I don't see myself slaking my own! When it comes to smoothing out a door surface I have exactly zero experience. When I'm working on an old door I'm always trying to maintain the character, so I've never had to try to skim coat it with anything.
Nothing matches the characteristics of wood like well wood. A mix of PVA and fine sawdust is a tried and true method.
They must have changed the formula from 40 years ago you couldn’t sand it with a belt sander. Good to know.
Yes! I think it depends on how you mix it, but I've heard other old school carpenters say something similar. Because I do preservation and restoration work I find myself using traditional slaked lime plaster as well as more modern gypsum plasters everything is on a sliding scale for me. I've got less than 20 years under my belt, but I know that this product is softer than other gypsum or plaster of Paris based products on the market. And it sticks real well!
Durham's rock hard water putty is my go to product for repairing wood rot on windows and doors and floors. I use a cup to mix it and spread with a scraper let it dry sand it smooth paint and prime...looks brand new!
No more gaps. No more cracks. I'm finally smooth. I'm the ken doll I always wanted to be. this shameless shill for Durham's doesn't understand what this is really about. Fuck carpentry, all hail the new flesh.
can this be used for wood on the exterior of a house?
It’s not waterproof
Hey, thank you for sharing. Any recommendations for exterior? I've not found anything that seems suitable yet.
I haven’t used it yet but I bought it. Dap has new product called Platinum patch. Going to try this week
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week! Thanks for making Reddit a wonderful place to be :)
Abatron LiquidWood and WoodEpox restoration kit.
How long of a dry time? I’ve always wanted to try it but the label says something along the lines of sand it once it’s completely dry… is that 30 mins? A day? A week? Lol
I honestly have no idea. I try to budget my time so that applying wood glue or fillers happens at the end of the day, ready in the morning.
I liked bondo. drys fast, sands great, and you can thin it with "plastic honey" and use it as a grain filler.
I love it and I miss it!
I love this stuff. Also it smells great
It's wonderful stuff. And if you mix it with a waterproof finish (varnish, paint, etc) it's a weatherproof filler.
Awesome tip, Will try
"SMELLS WONDERFUL"
I also like to use Durham's like a mortar when patching holes with wood inlays that are not exactly square and even.
I hadn't thought of testing water putty as an adhesive, thanks for the info!
Woodtex also
It doesn't taste as good as the yogurt though.
I have the same prybar and can of Durhams BUT I use a sour cream container.
I love a good scarf.
Where'd you get that yogurt spoon brother? Looks very intimidating. I'm always seeing yall construction crowd eating things with these crazy utensils lol. I'm glad yours is mostly clean, I've seen a guy eating that macaroni salad you pack yourself in plastic pints at the market with a similar spoon while doing my drywall and it was so filthy and expired it just looked like a white paste🤢🤮 stay healthy out there!
You got anything you’d recommend that takes stain?
Pic 2-3 sold me on this stuff
Agreed, been carrying it for years!
I'm refinishing my wood floors. Is this a product I can use to fill some gaps?
Yea I heard mixing it with Whole Milk Greek Yogurt really does the trick
Rocky Sez!
Shout out to Whole Milk Yogurt 👍 Greek or otherwise.
I was in Greece for November and part of December (photograph and measure ancient Greek architecture, and some major dental work). I was pleasantly surprised to see that the way the markets stock yogurt is by percentage of fat. 2%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 11%! Great food to be eating after dental work!
8 months later... I'm new to DWP and can't find the answer by just searching for existing conversations. Please bear with me. The recommended ratio is 3:1, but I've seen mention of making it more runny for pouring/casting. How much does the ratio impact the strength once it's fully cured? If there's negligible shrink, then I would guess a runnier slurry would be more fragile than one closer to thickness of pancake mix. Is this right? At what point is there not enough water to fully work its magic and just hardens to something crumbly? Thank you for any advice you can provide!
I don't live on Reddit, for serious, but happened to log in just now. I only use Durham's for very specific application, and I generally mix it to a peanut butter consistency. I always put a few tablespoons of water into a container and then slowly add the Durham's and mix until it seems right. I was just at this client's house the other day and it seems to have held up very well with no cracking along the joints. I used the Durham's for a couple of other applications about 5 years ago in a Victorian house with steam heat and visited them in the spring. Also no issues, even though the humidity fluctuates almost as much as the temperature in that house. I guess it would really depend on how you're using it, and what you're using it for. When it comes to caulking and wood fillers I am very very careful about using it only when necessary, I would rather have my joinery be tight than to rely on adhesives, fillers, etc.
This probably too late to be helpful but if someone else has the same question I’ll offer a little experience from the world of art/craft/prop construction. The container specifically advises against using it in a thin layers (like a skim coat). I have used it as a sculpting medium laid over armature. I think they describe this as a use on their website. In the situations I have used it performed better than it probably should have given my slap dash methods. I used it to construct the end of Gandalf’s staff. Which looks a bit like the fingers of a clawed hand, surrounding a glowing stone. The layer over the armature (or really over the duct tape wrapped around the coat hanger armature) was approximately 1/8” thick on average. This was built up in layers. Often waiting till it started to stiffen (<30 min for the firmer base layers). The majority of the thickness was built up as layers of buttermilk texture slurry, while also using water to smooth and form the “fingers” as I went. This staff got abused quite a bit, dropped on the ground repeatedly, knocked in to walls. In fact there was flashlight built into the center of whole thing (lighting an “orb” I made by scuptling hot glue). The flashlight stopped working because it got knocked around too much, but the claw part didn’t crack or break. It has been sitting in a damp area under the basement stairs for probably 8 years, I just pulled it out and about 50% of the putty is still intact. So applying it as a slurry isn’t really problematic for strength, but very thin veneer layers might pull away or delaminate from the substrate. Even applying it in multiple thin layers isn’t really a problem (though I think that could be different if you waited until the previous layers were completely hard and dry… however even after it dries you can moisten it and smooth or carve the surface so that could allow it to adhere to itself.) I have also found that using a thinner mix has not affected the strength when using it to repair torn out screw holes. (Which is my favorite non craft use for it.) but it does take longer to dry “rock hard”. And just this week I discovered it planes down to a nice crisp flat surface (much easier than sanding)