Which Filler Is Best For Fixing Damaged Wood?

A look at the best fillers to repair a damaged interior door jam. The test looks at: Durham's Water Putty, Zinsser MH Ready Patch, Elmer's Wood Filler, and PC-Super Epoxy.

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Thanks for watching!!!

[LarryB-inFL]

The Durham's has the HUGE advantage of eternal shelf life. I bought a BIG can of it at least 20 years ago; it is stored in my high humidity Florida garage and it is still perfectly fine...whereas the damn Elmer's Wood Filler is bad within a very short time after opening it.

[MrWaterbugdesign]

I do love Durman's. When lumber was very expensive I had some 1940's 2x6's, tight grain almost no knots that had been ceiling joists but they had some termite surface damage...long since not active. Filled with Durman's, sand, paint. Used them in a coffered ceiling...super. Yeah I mix to "putty" like on the label. If anything I often mix a little too dry. No trouble mounding, never had to do 2 applications. Never seen bubbles...suspect the bubbles were because of too wet mix.

[dorothyfielding]

Great video. Exactly what I was looking for as a newbie DIYer. Most other videos on this topic spin right pas nicks, dents, and gouges in door frames and baseboards and right on to painting. My house was built in 1960, so has lots of wear. Cheers from across the strait in Victoria.

[SocialistDistancing]

I like these types of test videos. Unbiased.

[Vintagebleu]

The best wood repair product I've found is abatron wood epoxy. It's basically a 4 part system. 2 part thick liquid epoxy and 2 part putty. The liquid acts to consolidate and prime but you can mix it into the putty to dial in the consistency. Once set it is very workable. I mostly use this stuff outside repairing rot. The cure time is kind of long. I'd probably just use rock hard on your project. Maybe Bondo if I needed to be done in a day

[livenotonevil]

We had a squirrel come down our chimney when we were away. It chewed all the trim around every window on in our kitchen and living room in an effort to escape.

The insurance wouldn't cover it and my repair job was horrendous. This was before the internet and YouTube, so I couldn't find any sage advice like yours at the time.

[bassboat]

I use Bondo for exterior repair on damage like this. The fillers that they use (besides the resin/hardener) reduce shrinking and are easier to sand out. I'll use scrap PVC trim for "formwork" to get good corners in one coat. Usually have to go back over with exterior spackle for bubbles/voids.

[williamodonnell]

‘At some stage you have to move on with your life’ - Very funny and so true. I’m looking at all the little DIY jobs to do in my house. I think I need to put my attention on more important things like my kids.

[robertrich]

Good stuff. This guy makes it easy to watch and compare.

[chrisnovak]

This is why I subscribe to this channel. I’m a Canadian Journeyman Carpenter but I do commercial concrete formwork and never get to mess with stuff like this. You have made my home Reno’s go smoother. Keep up with the great videos.

[scotty]

After years of working with all types of wood fillers I almost exclusively use the Durham's in interior applications. I'll use Bondo outside, especially for larger fills.

[joeporkka]

The Durham's is also great because it doesn't dry out. I've had a can for more than 10 years. I used some just last week and it still works great.

[williamzanghettijr]

Really enjoy your videos there young man. I just discovered your channel. I have been doing autobody for 35 years and for larger repairs on wood that is going to be painted Evercoat 100850 body filler is an excellent product not only for steel but for wood as well. 3M and a few other companies make good products for this application.

[tycox]

No Bondo? By the way, I saw an article where some furniture makers used carpenter’s glue with the Durham Rock Putty. They used it as a skim coat on wood to achieve a super smooth surface before painting.

[Chaos]

Durhams is how I was raised, I've used a lot of others but I always go back to it. I mix a bit of sawdust into it as well.

[kds]

I swear by Bondo body filler. You can load up the hardening paste and it will cure in 5 minute. Sands super easy and you can finish the thing in half an hour. They make version for wood that is thicker for vertical surfaces too.

[stevesilva]

I have used the Durham's product for years after losing faith in all the other wood fillers that are available to the average wood worker. A couple of years ago I discovered that you can use Titebond mixed with the Durham's powder to make incredibly tough patches in just about anything. Try it for yourself. I used the Titebond/Durham's powder combination to fill large gaps in a 4 foot long, dual tapered ramp, that I use to get my heavy Rogue weightlifting bench up onto the aluminum plate that forms the bottom inside the rack. My garage floor is very slanted in two directions. I constantly wheel this heavy bench with hard plastic wheels over this crazy ramp made with multiple strips of plywood and poplar. I filled all the gaps using the Titebond/Durham's mix, then ground it smooth using a combination of 60 grit sanding wheel on my angle grinder and a 100 grit disk on my random orbital sander. I then primed and painted the finished ramp with white latex primer and paint and put it into use. After 2+ years of abusing the heck out of this ramp, the filled the thickly-filled gaps show no signs whatsoever of scratching, cracks or separation of layers. This stuff is nearly indestructible. Be for-warned however that this combo filler is VERY hard when dry. If you just want to fill nail holes, I would suggest using only the Durham's powder with water as directed.

[beautifulwhitecat]

It's like you read my mind! I was looking for how to repair my wood trim.

[philipramsden]

The Elmer's is my go to for filling nail holes in trim and for bigger jobs. Yeah it does shrink a bit, but texture and sandability is great

[claytor]

I'd be interested to see a similar experiment with outdoor use filler.