Wood Putty Vs Wood Filler

The three are very different products and need to be applied differently in order to get the correct finish.

Wood putty vs wood filler. The former is made of plastic chemicals and oil-based compounds. Wood putty and wood fillers are two similar but very different materials used in woodworking. Wood filler should be used for larger imperfections and before you stain your workpiece.

Notably when compared to wood filler wood putty is considered to have quite a slow dry time. This is why wood filler hardens while wood putty doesnt. Moreover unlike wood putty wood fillers lack adhesive properties.

Wood filler is for patching large holes or blemishes wood putty is used to patch nail or screw holes and caulk is a flexible sealant used to seal gaps in adjoining surfaces. But one major difference between wood putty and wood filler is its composition. While most folks when talking about household tasks use the terms wood filler and wood putty as one and the same.

Wood filler can be sanded and is typically used for unfinished wood whereas wood putty cannot be sanded and is ideal for finished wood. On the other hand putty takes its sweet time to dry completely. Typically you can find woodworks using wood putty to fix nail or brad holes minor joint mismatches or other minor imperfections.

Typically it takes around 10 to 15 minutes to dry an unfinished surface. Since wood fillers are not expandable they will crack or break whenever the wood contracts or expands. You should use wood putty for small imperfections like nail holes.

To achieve a look thats very similar to wood you can mix it with sawdust or dye in the same color as the item you are mending. Wood filler dries faster that wood putty and most types will start drying in as little as 10 minutes after application. Therefore wood fillers are not ideal for outdoor projects.