Caulking spindles

[HouseFixer]

I’ve just primed my newly fitted spindles, what do I do about these small gaps at bottom (and top if I’m being picky). Should I use caulk, wood filler, or other? Thanks

 

[blup]

Caulk rather than sealant where there's no moisture or significant movement.

 

[HouseFixer]

Definitely would use caulk rather than sealant. But, I was toying with the idea of wood filler or 2 part filler. Wondering what others use for this job.

 

[blup]

2 part would work, messy in small quantities but you could tape off area and it sands

 

[foxhole]

BRUMMER STOPPING INTERIOR WOOD FILLER - VARIOUS SHADES - SMALL & MEDIUM TINS | eBay

Dark Mahogany. Light Mahogany. Ready mixed, durable & versatile filler. Fills holes & cracks in all woods. Drill, sand and nail - just like wood. Light Walnut. Highly versatile, it can be used outside if varnished or painted over and.

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Can be wiped clean with damp cloth while curing to avoid sanding ,

 

[opps]

As a decorator I would use a soft filler such as Red Devil OneTime and, additionally, caulk.

Caulk in the bottom gaps (first image) will shrink back.

OneTime will sand back using 180 grit paper without scratching through the new paint work. It will however need a coat of waterbased primer.

Caulk where the spindles sit in the holes will be the path of least resistance. If it shrinks back slightly it won't be an issue given that you are only using one paint colour. The caulk will not need any priming.

If you don't want to buy both caulk and OneTime filler, you could just use OneTime in the hole slots, using your finger and then wipe away the excess with a damp, fine J-coth.

Caulk recommendations? I would go with Everbuild 125 or (Dow) Painter's Mate.

 

[HouseFixer]

As a decorator I would use a soft filler such as Red Devil OneTime and, additionally, caulk.

Caulk in the bottom gaps (first image) will shrink back.

OneTime will sand back using 180 grit paper without scratching through the new paint work. It will however need a coat of waterbased primer.

Caulk where the spindles sit in the holes will be the path of least resistance. If it shrinks back slightly it won't be an issue given that you are only using one paint colour. The caulk will not need any priming.

If you don't want to buy both caulk and OneTime filler, you could just use OneTime in the hole slots, using your finger and then wipe away the excess with a damp, fine J-coth.

Caulk recommendations? I would go with Everbuild 125 or (Dow) Painter's Mate.

Thanks for the recommendations and advise on process, I'll follow this. However, I already have toupret wood filler (would this suffice instead of Red Devil?) I've also got a load of Dunlop Flexible Acrylic filler, which seems to work very well elsewhere, so will stick with that for now. No need to worry about scratching paintwork, as I realised the wood the joiner had put between the spindles was uneven in most places, so now that I've (spent all day) sanded it back, it'll need another prime anyway. So my evening will be caulking and filling and hopefully not much sanding to do tomorrow before priming again. I've noticed the Toupret stuff wipes off when dry anyway, so hopefully just a wipe here and there will work

 

[Koolpc]

Tread carefully when using caulk. If you follow opps above you will be taking a step in the right direction.

 

[HouseFixer]

Tread carefully when using caulk. If you follow opps above you will be taking a step in the right direction.

It's an upwards journey, rising one step at a time

 

[opps]

Thanks for the recommendations and advise on process, I'll follow this. However, I already have toupret wood filler (would this suffice instead of Red Devil?) I've also got a load of Dunlop Flexible Acrylic filler, which seems to work very well elsewhere, so will stick with that for now. No need to worry about scratching paintwork, as I realised the wood the joiner had put between the spindles was uneven in most places, so now that I've (spent all day) sanded it back, it'll need another prime anyway. So my evening will be caulking and filling and hopefully not much sanding to do tomorrow before priming again. I've noticed the Toupret stuff wipes off when dry anyway, so hopefully just a wipe here and there will work

Which Toupret filler have you got?

I stopped using powder based fillers on timber years ago once I released that in time they blow.

My current job, I am having to sand away all of the powder based filler on the woodwork applied by the previous decorator(s). It is impossible to feather out the old stuff and so now I have sand it all back and refill with two pack filler.

 

[HouseFixer]

I’ve got this one

 

[HouseFixer]

By blow, does that materialise in cracks? This is what’s happened on the architrave downstairs, but I put it down to the mitres not being glued

 

[opps]

I’ve got this one

Admittedly, although I use several Toupret products, I have never tried that one.

The architraves, are they cracking at the mitres? If yes, then it may be down to a lack of glue.

On my current job they are cracking where they meet the walls, in some places they have been backfilled by upto 15mm where they meet the walls. Cracks are appearing at that point. I plan to drill a series of holes through the architraves and squirt some expanding foam in to lock them in place before filling the side gaps.

 

[HouseFixer]

Yes, it’s the mitres that are cracking on mine. I even said to the joiner to use glue, but they didn’t - could I squeeze some in now?

I had a big space like that on a couple of my architraves, and ended up using a foam noodle filler that was pushed into the gap then caulked in place with Dunlop acrylic - that all seems to be holding well. Guess you can’t do that unless you remove the whole lot now though.

 

[Wayners]

I powdered fill those joints Vs caulk