Exterior siding nail hole filler before paint

[Bill Dufour]

I need to fill some finish nail hole some wood trim on my woods shed before painting. All I see recommended on the web is fancy epoxy type stuff. I was thinking more like Dap putty of some kind. Now all Dap pushes is super platinum putty.
Would good old Dap 33 glazing compound work okay?
Bill D

[Bruce Wrenn]

I need to fill some finish nail hole some wood trim on my woods shed before painting. All I see recommended on the web is fancy epoxy type stuff. I was thinking more like Dap putty of some kind. Now all Dap pushes is super platinum putty.
Would good old Dap 33 glazing compound work okay?
Bill D

Caulk, putty, and paint makes a carpenter what he ain't! Why not just caulk the holes, like everybody else does. On outside trim, nails should only be driven flush, not set.

[Jason Roehl]

Lightweight spackle. Fill flush with your finger (doesn't shrink), or leave a little proud and sand flush. Don't leave it too long (more than a day or so) before sanding, as it gets tough to sand, but it is also not fully waterproof. May take two coats of paint to cover.

No painter I know would caulk holes--looks like garbage when done, and caulk shrinks, leaving a divot. The smear around the hole usually telegraphs through the paint, too.

[Bill Dufour]

Caulk, putty, and paint makes a carpenter what he ain't! Why not just caulk the holes, like everybody else does. On outside trim, nails should only be driven flush, not set.

Problem is my finish nailer sets them below flush on the lowest or is it called the highest?setting some of the time. At least they are galvanized. My father spent over 50 years living in the house I grew up in with redwood siding and non-galvanized nails. No real problems for the first 20 years or so then the rust would pop off the putty filler and cause rust streaks. Once a nail was rusted it was hard for him to get putty to stick and seal it from rain.
Bil lD

[lowell holmes]

You could drill an over size hole and glue a dowel in it.

[Mark Gibney]

I like your idea of using Dap putty - do you mean the glazing putty?
A little shellac on the putty before painting might work well.

I have an epoxy paste product I use on slabs called SculpWood that I used on nail holes on a shed I built. Too soon to say how it holds up. You said you're not keen on these fancy epoxy products so I'm not recommending it - I used it coz I had it.

Mark

[Jason Roehl]

There are various hole-filling putties out there that are quite similar to window glazing putty. I never cared for them. A colleague of mine though it was great stuff, but when I would go back over his work, there would be a hairline gap on one side of the nail hole. IMHO, it's too stiff to properly fill a hole--it just doesn't flow into all the nooks and crannies between the nail head and the substrate.

[Bill Dufour]

I suppose if I leave the tub of putty in the sun it will warm up to well over the body temperate recommended for plumbers putty so it should flow easier. I have put plumbers putty in the microwave to save time and work. Since the high will be over 100 degrees for the foreseeable future I think it should work okay. I will leave it for a week or two to dry before painting.
Bil lD