Okay, today’s Quick-Tip is how I conquered a little pet peeve. We all know wood fillers dry up fast.
Shortly after I would open a container or tube, I ended up with a dry grainy unusable mess. This boiled down to wasted time and money because I would throw away the crusty cracked stuff while running to the store to buy new wood filler.
Here’s my solutions which I’ve been using for the last 8 months or so and it’s been working GREAT!
Plastic wrap UNDER the lid.
This plastic wrap UNDER the lid keeps the moisture trapped in so the wood filler stays moist, pliable and workable. I find it works even better than putting the container in a ziplock bag.
I never open a container that looks like a desert floor anymore… see…very smooth and spreadable…. like buttaahhh!
If it’s not quite as soft as it should be, I simply add a 1/2 teaspoon of water and mix thoroughly. I’ll keep adding and mixing in small amounts of water until I have a perfect workable consistency and it’s as good as new again.
This plastic wrap tip also works well for tubes of filler, caulking etc. For the tubes, you can also use a piece of tape on the ends before capping them but I do find the plastic works best.
Do you have any tips to keeping your wood filler soft and usable? I’d love for you to share!
And if you missed last weeks Quick-Tip-Tuesday, you can find it here.
Have an amazing day!
Denise x
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Hello!
I’m a woodworker and I think i’ve found The Best Tip
Just put your wood filler in the refrigerator it works 100% i’ve been testing for many ways to preserve wood filler and it just came to me that o% Fat Greek yogurt looks exactly like wood filler I know its weird but I tried it 3 months ago and its still soft as ever. It works for tubes, pots, etc.
Try it Yourself and you’ll be saving lots of money
Great tip, thanks, Sebastien!
Just dont get it mixed up with your peanut butter😁
Great tip! I’ve heard the refrigerator also works with keeping glued from drying out. And I believe it works. That’s where I’ve been keeping my glue for the last year and so far, so good.
Love this tip, thanks Patricia!
This guy says to use Canola Oil (and not to use acetone or other chemicals). Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV34iOYiKkI
Does it work on all purpose ready mixed filler too
Sure does. If it’s a little drier/harder than you like, you can mix in a bit of water. 🙂
I use plastic bread bags to fill the space between the filler and the top of the container. Even today, when I found that the lid was up at one side, the filler was still quite soft. I always push them down so that they fit tightly. I needed to smooth a little bit when it was on, so, er, spat on my hand and used a wet finger. BYO water supply.
Brilliant! 🙂
Yes, it’s a handy source of moisture for DIY emergencies 😀
I read that putting petroleum jelly on the nozzle before you cap things like No More Nails and foal gap fillers will stop the cap gluing itself onto the nozzle …why didn’t I think of that ? No more throwing them out after they’ve been used once. That is %$#*&@** !!! annoying as well as being &#@$%(*&^! expensive !!!
Brilliant! 🙂
On the directions it now reads add acetone if it dries out
Thanks for the tip. I can’t count the number of container I hack thrown away because they dried out. Live in AZ where it is dry also. Excellent tip. Will be buying my next container along with some plastic wrap. 👍
I always use wood glue, mix it well with a chop stick until smooth and it’s brand new.
All the best
Brilliant! Thanks Ellen 🙂
Just a thought, since wood filler is basically wood glue and sawdust, I wonder if it would be better to “wetten” it back up with wood glue instead of water? Anyone know?
I use small amounts of acetone stirred into the wood filler to revive it if it dries out. Add and stir. Repeat until it is creamy smooth again.
Great tip… thanks Jeffery!
Plastic wrap also works on top of the remains of the paint in the can with the rusty gunky top so the lid won’t seal up. I keep trying not to let the lids and rims get that bad, but I’m a slow learner and need help. Plastic wrap to the rescue.
Excellent tip…thank you!
Biggest pet peeve EVER! Thanks for the tip. I am trying it – as soon as I replace the last batch of filler I had to chuck when it dried out!