Filler for exterior paint chips

BilHam

My old house has xmillions coats of paint. A bunch of places all of them have come off in chunks, small, larger, thin wide, down to the wood. Instead of sanding them smooth, or stripping all of the paint, is there a spackle-like filler that will do the job without falling out or cracking? Phenosol, maybe? I remember years ago using an exterior spackle for this purpose.

slickshift

They should be sanded, but that's sometimes not possible or cost/time effective

Water putty is still used, as is wood putty and even int/ext latex spackle for some repairs

BilHam

Should I apply some kind of primer or cleaner or sealer first?

Water putty can be brittle applied thin, besides hardening fast. Will it crack?
Would some kind of semi-flexible putty/filler be recommended?

Hamilton

The way we do weather beaten areas is to first grind off all loose paint with a 24 grit disc on a Makita grinder. Then we dig out any soft/loose wood in the trim. If these areas are wet you will have to let them dry. Many times it is easier for us to replace the piece of trim than to repair it.

We then fill all holes and major low spots with Bondo, then sand smooth. Then we apply the first primer coat.

Any remaining low spots/holes are then skimmed with either spackle or Flexall. After this we then finish sand, then the final coat of primer is applied.

It's lots of work and money, for sure.

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slickshift

Ah, yes...I've never used, but do hear of other contractors using bondo

BilHam

Spackle: exterior, interior, water-based?
Bondo seems labor intensive and expensive, but is probably the best. Tough to sand, though.
The siding is cedar clapboard BTW

slickshift

Ahh...I prefer Minwax wood putty if possible
Ready mixed, works well, sticks good...

Elmer's isn't bad either, but Minwax sticks better
Especially if you are doing more of a "leveling" with it, rather than a crack/hole fill

Hamilton

We use Crawfords, sands like butter.

Use the Home Solutions stuff, easier to sand, nothing beats Bondo for big fills. Sticks to wood real good, too, even without primer. Box stores have it.

__________________
People sleep peacefully at night because rough men stand guard to deal with violence on their behalf.

Da Vinci

We use Bondo or Home Depots version all the time outside, but we amost never use bondo on raw wood. We always use Restore it epoxy first. The epoxy soaks in to wood fibers about 1/4" and hardens overnight. Bondo sticks great to it- doesn't pop, unlike spackle..

Bay Area Painting Contractor

BilHam

You've heard of Penetrol, probably. How would that work to stabilize and prime the wood for filler?

slickshift

Yes, I use it
But I have never used, or heard of it used for that application