Wood Putty vs. Wood Filler: Key Differences Explained

Woodwork at home and furniture are the attractions of our home. People buy furniture made with wood because of its durability and craftsmanship. It comes in various designs and shapes that make it the perfect choice for your home. Using wood furniture also brings lots of sudden problems as many hardwoods get damaged with time. It is possible that you can see holes, cracks, or scratches in your wood furniture.

Not only furniture, but you can also see these problems in every corner where wood has been used such as doors, cupboards, windows, etc. It is very important to fix these wooden false ceiling problems as soon as possible to use them for many years. Wood putty or wood filler can help you fix your wood furniture or woodwork in home areas. Choosing the best among wood putty and wood filler requires knowledge about it and what suits the best for your work. Both offer different benefits and have different properties. Explore the difference between wood putty and wood filler here.

About Wood Putty

A wood putty is an essential solution for carpenters, woodworkers, and all DIY lovers. It helps them to fix home woodwork or furniture's holes, cracks, or scratches. It fills all the gaps, holes, or scratches in wood products. It includes oil based compounds with natural or plastic properties. It is a suitable solution for all the woodwork in your home that is affected due to humidity.

It comes in different color options such as walnut, red oak, or dark cherry red and dark brown that will align with your wood product perfectly. It is among the top DIY solutions for wood products. You can also mix different wood putty colors to get the perfect match of your wood piece.

Why We Use Wood Putty

A wood putty is beneficial for both the exterior and interior of your woodwork and furniture. Using it can help you to fix the problems in your wooden sliding door corners, windows, furniture, cupboards, etc. successfully in no time. People use it for different reasons such as:

It can help you to fix your home furniture, floor, or any wood interior corner's hole, dent, cracks, or scratches easily.
It is also suitable for exterior woodwork and fills wood gouges, cracks, and small holes that can be expanded or exposed due to high humidity.
Any crack or scratches in the cupboard or decking board can be also fixed instantly.
You can use a part wood filler that will be effective for strengthening the wood bond that got parted and to safeguard it from any future potential cracks.

Pros and Cons of Wood Putty

Pros-

Wood filler is an affordable and worthwhile option for your wood DIY solution as it lasts longer.
You can soften it with a few droplets of acetone if it gets dried after usage.
It is available in a variety of color options that will match your wood color easily.
It can easily fill and fix all the small size holes and cracks in your wood pieces.
It is very easy to use as it comes in powder form that requires water to mix and use.
It also dries quickly enabling you to finish your work on time.

Cons –

Wood filler takes time to dry after usage.
Not ideal for sandable.
Wood stains won't adopt their color completely.
It is not suitable for larger wood damage.
It is not easy to match your wood color with wood filler.

Wood Filler

Wood filler is another DIY solution for wood pieces to fill cracks, holes, scratches, or gaps easily. It contains combined properties of wood fibers like sawdust and a binder that harden the wood effectively. It helps to form a moldable thick paste and you can give it any shape to align with your wood surface.

It easily gets soaked into the wood piece’s fiber and creates a strong bond. There are two types of wood filler available such as water and petroleum based wood fillers. Water based filler requires water to transform it from dry to desired form and petroleum filler already has a smoother texture than water filler. It helps you to use it easily without any preparation.

Why We Use Wood Filler

Wood filler is also useful for fixing unfinished wood pieces such as wood putty. It helps carpenters to fill patches of wood pieces before finishing. Explore other reasons why we use it here.

You can use it to fill the gaps, scratches, or any gouge in an unfinished wood piece.
People also use it for fixing wood floor issues such as to fill holes and gouges into the floor.
You can mold it to use for damaged corners of tables, countertops, cupboards, or shelves.
It can also fix or cover any scratches in unfinished wood pieces before giving it a final touch.

Pros and Cons of Wood Filler

Pros-

It effectively fills all the wood holes, and gaps and covers scratches.
It is very easy to use as it comes in a thick paste form which you can apply on the wood with a stick or knife effectively.
Wood filler can be easily painted once dried. It also gives a smooth structure to the wood piece as a new one.
You can use this wood filler for different kinds of wood.

Cons-

Wood fillers are not ideal for wood exterior usage.
Some wood fillers are not suitable for all wood pieces because they may not adopt stains easily. It can lead to color differences.
It requires enough time to dry completely and that’s the reason overall work duration increases.
Wood filler may not flex or move like a new one which makes it limited in flexibility.

Wrapping Up

Wood filler and putty are the suitable solution for fixing any wood piece damage. It is necessary to choose the best solution among them for your woodwork because both have their features and suitability. You can use these wood solutions to fill holes, gaps, and cracks or cover any scratches effectively. It will give your wood a smooth texture and make it durable as well. Use wood filler or putty today to get the best results for your wood interior or exterior work and furniture as well.