Which flexible non shrink/crack filler to use?

[Estoril-5]

Hi guys,

So im on the quest to find a decent filler that can withstand some flexibility and also not shrink or crack.

I saw someone on Instagram and asked the question but he wouldn't tell me to protect his business (I'm not his competitor or anything just a diyer)

Any ideas what it could be, here's a link to the pic.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNeoqDGDLbv/

Because he didn't want to tell me i feel a bit bad asking on here but I just want to find a decent filler I'm not a competitor or anything.

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[RobinBHM]

Or is he embarrassed by the amount of filler hes used? Perhaps he thought you were being sarcastic!

 

[MusicMan]

yes, looks like he slaps it on with a trowel!

I find the Ronseal fillers quite good, and they come in clear and brown. Just used them on a broken teak chair repair and they do what they say on the tin. Tube rather, and tube is a good packaging method for filler as it tends to go hard in tins.

 

[Estoril-5]

No I genuinely asked and he apologised and said it had taken him a while to find it and couldn't tell me.

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[ED65]

That's just bad form, it's not like he invented something proprietary. 95% chance he just found out about a product because someone else recommended it somewhere, same as most people do these days!

Anyway, is he in the UK? Not much to go on but it looks a bit like he isn't and if that's the case knowing what he's using might be of no help to you anyway.

Since you specifically ask about flexibility have you had problems with a product in the past? If so which one(s)? And what kind of flex does it need to account for?

 

[Moonsafari69]

I use the Osmo fillers for small cracks which are very good. Fairly certain they won't want to flex though.

 

[custard]

Why would you take that photo as something you'd ever want to emulate? It's just a bodged job that's been sloppily patched.

If you're making something similar then get it right in the first place so you won't need a few hours of work and half a kilo of filler to make it semi-presentable.

 

[Estoril-5]

Yes he is in the UK, I ask about flexibility because I'm making a toy chest that will be abused by kids and moved about a fair bit so hence the flexible filler.

I try to minimise screw holes where possible so minimum filling but recently I fitted some pine architrave and the knot fell out and a decent filler would have been ideal.

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[Estoril-5]

P.s. has anyone used p38 car body filler? Or is that a woodworking no-no?

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[kevinlightfoot]

Agree with custard what a bodge,however Ronseal two pack is very good and if you are only half decent a tub should last a long time .Not too keen on the way it takes stain but you can paint over it with confidence.

 

[kevinlightfoot]

Yes p38 can be used when I was pattern making we used loads of the stuff for rounding internal.fillets it was called Isopon years ago but basically the same stuff .(I really must endeavour to use better words than stuff.)

 

[NazNomad]

Why wouldn't he tell you? he obviously has shares in it, judging by the amount he's slathered on there.

Wait, he's from Clacton, that explains everything ...

 

[Cretin]

The auto body fillers are great on painted wooden finishes, but never tried to use it on a wood finish I'm not sure it it would take stains?
If your screwing it wooden plugs glued in with the grain going the same way are fairly discrete

 

[Cretin]

I just saw the pic, I think its U-POL easy sand body filler, same as Isopon and p38 just a smoother blend to avoid pin holes from air bubbles that are created when mixing.
I wouldn't say its slaped on for bad workmanship its actually a great sealer for the ends of MDF. If you do not seal the edge of the board it will drink paint and still finish up rough when you fill edges like in the pic the edges will paint up the same as the face of the board

 

[NazNomad]

This is the filler he's using, there's a pic of it on his Instragram .. big secret :-D

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lightweight-Fi ... B00TIOGLGQ


Here's his pic ... https://www.instagram.com/p/BMWBoyhjG8p ... deforyou12

 

[cowfoot]

its actually a great sealer for the ends of MDF.

PVA's easier.
That aside, two-pack fillers aren't very flexible. You can get OK results if you apply sparingly (knife off all excess) then reapply a skim over the top after it's dried. Same routine for Polyfilla etc - rather than whack a load on once, use a bit twice - the second time fills the shrinkage, especially on large areas.

 

[Estoril-5]

Great detective work Naznomad, I should have looked through more of his Instagram.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

P.s. when you cut MDF and you get the fluffy cut surface, to make it smooth would you sand and then seal or fill, sand and then seal or something different?

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[cowfoot]

If it's only a couple of mm or less proud then paint on plenty of watered down PVA, let it dry then sand. More than a couple of mm, sand the bulk of it down first (the PVA only soaks in so far).
I've also found that Zinsser Coverstain, slightly diluted with white spirit so it flows better, is the best primer for MDF. Looks like lots of other decorators have too, as it's been sold out in Leyland recently!

 

[Cretin]

If your hand painting you can get away with a lot less sanding, a spray gun finish shows up every imperfection. If you have a lot of edges showing then a moisture resistant MDF is a bit more expensive but half the work getting the edges clean.

 

[petertheeater]

No one making bits and bobs out of wood or MDF should be buying filler in those quantities. When I started out I used a fair amount of two part filler to fill screw holes or seams between stacked MDF shapes. Butt joints that are to be spayed can benefit from a bit of filler as it saves sanding everything down to the lowest breakout or speech. I try not to use any visible fixings now and like the challenge (plenty screws used on unseen faces) I have found that even small holes from a brad nailer filled will show up in a sprayed surface over time. Two part filler sticks and will remain in the extractor for ages.

As for MDF finishing just decent sanding up to 120 grit or even 180 is good enough for my sprayers to work with just avoid the factory edge by a few mm. 120 grit is good enough for hand painting as well although you need a good rubdown between coats especially on edges.
Sorry for going on.