UK equivalent of "Spackle"

[JessUK98]

I've been looking for a product I can use on my interior woodwork. Door frames, skirtings, the wooden cladding in the window alcoves (so much wood!). I think the woodwork is about 10 million years old (house built around 1820, doubtful original woodwork, but is probably knocking on for a good 60+ years) with several layers of paint, which over the years has become cracked/flaked off etc. In the past I've just scraped off all the loose bits, done a quick sand and painted over, but decided this time to actually try and level these imperfections with something.
A google brings up a product called spackle, which is American but not available in the UK. I think it might be similar to jointing compound? Would something like wood filler or decorators caulk work? Or some kind of ready mixed smoother? Something quick and easy as I've only got about 3 weeks of "free time" left to get this done (and paint stripper/heat gun type action doesn't appeal due to effort and distinct possibility of bottom layers being lead paint based etc).

TIA,

Jess

[Sobraon]

Sorry "Spackle" products have never worked for me (similar age house). My daughters specify this type of approach as BIY (bodge it yourself) – harsh but fair.

If the woodwork is going to look bad even after a good sanding and using a good paint ( I only use traditional solvent based Dulux inside) then depending on the type of woodwork I choose from one of three approaches.

Firstly have a new bit made based on the old as a pattern, where I live I can get a two part deep skirting board machined to pattern at about £12-£5 (inc) per metre. This without doubt gives by far the best result. Did this for some skirting board this week.

Secondly take of the old paint using a hot air gun, but as a precaution all women of child bearing age and younger are 'banished' from the house when doing this and during clean up. A good filter mask is an absolute necessity - think 60s lead paint. This takes a very long time to do well and depending on how you value your time it is not cost effective, however it can, with care, give reasonable results. I have not used the 'home' liquid paint strippers for 30 years- for me a waste of time

Thirdly if it is a door or something that can be reasonably removed then I get it striped using a commercial stripping service (caustic). Problem with this is the process raises the grain and dries the joints so quite a lot of post stripping refurbishment is then required.

With approaches 1 and 3 it is very important to have local knowledge as of course some little companies will try to charge excessive prices. About 5 years ago a company tried to charge me £50 ‘tooling charge’ for a job – i.e. take the cutter off the shelf and put it in the moulder – they didn’t get the job .

[bungeejumper]

I haven't heard the term before, but https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hardware-Spack ... 1938380031 seems to imply that pretty well every sort of filler would fit the description. That doesn't help you much, though, does it?

Fine surface fillers will fill all imperfections (buy them ready mixed in a tub rather than water-based), but TBH you're still in for a lot of sanding, and some of them will set rock-hard, and too soon! (Been there, still got the stress tics.) Agree about not using heat guns, not just because of the possible lead but also because they take your wood back so far that you've got to start again from scratch, which is a pain. I'd be more inclined to use a paint stripper if the surface was that bad.

One point, though. And I hope it doesn't apply to you! Wood surfaces in 19th century houses were often treated first with gesso (rabbit skin glue) before painting, because it gave a mirror-smooth surface that the Victorians highly prized. It looks like putty, and they often painted a fake woodgrain finish over it, which seems weird to us, but there you go. Our whole house was slathered with gesso both inside and out, and the trouble we've found is that it makes subsequent paint surfaces inclined to crack off easily if they get knocked.

That's half the bad news about gesso. The other half is that it doesn't come off either with paint stripper or with sanding (it just clogs the sandpaper). Good luck, and let's hope you are luckier than we were.

[Lootman]

A google brings up a product called spackle, which is American but not available in the UK. I think it might be similar to jointing compound?

It's just filler - works fine for covering up holes in plaster, wood etc.

[JessUK98]

Secondly take of the old paint using a hot air gun, but as a precaution all women of child bearing age and younger are 'banished' from the house when doing this and during clean up. A good filter mask is an absolute necessity - think 60s lead paint. This takes a very long time to do well and depending on how you value your time it is not cost effective, however it can, with care, give reasonable results. I have not used the 'home' liquid paint strippers for 30 years- for me a waste of time

That made me laugh, as I am currently 36 weeks pregnant, hence my time constraints. My other half is totally sh*te at DIY, otherwise I'd let him get on with it and banish myself from the house. I let him paint the landing this weekend and I had to bite my tongue. He doesn't prepare and clean surfaces properly, and is generally quite a sloppy worker. Lets just say he's lucky we are getting a new carpet next week.
I did one of the spare rooms as you describe above, and I'm not going to rush to do it again (I did the whole seal room, open window, wear mask that made me look like a cheap Dartvader etc). Took forever and leads on to what BJ said;

One point, though. And I hope it doesn't apply to you! Wood surfaces in 19th century houses were often treated first with gesso (rabbit skin glue) before painting, because it gave a mirror-smooth surface that the Victorians highly prized. It looks like putty, and they often painted a fake woodgrain finish over it, which seems weird to us, but there you go. Our whole house was slathered with gesso both inside and out, and the trouble we've found is that it makes subsequent paint surfaces inclined to crack off easily if they get knocked.

That's half the bad news about gesso. The other half is that it doesn't come off either with paint stripper or with sanding (it just clogs the sandpaper). Good luck, and let's hope you are luckier than we were.

I think I must be equally unlucky as when I used a heat gun to strip the paint in the aforementioned spare room I found certain sections extremely hard to do as it got all sticky like that and was a sod to clean off the scraper. Underneath all the layers of paint is a dark brown type of varnish and if you scrape at that it's kind of yellowie underneath and under that is bare wood. If that is gesso then that would explain a lot!



Given my current condition I'm opting for a much easier and quicker method, so will see what fillers I have and see how it goes on a sample section.
I've taken a shine to the Dulux Trade satinwood to paint the woodwork.

[bungeejumper]

I think I must be equally unlucky as when I used a heat gun to strip the paint in the aforementioned spare room I found certain sections extremely hard to do as it got all sticky like that and was a sod to clean off the scraper. Underneath all the layers of paint is a dark brown type of varnish and if you scrape at that it's kind of yellowie underneath and under that is bare wood. If that is gesso then that would explain a lot!

Ed Zackerly, gesso is what you've got there. The reason it doesn't respond to paint stripper is that it's an organic compound, not a dead-chemical one! And it's full of fats and goodness knows what, and then that's what causes the problems when it's got a nice thick crispy shell of five or six coats of normal paint on top of it. And that's why it all comes off in flakes when it gets knocked. Honestly, filling and sanding is as good an approach as any when there's gesso in the house.

We did make an exception for our staircase, which we really did want to expose because the Victorian pine (slow-grown, gorgeous close-grained stuff) was so very fine. It took the two of us an entire fortnight, working all day, to get the rabbit-glue gesso off it with scrapers and heat guns, and I'm not sure I ever want to work that hard on a finish ever again. (FWIW, we finished it with thick beeswax instead of painting it. 24 years later it still looks fantastic. )
.

Given my current condition I'm opting for a much easier and quicker method, so will see what fillers I have and see how it goes on a sample section. I've taken a shine to the Dulux Trade satinwood to paint the woodwork

Congratulations on the current condition! Fabulous news. Take it nice and steady now - yes, satinwood is a very forgiving paint. (So is the expensive Farrow & Ball stuff, which also covers very well.) But whatever you do, your doors and skirting boards are about to get an additional pounding of the very nicest kind. Why stand in the way of the inevitable?

BJ

[Charlottesquare]

A tip if you do not like dust from sanding and only a light sand needed to get a key, liquid sandpaper (paint it on, wipe it of) can save hours, but it will not do much good if surface is really poor. (I used it on some bannisters, Victorian house, and it was very quick)

Decorators caulk is imho useless re anything that takes knocks/hard wear, you need wood filler, I only use caulk re say the joint from plaster to skirting/ door frames and plaster etc. Re wood filler use it like on car bodies, thin applications and build up as it can be a beast to sand back, do not over apply, you may think it is faster but you just end up with more work sanding back.

I hate to say often sanding and dust is the only way, I did a set of victorian shutters in our lounge that had likely not been opened for 40 years (the dirt inside was unbelievable, about four cleans with sugar soap before the sanding even started) Once cleaned I painted with satinwood rather than gloss, this has resulted in virtually no chipping when shutters folded shut or opened over five years, despite pressure where the two sides meet, and we use them every day ,but they took me about three weekends and I needed a friend to help shave them and rehang them to get them to fit well.

Over painted decorative plasterwork, like arches in hallways, light stripper/water, brushes, cocktail sticks, patience and an ability to listen to a radio for hours whilst perched atop a ladder.

I am also now a firm believer in taking doors off their hinges, place on trestles in garden, sand back, fill, sand again, bring back in; when younger I was all haste no speed, age has made me work slower , with more tea breaks, but hopefully smarter.

[88V8]

I love old houses. Original woodwork, yes please.
I used lead paint for years and I'm still here. I think the fuss is overdone.

When I decorate, I try to do it well. If it takes weeks to do a room, that's how it is. Prepare, burn off, sand, prep the walls, paint, sanding between coats, wallpaper, I even taught myself how to paper ceilings with pattern match.
Decorators' caulk is good between wood and plaster, for instance. But I know of no way to prep thick, old, cracked paint other than taking it off.

Once done, I never redo a room. Done once, then it just matures. Properly done paintwork doesn't get dirty.
Not quite true, I did repaint the white freize in the kitchen after 27 years.

So in the OP's case I'd do one room thoroughly, burn off, sand (using wet n dry if worried about lead), knot, prime, u/c, two oil topcoats sanding between coats. My preference is Sikkens AZ. Gloss is more durable, satin probably looks better in an old house. I've used gloss on skirtings, satin on doors for example.
Paper &/or paint the ceiling. Then wallpaper with suitable patterned paper. We like William Morris patterns.
Paint the wood light switch and ceiling rose patresses.
Then onto the next room. I hate bodges.

Fake woodgrain. A real skill. Common until the 30s. Sadly ours had been overpainted.

On the exterior, on the south face, nothing really seems to last, even gesso. Lately, I've been trying Bedec MSP. Dries fast, I hear good report of its longevity. We shall see.

V8

[dspp]

Spackle is simply a US brand name. In the UK the equivalent brand is Polyfilla. In both countries the respective brands have become synonymous with the genre, just like Google.

regards, dspp

[Pheidippides]

As the owner of a house in the US, there are differences in nomenclature, specification, availability and performance of myriad items.

Spackle = Polyfilla
Spackling Compound = Filler

Baseboard = Skirting Board

Things you can't get in the US:

Sugar Soap

Metric denominated items (tape measures etc)

Dow Corning 765 (you can get 766, but I nearly passed out from the fumes after re-grouting a shower cubicle)



Things you can get in the US:

Toluene
Any nut or bolt in any size or combination


The biggest problem I have in the US is that everything is standard. All doors and windows are standard size, if you want something specific or special then it comes with a huge price-tag

Regards