Exterior Wood Filler Recommendation

I'm in need of an exterior wood filler to repair some damage. I haven't used Timbermate, but have seen a lot of people in love with it. It sounds like that would be perfect, since it can be used as is, as well as thinned for filling cracks and grain. However, apparently that is for interior use. Is there a similar product that is recommended for exterior? I'm going to want to sand, prime, and paint after the repair. Would Famowood be best for me here? Thanks.

 

What is it you're trying to fill?

 

Ya, it would help to know just what you need to repair. If it's rot damage - that is best cut out and replaced. pics would be nice http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

 

It's actually not "damage", don't know why I wrote that. I'm just redoing some outside corners on panels of a bay window. It looks like somebody previous to me filled the gaps between panels with some sort of caulk, and kind of smeared it all around in the process. It looks ugly so want to take out the old caulk and refill those gaps with filler, sand them so they are neat, and then prime and paint.

 

Caulk might be easier and better. Caulk is easy to get right if after doing it you wait a few minutes and smooth and clean off excess with a damp sponge rinsed often in a bucket of water. Wood filler will tend to crack over time.

 

While a pic or two might change my mind, I agree with Ray that caulking would be best. There is a world of difference between a neat caulk job and a sloppy one. A damp rag/sponge is helpful in smoothing out the caulk and removing excess from where it doesn't belong.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. Here are some pictures so you can see exactly what it is.



It just looks like a sloppy caulk job I guess, right? So to fix it, do I just need to sand away/pull out the old caulk, and then recaulk it neatly? Reason I asked about wood filler was that I see a lot of "caulk for inside corners, filler for outside corners". I guess I've got a mix of inside and outside corners needing attention here, so should I use caulk for the inside corners, and filler (Famowood?) for the outside corners, or just go with caulk for everything?

Any recommendations for exterior caulk products, by the way?

The sealing of the panels where they meet the brick is also a mess. Do I need a different type of caulk for that? Again, recommendations for a specific product if you can. Thanks.

 

A few years ago, I tried a fiberglass auto body filler like "Bondo" on the exterior, and it seems to be holding well . . . . but you have to plan your work so that you can apply it quickly once the catalyst is mixed. Besides for being intended for the exterior of cars, it is also also priced well below what I was paying for exterior plastic wood.

 

Latex caulks are usually a good choice. Oil based can be a real beatch to use and I don't recommend. I usually buy Dap.

 

Caulk doesn't sand well. I'd scrape off what I could first, then sand. Some folks shouldn't be allowed near a caulking gun. If the caulk had been expertly applied we wouldn't even be here. I also recommend latex caulk, specifically a siliconized acrylic latex caulk [it's paintable] Keeping a wet/damp rag/sponge handy while caulking is a good tool to both smooth out the caulk and remove unwanted excess.

 

Alright, thanks everybody. I'll get it cleaned up and fill gaps with White Lightning 3006, which is what I've been using for caulking anything lately, unless anyone has a better suggestion for an exterior caulk.

 

White Lightning is my preferred latex caulk

 

Well allright, good deal

 

Just want to report (for anybody pulling this thread up down the road) that on our front door trim, which was in similar-but-not-as-bad condition as the bay window panels in my photos, I first filled in dings and gouges with Famowood and then sanded those areas level. Then I caulked neatly with White Lightning. Then primed, and brushed on two coats of exterior paint.

Took quite a bit of elbow grease, but it looks great, so I'll use the same procedure for the bay windows and I'm pretty confident I'll have good results.

Thanks again all for the advice.