What's a good exterior wood filler to fill cracks, nail holes, dents before painting?

I don't think I need heavy duty fillers like bondo or epoxy. I prefer something that requires no mixing, can be sanded, painted, and stick to the wood even if it gets wet and expands. Any suggestions?

 

I doubt there is one product that will fit that bill. Caulking generally works best on the exterior and will expand/contract a little but it is not sandable. The only fillers that don't require mixing are painter' putty [or glazing] and an exterior spackling. Personally I'd use caulk for most of it and use painter's putty for any nail holes. Dents are often best left alone.

 

I don't either. Maybe the Miracle Grow people have something since it would take a miracle.

 

Unfortunately Bondo is an excellent filler for wood and being catalyzed it sets up quick, sands easy, is paintable.

It's not just for cars!

 

I disagree, I think this is exactly what you need.

 

It sounds like he wants a 99 cent solution.

 

I do not disagree with that opinion.

 

1/10th of a can of Bondo would cost about 99 cents...

 

Right & save the other 9/10 for a fender bender.

 

Some pics of what needs to be repaired would help us understand just what patching materials would work best.

 

Durham's water putty. Paintable and sandable. This is not the best solution but it meets your conditions.

CAN I USE DURHAM'S FOR REPAIRS OUTDOORS?

Durham's can be used outdoors, but keep these things in mind...

Durham's can be used outdoors and will withstand outdoor weather, but it must be kept painted. Water putty is not waterproof and will absorb any moisture it is exposed to and the paint will peel. So if you see peeling, you must find the source of the moisture and stop it from gettting into the putty. Durham's also must not be used in structural, or weight-bearing, applications.

Durham's does not absorb a stain, so the patch must be painted and not stained.

 

In my experience, Durham's is even harder to sand than Bondo. But it does go on a little smoother.

He also doesn't want to mix anything, which pretty much limits it to a premixed jar of exterior spackling (which I would rarely recommend). Glazing and caulk aren't sandable, but he should be using caulk for cracks and joints. Marksr's initial reply seems to have covered it pretty well.

 

I also think the rock hard putty is harder to sand than bondo although it may have less sanding dust. I try to apply it in a manner that doesn't need any or at least very little sanding.