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Spackle Away Your Walls' Signs of Age

Spackle by author Meghan Carter

  • Materials you'll need.
  • Step-by-step spackling instructions.
  • The best type of paint to use over spackle.
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  • checklist
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    Spackle is not the most glamorous of decorating products, but it is extremely useful. Spackle is the easiest way to remedy small dents and holes in your walls. If your walls have taken a beating over the years, you should spackle those dents and holes before painting in order to get a flawless finish. The spackle will fill all of those tiny indentations making the wall feel smooth, and once you paint over it, the wall will look brand new.
    To get those professional looking results, you must use the proper technique.


What You Will Need to Spackle

  • Bucket, clean soapy water and a sponge
  • Sandpaper
  • Clean Cloth or Paper Towels
  • Putty Knife
  • Spackle

How to Spackle

  1. Before you start spackling, you should know that spackle is only intended to be used on small hole and dents. Big holes and dents should be fixed with drywall and drywall compound.
  2. To find places to spackle, shine a flashlight or lamp up a wall. The harsh light against the wall will highlight all imperfections.
  3. If you find bumps sticking out, use your putty knife to scrape them off. If you find any screws or nails still in the wall, remove or counter sink them.
  4. Sand the areas you plan to spackle to make them smooth.
  5. Then clean the area with a mild soap and water. Wipe the area dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Let the area dry.
  6. Once the area is dry, mix the spackle with the putty knife. Then scoop out a small amount of spackle and put the spackle over the small hole or dent.
  7. Use crisscross motions to wipe off any excess spackle and to smooth the spackle into the hole or dent. Scrape the spackle off very lightly. If you press too hard, you will scrape the spackle out of the hole. For an extra smooth finish, dip your putty knife in water before removing the excess spackle.
  8. Make sure to remove all excess spackle. If you don't, you will have to sand over the area and then rewash your walls before painting.
  9. If your hole or dent is deep, you may need to fill it in stages. If the first coat of spackle does not fill it all of the way, let the spackle dry completely. Then add a second coat of spackle. Keep repeating that process until the hole is completely filled.
  10. When you're finished make sure to clean your tools. Letting the spackle dry on your putty knife can ruin the knife.

Extra Spackle Tip

    After spackling, don't head straight for your paint. You will need to prime over it first, and you can't use just any primer. Only a primer sealer will work. You see spackle does not have the same porosity as drywall or wood. As a result, when paint is applied over spackle, the spackle absorbs the paint in a different way than the drywall or wood does. Due to the different porosities, the pant over the spackle will have a duller finish than the paint over the drywall or wood, and it will be easy to tell where you spackled. To keep that from happening, you must use a primer sealer. Primer sealers seal the entire area so that the surface you use the primer sealer on has the same porosity.



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