What exactly is spackle or spackling paste? At its most basic, spackle is a paste made from gypsum powder and other binders. Gypsum is a soft mineral that is often used in building materials such as plaster and wallboard. While it might be possible to find spackle as a dried powder that needs to be mixed with water, it is much more commonly found as a pre-mixed formulation.
There are five basic types of spackle: lightweight, which is quick drying and used for small repairs; all-purpose or standard, which dries harder and is used for larger repairs; vinyl, which needs to be layered and is best for patching deeper holes; epoxy, which is an extremely durable oil-based product that needs to be mixed before using; and acrylic, which is a flexible spackle that can be used not only on drywall but on wood, stone and brick as well.
Lightweight and standard spackles are best used for indoor projects, while vinyl, epoxy and acrylic spackles can be used indoors or out.
What Is It Used For?
Spackle is used to repair small damage in drywall and other surfaces around the home. It can be used to repair cracks, cover up nail holes and smooth over dents in drywall. It can even be used with patching screens to cover up fairly large holes in drywall, although it’s not recommended to use the compound for holes much larger than 8 inches in any one direction.
What Spackle Is Not Used For
While spackle is great for addressing a variety of small cracks and holes in a multitude of surfaces, it’s not really ideal for handling larger jobs. For that, homeowners usually turn to joint compound, something spackle is often confused with.
While joint compound is also a paste containing gypsum, it has some important differences. Joint compound — or “mud” as it is frequently called — is generally used to smooth out the gaps between drywall boards or cover drywall tape between those boards. Mud has a thinner consistency than spackle, so it can be tricky getting it to stay put in small holes. It also takes longer to dry than spackle, so it’s not ideal for quick DIY projects. Still, joint compound can stand in for spackle in a pinch. That said, the reverse isn’t true — nor would it be economically feasible. Spackle generally comes in smaller containers, so using it as mud on a large project would be cost-prohibitive.