Material Spotlight: Durham's Water Putty

I am not really a brand "fanboy".  I like to use tool, material, and hardware products that are reliable,  durable, affordable,  and usable.  It's not often that I find something that not only meets all those areas, but is exceptional at it.

One of those rarities is a filler product called "Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty".


I have tried a crazy number of filler and repair putty products over the years to fix issues in wood, drywall, and other materials.  As yet, I haven't found anything that meets all my requirements above as well as Durham's does.

I do furniture repair as well as a number of cosmetic and structural repair of walls, doors, trim, and others surfaces around rental properties.   I've found Durham's to be exceptional in ALL of these uses.

Not only does it hold up very well in a variety of situations,  it's adaptable as well.  Since I mix the powdered material on the spot with water, I can make the mix as thin or as thick as the situation requires.  

Like any similar products, you need to be aware of manufacturer directions.  They officially call for a 3-1 powder to water mix.  My experience has been that as long as you don't make it too thin (water thin) or too thick (clumpy), you've got a lot of variability in applications.

Having said that, the 3-1 ratio holds up pretty well at various amounts.  Whether it's ¼ cup, ½ cup or even 1 cup, that mixture will be good for a wide variety of projects.  For me, I'll thicker it or thin it depending on conditions like working on the vertical plane (thicker) or the depth of the void being filled.  

I personally use it as regular part of my repair kit, always have it.  Mix as much as I need for a job without having to worry about wasting extra.

In a recent project to repair a hole in the corner of a porch column chewed by squirrels, I used Durham's over a simple backing to re-form the corner.




With a bit thicker mixture to prevent running on the vertical plane,  The filler held in very well.  Because the hole required as much coverage as it did, the fill-in was done with multiple applications. 


Once the hole had enough coats to give it a flat surface, a bit of sanding was done to smooth it out. In an existing or "old" build situation like this, these columns weren't completely flat or smooth due to prior wear.  I try to make things look "normal" so I wasn't looking for a "perfect" appearance here, but one that fit the condition of the columns as a whole.

Given that and some color-matched paint (done at Ace hardware) and we have porch columns that look "normal" again.

From even a typical, normal standing view distance,  it was a good repair that Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty helped achieve. 


I also like to use this to fill in damage areas in drywall. Especially in areas such as spots where holes were made for an outlet or similar and they made the hole a bit too big for the cover plate to conceal it.  Such as the image here...


By adding just a bit at the edges, the hole can be "re-sized" so that when the cover plate is put back on, no one will even realize it had been done incorrectly before. (For the record, I'm not the one that installed that receptacle.   I just came in to turn over the house between renters and discovered the "install-gone-wrong")

So, Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty is my go-to for small repairs in wood and drywall damage spots.  You might like it.

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