Best exterior plywood gap fillter?

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Smpl Mnmlst
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#2590992 23-Oct-2020 20:44

I honestly can’t think or understand why you want alternatives. It looked great as it was. Right now it looks terrible and there’s really no easy way to make it look better than (or even as good as) the original. No alternative is going to be able to deal effectively with that raw gib edge - which really shouldn’t be there and is a significant liability.

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zyo

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#2590993 23-Oct-2020 20:49

None I can think of that will make it look better than it was originally. If you asked me it looked pretty sharp with the capping in place.

Damn....

What would be the problem if I sand down the timber, seal the gap, get a gib corner trim that's weather proof(? if there is one) and repaint everything? Is the paint going to crack? Is the gib corner going to fail regardless over time due to weather?

eracode

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#2590994 23-Oct-2020 20:51

zyo:

None I can think of that will make it look better than it was originally. If you asked me it looked pretty sharp with the capping in place.

Damn....

What would be the problem if I sand down the timber, seal the gap and repaint everything? Is the paint going to crack? Is the gib corner going to fail over time due to weather?

You’re not listening. You asked for advice and we’ve advised you. IMO what we have said is best-practice and is the proper way to deal with this. Very simple. What you are trying to do is bad practice, difficult to achieve and unlikely to be a long-term solution.

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zyo

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#2590995 23-Oct-2020 20:52

Oh I forgot to add, the garage door people is going to install a weather seal architrave, is that going to be my possible saving grace?

zyo

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#2590996 23-Oct-2020 20:53

You’re not listening. You asked for the best thing to do - and we’ve advised you. IMO what we have said is the best and proper way to deal with this.

Ok, sounds like the trim has to go back....

eracode

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#2590999 23-Oct-2020 20:55

zyo:

Oh I forgot to add, the garage door people are going to install a weather seal architrave, is that going to be my possible saving grace?

No.

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timmmay

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#2591026 23-Oct-2020 21:12

zyo:

Thanks, I am not really after a smooth finish as the existing timber has enough scatches/dents/imperfections as you can see from the 1st pic, as long as the gap isn't too obvious at the end and whatever paint I use doesn't crack over time I'd be happy.

If you really want to do this, I would do builders two part fill, after sanding to give it a better surface to stick to. Silicone will look pretty terrible, builders fill dries in minutes and can be sanded flat. You may have to do a few repeats of fill / sand to get it right. It dries quickly but I'd still give it 24 hours before I primed, and then 24 more hours until I painted.

If you decide to do silicone give it minimum 24 hours to dry, ideally 48 hours or more before you prime it, even if the filler says "paint it in 20 minutes". If you prime before it's fully dry it can crack, especially if using oil based primer / paint - I learned this one the hard way. Make sure your filler and primer are compatible.

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zyo

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#2591027 23-Oct-2020 21:14

eracode:

zyo:

Oh I forgot to add, the garage door people are going to install a weather seal architrave, is that going to be my possible saving grace?

No.

Just bear with me for a second, let's say money isn't an issue (within reason), if I cut the gibs back around the garage door and replace them with treated plywood, would that work?

zyo

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#2591028 23-Oct-2020 21:16

timmmay:

zyo:

Thanks, I am not really after a smooth finish as the existing timber has enough scatches/dents/imperfections as you can see from the 1st pic, as long as the gap isn't too obvious at the end and whatever paint I use doesn't crack over time I'd be happy.

If you really want to do this, I would do builders two part fill, after sanding to give it a better surface to stick to. Silicone will look pretty terrible, builders fill dries in minutes and can be sanded flat. You may have to do a few repeats of fill / sand to get it right. It dries quickly but I'd still give it 24 hours before I primed, and then 24 more hours until I painted.

If you decide to do silicone give it minimum 24 hours to dry, ideally 48 hours or more before you prime it, even if the filler says "paint it in 20 minutes". If you prime before it's fully dry it can crack, especially if using oil based primer / paint - I learned this one the hard way. Make sure your filler and primer are compatible.

Something like this?

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ados-500ml-builders-fill_p0256407

eracode

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#2591029 23-Oct-2020 21:16

timmmay:

zyo:

Thanks, I am not really after a smooth finish as the existing timber has enough scatches/dents/imperfections as you can see from the 1st pic, as long as the gap isn't too obvious at the end and whatever paint I use doesn't crack over time I'd be happy.

If you really want to do this, I would do builders two part fill, after sanding to give it a better surface to stick to. Silicone will look pretty terrible, builders fill dries in minutes and can be sanded flat. You may have to do a few repeats of fill / sand to get it right. It dries quickly but I'd still give it 24 hours before I primed, and then 24 more hours until I painted.

If you decide to do silicone give it minimum 24 hours to dry, ideally 48 hours or more before you prime it, even if the filler says "paint it in 20 minutes". If you prime before it's fully dry it can crack, especially if using oil based primer / paint - I learned this one the hard way. Make sure your filler and primer are compatible.

What about that raw gib edge?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

zyo

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#2591030 23-Oct-2020 21:18

eracode:

What about that raw gib edge?

See my comment above, would that work?

Technofreak

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#2591031 23-Oct-2020 21:24

It seems to me you are intent on spending money which will not make it look any better, possibly impact the weathering of the doorway and in my opinion reduce the value of your property.

It's your house and your money, so I guess you can do what you want.

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eracode

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#2591032 23-Oct-2020 21:27

zyo:

eracode:

What about that raw gib edge?

See my comment above, would that work?

Really - why would you want to go to all that trouble (and expense) to get a not-good solution when there is an inexpensive, simple, elegant and proper solution?

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

Technofreak

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#2591033 23-Oct-2020 21:30

zyo:

eracode:

Hate ask this - but why did you think it originally looked ugly?

Because it looked like a double chin...

If you think it looks too obvious, paint the trim the same colour (Dark Grey) as the rest of the surrounding area. That way you'll not notice it. Personally I think the White accent of the trim looks very sharp.

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pih

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#2591038 23-Oct-2020 21:41

I wouldn't use builder's fill, it will crack due to expansion over time. Builder's fill sets rock hard and it doesn't tolerate any movement. If you were going to do it I'd do paintable silicone as suggested, and it shouldn't be too hard to make it look ok, but prep and tooling are the keys to a tidy silicone job.

The secret for making smooth silicone joints: squeeze a bead of silicone along the gap ensuring that you neatly and fully contact the two surfaces along the whole length of the gap - don't mind how the surface looks just yet, the seal is the most important, and it's best to overdo it rather than underdo it.

Then, quickly before the silicone skins over, use a spray bottle with lightly soapy water in it and spray the whole thing plus a wiping tool until everything is good and wet (could be a putty knife, spatula, old credit card, or just your finger) and neatly scrape the silicone level with the surface, frequently wiping the excess off on a paper towel and keeping the tool and work surface wet. Allow to dry then paint.

Gotchas:
- practise it first to get a feel for it
- the silicone won't stick to anything that's wet, so you have to ensure that everything you want the silicone to stick to has made contact before spraying
- just do one length at a time and allow to fully dry before doing the next stretch or the silicone won't stick where you might have oversprayed. If you do a long stretch before smoothing it will start curing and it's game over.
- not all silicones are paintable
- no silicone based fillers are sandable, so prep your wood before you silicone
Ensure the surface the silicone is adhering to is completely clean from oil (including fingerprints) and completely dry. Ideally wipe well with meths or IPA and allow to dry
- be wary of silicone-like polymer/co-polymer fillers like Selley's All Clear: these set quickly and the smoothing method I've shown above doesn't really work.

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