In the United States and various other countries, spackling paste or spackle is a
putty
Putty is a material with high plasticity, similar in texture to clay or dough, typically used in domestic construction and repair as a sealant or filler. Although some types of putty (typically those using linseed oil) slowly polymerise and be ...
used to fill holes, small cracks, and other minor surface defects in
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
,
drywall
Drywall (also called plasterboard, dry lining, wallboard, sheet rock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board, and gypsum panel) is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thick ...
, and
plaster
Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for Molding (decorative), moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of ...
.
Typically, spackling is composed of gypsum plaster from hydrated
calcium sulfate
Calcium sulfate (or calcium sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the formula CaSO4 and related hydrates. In the form of γ-anhydrite (the anhydrous form), it is used as a desiccant. One particular hydrate is better known as plaster of Pari ...
and
glue
Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.
The use of adhesives offers certain advant ...
.
Comparison with joint compound
Spackling paste is comparable and contrastable with
joint compound
Joint compound (also known as drywall compound, drywall mud, or mastic) is a white powder of primarily gypsum dust mixed with water to form a paste the consistency of cake frosting, which is used with paper or fiber ''joint tape'' to seal jo ...
.
They look similar and serve the similar purpose of filling in low spots in walls and ceilings.
The chief differences are that spackling paste dries faster,
shrinks less during drying,
and is meant for smaller repairs,
whereas joint compound (called drywall mud by many builders and contractors
) dries slower,
shrinks more during drying,
and is meant for filling the seams among multiple sheets of drywall across a large installation,
such as a whole room or a whole house.
It is not uncommon for the general public to call any of these products "spackle" in a vague way, but
tradesperson
A tradesman, tradeswoman, or tradesperson is a skilled worker that specializes in a particular trade (occupation or field of work). Tradesmen usually have work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education in contrast to ...
s usually specify joint compound (drywall mud) when that is specifically what they mean.
Trademark
''Spackle'' is a registered trademark of the Muralo Company, located in
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
.
Muralo's product is dry powder, to be mixed with water by the user to form putty or paste. It was brought to market in 1927, then patented and trademarked in 1928. The term ''spackle'' has since become a
genericized trademark
A generic trademark, also known as a genericized trademark or proprietary eponym, is a trademark or brand name that, because of its popularity or significance, has become the generic term for, or synonymous with, a general class of products or ...
applied in the United States to a variety of household hole-filling products. (Such products may also be referred to as "spackling" compounds.)
The first written appearance of the generic use of the word ''spackle'' was around 1940. The product name was likely derived from the German word , meaning "putty knife" or "filler." Other possible origins include Russian (
tr. ; to fill holes with putty or caulk), Polish (spatula or putty knife), and Yiddish (to fill in small holes in plaster), all of which are likely derived from German.
Polyfilla
In the
UK,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the brand "Polyfilla", multi-purpose filler, is used as a generic term for spackling paste,
even though it differs from spackle in being
cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall ...
based. The manufacturers claim that it has an advantage over spackle in that it does not shrink or crack.
Polycell UK
/ref>
See also
* Caulking
Caulk or, less frequently, caulking is a material used to seal joints or seams against leakage in various structures and piping.
The oldest form of caulk consisted of fibrous materials driven into the wedge-shaped seams between boards on w ...
* Putty
Putty is a material with high plasticity, similar in texture to clay or dough, typically used in domestic construction and repair as a sealant or filler. Although some types of putty (typically those using linseed oil) slowly polymerise and be ...
* Home repair
Home repair involves the diagnosis and resolution of problems in a home, and is related to home maintenance to avoid such problems. Many types of repairs are "do it yourself" (DIY) projects, while others may be so complicated, time-consuming ...
* Joint compound
Joint compound (also known as drywall compound, drywall mud, or mastic) is a white powder of primarily gypsum dust mixed with water to form a paste the consistency of cake frosting, which is used with paper or fiber ''joint tape'' to seal jo ...
* Plastering
Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting. The process of ...
References
External links
Official Website
Home improvement
Building materials
Plastering
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