SPACKLE Vs. DRYWALL MUD/JOINT COMPOUND (What's the Difference? When Should You Use Them?!)

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SPACKLE Vs. DRYWALL MUD/JOINT COMPOUND (What's the Difference? When Should You Use Them?!)
There tends to be some confusion amongst DIYers concerning the differences between spackle and drywall mud (joint compound). This short video from The Honest Carpenter discusses the topic!
Both SPACKLE and DRYWALL MUD / JOINT COMPOUND are used to hide blemishes or imperfections in plaster walls and drywall.
Drywall Mud / Joint Compound is a mixture of gypsum dust and water. It is best used for bulk applications and wall repairs, because it dries very slowly.
It typically tapes a new layer of mud 24+ hours to dry, which gives you plenty of time to work your way around a room or house.
Drywall mud also shrinks quite a bit. So, it's almost always necessary to use multiple coats, and sand the repair to finish it.
SPACKLE is best used for small applications and repairs, like nail holes, tiny dents, gouges and divots.
Spackle is also typically made with gypsum dust, but it also contains BINDERS, which act as sort of an adhesive. This causes it to dry much faster--usually 1-4 hours.
Many spackles may still require multiple coats, and sanding to finish.
LIGHTWEIGHT SPACKLE is a soft, fluffy, flaky product that also performs typical small patching duties. But, it dries much faster--often in just 30 minutes! And, it can also be smoothed with a wet knife during the drying process, sometimes eliminating the need for sanding.
Lightweight spackle is my favorite product for fixing small holes and dents!
Thanks for watching!
The Honest Carpenter

[@OldePhart]

This information was sorely needed. I just helped my son do a lot of work and the painters that followed (far too soon) were asking what we used, talked about "hot" mud. and gave me quite an education that I wish I had had before.

[@chelin7023]

Thank you for making it so simple and easy to follow; with so many products and versions of how to use them, becomes very confusing! This is really, all I need to know for my homeowner’s needs! Great video!

[@lynnpritt4253]

Thank you so much! You showed how to use it, which one is best for which job, AND how the containers and contents inside look and different ways to buy it. I NEEDED this video so bad. You answered my questions no one else could answer for me.

[@ericschmidt7351]

Thank you! Was just scratching my head in HD today about these exact choices. This cleared up my question perfectly.

[@GrinderCB]

Good, helpful video. We had a remodeler who preferred mud but then he was doing a bigger job for us. I recently fixed up a closet and installed a closet organizer but used spackle to patch small things like screw holes. It worked fine and wasn't noticeable after sanding.

[@philarsenault8537]

Ethan, thank you for your vast experience in helping us neophytes understand how to use all kinds of products and tools.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

You’re welcome, Phil!

[@colinpovey2904]

Superb. Enough information, well presented, nad not drawn out to 10-15 minutes like so many today, could not be much better.

[@gregbell5576]

Great video. Simple organized and to the point

[@PoppyDog]

The most useful 101 video ever made on this topic! This has been such a confusing issue for me - thank you for clearing it up.

[@gizmo7877]

I’ve just been through several videos on Plaster of Paris and then saw your video on spackle. Wow, the difference in presentation was amazing! I couldn’t listen to them for more than 1 minute! Some should not be making videos!! I’m a get to it person, who likes a pleasing voice, intelligent and accurate information, helpful tips and thorough know.edge of the product and how to use it. One person said to fill the plastic cup “ up to the black line” ??? Huh? Actually I’m in need of filling a spot where paint came off from a Command strip so the Gods knew just what I needed!! You’re the absolute best and my go to for all projects!!

[@cltinturkey]

Great video! Your information and expertise are so helpful to us DIYers. My 75-year old house and I think you're the bomb!

[@conniegreco8409]

You are my favorite show. We learn so much from you. Thank you so much. 😊

[@stopherharrison3059]

Concise and accurate. The way videos should be!

[@maddyhansen2235]

He did such a great job of describing, then summarized! Thank you for helping a Mom trying to fix her house on a budget.

[@brandonbell5357]

Find you a sugar daddy

[@rrichard5515]

Excellent video, short, to the point and very helpful.

[@OBM21]

Very clear and concise. You answered all the questions I had!

[@roboticusroboticus7912]

I just started using lightweight spackle. Thank you for your info. Good stuff!

[@Martin-Young]

Great video Ethan! Very clear and cut! Keep up the great work!!!

[@roberthiday3342]

I really enjoy your videos. you hit on topics that DIY folks wonder about and your explanations are always straightforward and helpful. thanks.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks for watching, Robert!

[@Rockin_Ross]

I cut my drywall teeth last summer with an honest carpenter who used the green lid compound. Taught me a lot of great tricks using it and how to texture. I’ve been using the purple lid spackle for a good while and found I like the joint mud better. Just a personal preference. Great video!

[@markdantuono]

First time mounting a TV hiding the wires, but I wanted to do as much research I can before digging in ny drywall. I’ve came to accept that ima have to make another hole to get through the horizontal fire beam thing. I was gonna buy that mud thankfully you put me into the spackle. Highly appreciate it

[@williammead9966]

Here recently, I use the powder dry mix 45 minutes setting time for small nail holes, large patches, everything. Informative video

[@drkennethnoisewater4469]

I never comment on DIY stuff. This video was EXCELLENT. TO THE POINT!!! Thank you!!!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you, Kenneth! 😄

[@serbotech]

Once again, the Honest Carpenter told me everything that I needed to know in 5 minutes! Thanks for the time saver!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

😁

[@glg3945]

Love your explanations! Thank you. Peace and good fortune and good health to you and your family. ❤

[@eastcoastpromotionalproduc1940]

This video was so helpful! I bought the right stuff and it worked perfectly! Thanks for making the video!

[@mindytaylor1716]

....being single has its disadvantages not knowing how to fix things is one but with the help of your videos this probably will save me lots of money major headaches and time thank you appreciated

[@paulsccna2964]

Perfect. Easy to understand. Thanks. (some other videos, are driving me crazy explaining this...)

[@normferguson2769]

I used Spackle last week on a closet renovation because we ran out of drywall mud. It had the consistency of Playdough and wouldn’t thin out with water like drywall mud does. I squeegeed it onto the wall and let it dry overnight. There were lots of rough areas and holes on the long 8’ seam patches. I patched as much of the rough areas as I could, and painted it white to hide the flaws in the back of the closet.

[@ibrocn]

Super helpful! I've wondered when to use which product. Clearly I need to get some lightweight spackle. Thank you!

[@coreyghayes]

Another practical and concise educational video. Thanks, THC.

[@kmad2835]

Thank you for explaining the difference in products.

[@jimyoung273]

I always wondered about the difference. Great video, thanks so much!

[@poladelarosa8399]

Clear & easy tutorial.

[@Cabledeluz1977]

I found your YT videos a few weeks ago! They’ve been extremely helpful! Thank you so much!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks for watching, Fraggle! 😄

[@canadaeast8358]

I like the pink spakling good for small jobs and when it’s white it’s dry . Good video man you know what your talking about

[@macsloan58]

Very good. When you noted that spackle is essentially for smaller repairs, that was paramount. I have done a lot of repairs of plaster and drywall over the past 45 years or so. I am a DYI-er, but would like to think that I have above DYI skills. Maybe not by much, but a little. I worked for a painting contractor during my college years and the first few summers after college. He taught me quite a bit. Your video is quite timely as I am going to patch some holes in my son’s basement way. As it has been a couple years since my last efforts, I was pondering which product to use. Now…..I don’t have to think too much. I will just do as you instruct/suggest. Thank you.

[@neomacchio4692]

Plastic nails is by far the best for small holes. Dries like wood. Sherwin Williams shrink free spackle is incredible!!! Doesn’t shrink per the name and is super lightweight and easy to sand. You need nothing else when patching small holes. When patching larger holes, use the California patch and lightweight mud, premixed or not. Only use ANY OTHER mud, for first or second coats, never use anything but lightweight on your third coat or you’ll be cursing as you sand. Thank me later.

[@robcole332]

I love learning new things. Thanks

[@donovanschannel9864]

Thank u so much for posting this. It made it so easy to understand

[@incognitotorpedo42]

Note that hot mud has to be mixed with water, and instead of slowly drying like joint compound, it sets via a chemical reaction with water. It is much stronger than joint compound, but is harder to sand. It comes with setting times of 5 to 90 minutes.

[@trainraider8]

Those are the working times, 5-90 minutes. Setting time is a little more than double the working time. And drying time is still about 24 hours, and it needs to be dry, not just set, before painting. You can start wet sanding and feathering with a big yellow polyurethane sponge around the set time though and then do the next coat if it needs it.

[@jayclark5912]

Old school plaster and lath is surprisingly easy to repair. Even larges sections cut for repairs. Replace lath, smush in a coat through thet lath to lock in in. Then after it dries a fisish to fill and level it. It looks a lot better than any sheetrock repair I could do.

[@johnberry1107]

Nice descriptions. Thank you. I have almost exclusively replaced my use of spackle with Plastic Wood. Whoa. Mix some acetone in there for a finish coat and I like it a lot. Stay safe.

[@tedpenn]

Fantastic breakdown!

[@dianedo8314]

Thanks Ethan! Moving in to new home end of this month so this will come in handy! 🤪👍

[@lisakayy8675]

Thank you so much! This is just what I needed!

[@zamorabora]

Perfect! I repaired some larger holes with joint compound and said "why not these little nail holes and dents while I'm here?" . But it shrank so much, the nail holes still look like nail holes. I'll hit them with lightweight spackle tomorrow because I'm eager to this wall repainted.

[@GregPaxson]

Thank you. Very helpful. I'm an experience finish carpenter trying my hand at some large mud jobs. Good explanation though I've always been confused by all the different products you find at the Depot. Thank you.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Glad it helped, Greg! Thanks for watching. 🙂

[@devin5381]

The honest, concise carpenter.

[@jbwjr54]

Always great info!

[@dennisbishop3842]

I'm old enough to have figured this out on my own, but I wish I had been able watch this 20 years ago!

[@emiliaescobar7652]

Another great video, Love the T Shirt!!

[@milesharlan1]

Thank You Ethan!! I use the patch & paint lightweight for patching holes on wood trim. Drys quick & can recoat quickly & then paint. Keep up the good work!!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks, miles-great advice!

[@Just.A.T-Rex]

Try the 3m patch plus primer higher quality product

[@alrom9913]

Thank You for the Info now I know what to use for different types of applications

[@vjex867]

Have used Spackle but didn't know all the other info you presented. TY.

[@donhozy]

Great breakdown!

[@mrkrojo]

Really helpful content. Thanks!

[@brunosgarage4701]

Thank you so much for simplifying this!!!!!!

[@Tan8Nguyen]

Thanks man . Lightweight Spackle FTW .

[@stevenmoss6043]

Thanks for sharing. I’ve never used the denser spackle, I’m gonna give it a try. The lightweight spackle, requires multiple applications for larger holes. It also kinda stands out too, when used for larger repairs

[@cactusladysouth1000]

What so you mean by stands out?

[@stevenmoss6043]

@@cactusladysouth1000 the look compared to the rest of the wall. ie; the thickness/aesthetic

[@SnarkyRC]

I mix them together sometimes. The results are better than you think.

[@trinityestrada9588]

Thank you….. I think I’ll try that.

[@delluser4936]

You look like you should host your own show on carpentry / home repair products. This was helpful -- no one at lowes or home depot would iron it out clearly in that aisle of all the drywall products like you just did. Thank you.

[@johnkelley9877]

This was very helpful and you explained the differences really well. I now have a better understanding of which product I need. Thanks for sharing this.

[@chimeexpress8603]

Very good! Thanks! Very well explained. I needed that! 😁

[@philg406]

Good, easy to follow explanations on each variety. I didn't know the difference between lightweight spackle and normal spackle. I'll look for lightweight spackle next time and use that instead of normal spackle... Thanks again Ethan 👍

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Lightweight for the win, Phil! 😄

[@gregtowle8830]

@@TheHonestCarpenter we used hamiletons back in the mid 1970s Red for taping dot green dot for topping and skimming . Red dot did not seem to shrink as much

[@BloodSugarS3XMajik]

the best explanation on youtube thank you!

[@davidwvalentine8024]

Always to the point. Thank you

[@jayson3900]

Excellent video as always! Had this been published about a week ago I would've shown this video to the homeowner of the house I'm currently painting to better explain to them why I was using hot mud to fix some of the holes in their walls instead of spackling because I'm not always that great at explaining things to people, especially when they've exacerbated me. 😅

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I’ve don’t tons of hot mud patches too, Jay! Philip is insanely at good at them 😄

[@monkeygraborange]

If you live to be 100 you can never explain things like this to people who don’t walk the walk, or actually care about learning. I just tell clients what I’m gonna do, and if they ask why, the answer is always “...because that’s how it’s done.” Never a problem after that!

[@u1zha]

@@monkeygraborange Well I mean... How do you tell which people asking do actually care about learning and which don't? I like Jay Son's approacy better, assume they do care unless they prove otherwise

[@gr8dvd]

@@u1zha 💯 only reason such a simple question is not answered by a ‘pro’… they don’t know, or are too insecure in their knowledge/skills and take the question personally.

[@markvasiloff2217]

Another great video and another great learning adventure. Thank you 🙏!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you, Mark!

[@grepora]

I have rental properties. Tenants love to use walls for bulletin boards and put hundreds (no exaggeration) of pin holes in walls. I found light weight spackling works best to fill them. I keep a small hand sized tub. After dipping my finger in the spackling, I apply it to the hole. Then wipe the area with another finger. The hole disappears (if the walls are painted white).

[@jackt6112]

Perfect! Exactly what I needed to know.

[@shawnbush41]

Thanks! Very clear and easy to understand.

[@Ja-chevy]

Great video. Just what I needed!

[@julianosanm]

Best video out there. Thanks

[@NottyGurlStyle]

I would have been confused for sure.. I would like to make little repairs without having to ask my husband to help me. Thank you soo much for this!!

[@icantdance6813]

Thank you for explaining a lot of my new homeowner questions. I bought a new home from a cheap builder (LGI HOMES) it’s 2 years old and they cut corners and made a lot of mistakes. I’m having to repair water damaged exterior door frames already. There are a ton of wall/ceiling cracks they came in and caulked. Floors that won’t stay down. Cold air coming in through electrical outlets. Gaps and holes in the exterior caulking around doors and windows and who knows what else I haven’t found yet. Your videos help.

[@wldmike223]

Most new homes are built cheap by hackers.

[@ivyrose779]

That’s so frustrating! Hope things are going better.

[@Hotsauce-cj7kj]

Thanks brother. Just subscribed. Great channel so far man!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks for subscribing, hotsauce!

[@Lew114]

Thank you. Things like this are simple and obvious to pros but terribly confusing to a beginning DIYer. Walking down the aisle at the home store and seeing the dizzying array of products is enough to scare a lot of people off a project. Or lead them to just guess at what they need make the project harder.

[@woody3590]

its a dog eat dog world out there!

[@hfs83]

even though from the uk i do find you're videos interesting and informative thanks!

[@markfox6596]

Thanks man.. Straight forward.

[@charleyboy6942]

I have a bag of quick set 45 min mud (Sheetrock 45) that I use for everything from paint prep to larger repairs or prefilling gaps. You can mix a small amount directly on a hawk or trowel, it does not shrink and some mix do not even need to be primed.

[@angellas.1314]

Yes, good idea if someone has the space to keep all the equipment needed for this process. Someone in a tiny NYC apt just can’t keep all that. So the ready made is much easier for that reason, and can be used prior to a big move, to leave the apt in good condition.

[@lepadus7926]

Simple and to the point. Thx!

[@johnlennon1049]

Great information. Thanks

[@conniegreco8409]

Really needed this. 😊

[@AppalachianLife]

Vinyl spackle works great on wood. I like it better than wood filler for nail holes and seems in wood or plywood that is going to be painted. I've tried many brands and I think Sherwin Williams is the best.

[@lynnherzeg1948]

Superb video which helped me finally understand the difference between these products. I have a question. My recently-purchased condo has no backsplash behind the bathroom sink, and the wall area about an inch above the back of the sink is getting damp and crumbling, so I need to repair an area about 2' x 2". I plan to dry it out, plaster, and apply adhesive wall tiles for the time being. In this application, which type of spackle would you recommend?

[@tmiles9747]

Thank you. This gave me the answers I needed. 🔔

[@mikemroczkowski783]

I use 5 and 20 minute mud all the time for small repairs, the premix is great if you have the time.

[@billprezioso3677]

I’ve been adding plaster of Paris to compound for years for quick drying with no shrinkage

[@66block84]

I put a lot of holes in sheetrock installing business phone systems. Always made sure where the studs were, metal or wood, then would ask the customer if they were sure they wanted their wall phone "there". When they said yes, I would pop a hole with my hammer, the customer was usually shocked, but I reassured them the phone & it's wall bracket / mounting plate would cover the hole and all was good.

[@robertlevy4613]

Great video. Thank you.

[@drmike420]

You know how to explain bro respect

[@smacfe]

Great informative information!

[@TheElectricMayhem]

I was literally filling holes today and this question came up cause I was holding both products in my hands as I’d pulled them out of my “repair” box. I chose wrong cause I didn’t watch that video. You better believe I smashed that notification button.

[@earlyriser8998]

good little comparison

[@wolfman75]

Your Awesome Ethan!!! Thanks For The Info!!!! 👍😎😃👊

[@Mateo47R]

For small holes, like nail and screw holes, make sure you dent it first before applying compound.

[@jordanmadden7388]

Thank you for this tip. A noob like me would not have realized to do that.

[@nocandopdx]

What's the purpose

[@zita-lein]

Loved this!

[@willie90210]

I always appreciate your videos. Today, I have a question for you: How do you avoid mold inside your spackling paste container?

[@schadowolf]

Great tutorial!

[@flatwoods_]

Succinct and useful. Thank you very much!