California Painting and Decorating Contractor (C-33) License Practice Exam

When preparing wood for paint, you want a filler that bonds well to wood, sands smooth, and accepts paint evenly. Wood putty is designed for that purpose: it fills nail holes, dents, and small cracks in wood surfaces, then sands flush and takes paint neatly over it. Spackle, joint compound, and plaster are made for drywall or masonry and don’t hold up as well on wood—they can shrink, crack, or crumble with wood movement and don’t provide a durable painted finish. For small imperfections on wood, wood putty is the standard choice to achieve a smooth, paint-ready surface.