# Caulk or spackle?



## ortho1121 (Mar 29, 2016)

When installing crown moulding can I use spackle to hide the seams or is caulking preferable?


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## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

_nothing _is preferred. caulk is flexible, spackle is not. use caulk if you need to


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Calk a little at a time till it builds up.


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## Hammerelbow (May 14, 2021)

Are you mitering or coping the corners? If yer coping then cut the lengths a tad long so when the ends of the crown are set in place the middle is away from the wall a couple of inches. When you push it against the wall it will tighten up the corners and you shouldn't need any caulk. 

If you miter the corners an they aren't square to begin with no amount of caulk will make them look right.

Call and paint make it what it ain't.


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## yomanbill (Jul 7, 2020)

All of the above is correct. It just depends on what you are filling. If you have a defect that is well supported like a ding or gouge, then spackle will work well. And, it is easy to sand smooth after it dries. If there is a possibility of movement like with two adjoining pieces that are nailed in place, then caulk is usually best. Spackle will crack and fall out under movement. However, as mentioned above, caulk won't easily fill deep or wide defects.


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

I prefer to use non shrinking nail filler, don't do it all at once.

Caulk inevitably shrinks any gap over 1/16" is going to show no matter what you do. 

If you've painted the moulding prior to installation, be sure to paint over the caulk b/c it tends to attract dirt and dust.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

ortho1121 said:


> When installing crown moulding can I use spackle to hide the seams or is caulking preferable?


It depends on the size of the seam. If it's a good fit I would just caulk it. A larger gap caulk will shrink a lot showing the seams again where spackle wouldn't.


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