Spackling paste or spackle is a putty used to fill holes, small cracks, and other minor surface defects in wood, drywall, and plaster.
Spackle trademark
Spackle is an abandoned trademark of the Muralo Company, located in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Muralo's product is dry powder, to be mixed with water by the user to form putty or paste brought to market in 1927, then patented and trademarked in 1928.
The term
spackle has since become a genericized trademark applied in the United States to a variety of household hole-filling products.
The first written appearance of the generic use of the word spackle was around 1940.
Polyfilla
In the
United Kingdom,
Ireland,
South Africa,
Australia, and
Canada, the brand "Polyfilla", multipurpose filler, is used as a generic term for spackling paste,
even though it differs from spackle in being
cellulose based. The manufacturers claim that it has an advantage over spackle in that it does not shrink or crack.
[ Poly Website Australia][ Polycell UK]
Comparison with joint compound
Spackling paste is comparable and contrastable with
joint compound. Both serve the similar purpose of filling in low spots in walls and ceilings. Spackling paste typically dries faster, shrinks less during drying, and is meant for smaller repairs. Unlike joint compound, spackle cannot be used as a skim coat or to finish drywall.
It is not uncommon to call any of these products "spackle", but
will usually specify joint compound (drywall mud) when that is specifically meant.
See also
External links
