On Friday, 23 August 2019 12:44:03 UTC+1, Becky wrote:
replying to Steve Firth, Becky wrote:
Please help me without making me feel more stupid than I already do. In
prepping my wood stair treads for paint, I used paintable wood filler. But
when I went back to sand, I saw that many places were still deeply gouged. So
(gulp) I made a classic beginner's mistake: I realize now I screwed up by
skimming paintable caulk over these areas.

Here we are two days later and my stair treads are still tacky to the touch in
places. To make it even more horrifying, I am reading that caulk can't be
sanded. I applied it/skimmed it pretty smooth but planned to sand it to
perfection.

Now I read caulk not only can't be sanded, it shrinks over time. So basically
my stair treads will look like sh** by next month. If the caulk even ever
dries.

Is there any hope left? Please be gentle in your responses. I feel very
stupid.

If what you put in isn't setting, just take it out as best you can. If it's setting but very slowly, the remaining thin amount will then set far sooner.

Re filling generally, I go by the rule of never leaving a single grain above the finish level. That means it takes 2 or 3 goes, but zero sanding time. It's quicker & you don't end up with the problems that sanding sometimes causes.


NT