Tried patching drywall with spackle vs joint compound on a 3 inch hole in my living room

I had a 3 inch hole from a doorknob and used spackle first because it was cheap, but it cracked after a week so I redid it with joint compound. The joint compound took longer to dry but sanded way smoother and hasn't cracked in the 2 months since. Has anyone else found spackle only works for pinholes?

3 comments

3 Comments

noranguyen2mo ago

Had a buddy try spackle on a hole about the same size in his hallway. Smoothed it on, sanded it down, looked fine at first. A few weeks later he sent me a picture of a crack running right through the middle. He was pissed because he had already painted over it. Had to chip it all out and start over with joint compound. He says now he only uses spackle for nail pops and tiny dings, anything bigger gets the green stuff. Learned his lesson the hard way, same as you.

sarahpatel2mo ago

Did your buddy at least get a good "before" picture for his hall of shame? I swear, spackle is like that friend who says they can handle moving your couch, then bails halfway down the stairs. You trust it with a nail hole the size of a pencil tip, but the second you ask it to cover something bigger than a quarter, it falls apart like a wet paper bag. At least your friend can now join the club of people who learned spackle is basically just glorified toothpaste for walls.

charlie_allen1mo ago

Has anyone tried using mesh tape with spackle for bigger holes? Seems like everyone jumps straight to joint compound but that tape might bridge the gap long enough for spackle to actually hold. Could save a few steps if it works, though I'm guessing there's a reason nobody talks about it.