I’ve been doing a lot of remodeling and touch-up painting at my house lately. As you all know, the key to painting is to prep, prep, prep! I would recommend buying the smallest tub of a compound that you can since most unused portions sit out in the garage until they’re hard and useless. That’s money down the drain!
For most nail holes, a simple finger into the spackling compound works fine. Just fill the tiny nail hole, and wipe the rest clean with your hand. But for larger holes, a spackling knife is what you need to get that smooth flat surface.
I soon found out that my nice, wide putty knife was too wide to fit into my little tub. But I found a small 6″ hard plastic ruler worked perfectly! Use the flat side to scoop out the spackling paste, and fill the holes. Simply wash with soap and water, and it’s as good as new.