Manufacturer source check

The TDS v1.0, 8 March 2021 distinguishes skinning, paint readiness and curing. Ten minutes is a conditional paint-over time, not full cure. TDS v1.0 (8 March 2021) lists six-minute skin time at 25°C/50% RH and different paint-over times by finish; it does not establish a ten-minute full cure. For gaps no deeper than 5 mm and no wider than 10 mm above 20°C, the TDS gives 10 minutes for gloss/low-sheen, 100 minutes for flat and 120 minutes for ceiling paint; oil-based paints need 24–48 hours. Its semi-gloss table entry says zero but its directions require a skin first: confirm rather than assuming immediate painting.

What is Selleys No More Gaps Interior Fast Dry, and where should you use it?

Selleys No More Gaps Interior Fast Dry is a water-based interior gap filler with an advanced skinning formulation that lets you paint over it in 10 minutes. It is made for filling gaps and cracks around skirting boards, cornices, and inside window and door frames, and its reason to exist is time: maintenance repairs, emergency repairs and new builds where the painter is waiting on the caulk.

The trade-off to understand before you choose it is flexibility. Fast Dry has a movement capability of up to ±10% — noticeably less than the ±25% of the standard exterior and bathroom fillers in the range. It is the right product when speed is the constraint and the joint is stable. It is the wrong product for a joint that moves.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Technology	Water based
Colour	White
Density	1.68
Skin time (25°C, 50% RH)	6 minutes
Dry peel adhesion (anodised aluminium)	30 N
Shore A hardness (cured product)	>40
Elongation at break (ASTM D412)	>80%
Modulus at 100% elongation (ASTM D412)	0.4 MPa
Movement capability (ISO 9046)	Up to ±10%, in expansion joints where depth is not greater than half the joint width
Packaging	475 g cartridge, white

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

Paint over times

Paint type	Paint over time
Gloss	10 minutes
Low sheen	10 minutes
Flat	100 minutes
Ceiling	120 minutes
Oil based	24–48 hours

What the key numbers mean in practice

Skin time of 6 minutes is the number that changes how you work. Six minutes is fast. You cannot gun a full room and then come back with a wet finger — by the time you return, the first bead has skinned and tooling it will tear the surface rather than smooth it. Run a length you can apply and smooth in a couple of minutes, tool it, then move on.

The paint over table is where the ten-minute claim earns or loses you time. Gloss and low sheen genuinely go on at 10 minutes. Flat paint needs 100 minutes and ceiling paint 120 — an order of magnitude more. The reason is binder content: flat and ceiling paints are highly filled, containing less binder than other paints, so the dried film does not flex as much when the sealant shrinks beneath it. Painting a ceiling line at ten minutes with ceiling paint is exactly the case the product's own data warns against. Oil-based paints need 24 to 48 hours.

Two more conditions attach to that fast paint-over. Apply to gaps no larger than 5mm deep and 10mm wide, at temperatures above 20°C, and avoid applying the paint too thickly. Bigger gaps hold more material, more material shrinks more, and thick paint over a shrinking bead cracks.

Movement capability of up to ±10% comes with a geometry condition worth reading twice: it applies in expansion joints where depth is not greater than half the joint width. A deep, narrow bead is stiffer than a shallow, wide one and will not deliver the stated movement. If you can shape the joint, keep it wider than it is deep.

Where to use it

Suitable for use on:

• Plasterboard
• Wood
• Particleboard
• Cement sheeting
• Aluminium
• Glass

Typical applications are gaps and cracks around skirting boards and cornices, and inside window and door frames. The product page describes it as indoor use only, with an application temperature range of 5°C to 35°C, and suitable for repairs around the home including gaps and cracks in walls and woodwork.

How to apply it

Surface preparation: the surface must be clean, dry and free from dust and grease.

1. Ensure surfaces are clean, dry and free from dust or grease.
2. Cut the nozzle at a 45° angle, cut the cartridge tip, fit the nozzle and insert the cartridge into a caulking gun.
3. Apply with the caulking gun, pushing the product into the gap or joint.
4. Smooth with a wet gloved finger or spatula — promptly, given the 6 minute skin time.
5. Clean up wet product with a damp cloth immediately.
6. Allow the surface to skin prior to painting, approximately 10 minutes, then use the paint over times above for the paint you are using.

A tip worth using on visible work: extrude a small amount onto a piece of scrap material first, to make sure you have a smooth continuous flow of filler before you start the joint that will be seen.

Limitations — where it should not be used

• Not for gaps between tongue and groove boards or weatherboards. Selleys directs you to No More Gaps Exterior for those.
• Not where movement is excessive, or where contact with water is frequent. Use the appropriate Selleys silicone sealant instead. The ±10% movement figure is the reason.
• Not recommended for exterior use or areas exposed to constant water, per the product page.
• Not suitable for use on polyethylene, polypropylene or Teflon, per the product page.

The water limitation is the one to take seriously in a bathroom. Fast Dry is an interior filler; a joint that gets splashed regularly needs a silicone sealant, not a faster-drying caulk.

Clean up

Uncured product may be removed with water — clean up with a damp cloth immediately. Cured product can be removed by sanding and scraping.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Warning.

• Skin sensitisation — Category 1. H317: may cause an allergic skin reaction.

Not classified as Dangerous Goods by the criteria of the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or of New Zealand NZS 5433.

The composition table is not reproduced here. Section 3 of this product's own safety data sheet is not available in the knowledge base, and filling the gap from another filler in the range would be worse than leaving it blank — the No More Gaps variants do not share a single formulation. The classification above is from the Interior Fast Dry sheet itself.

Skin sensitisation is not irritation, and the distinction is the whole point. Irritation is a local reaction that settles once contact stops. Sensitisation is the immune system learning to react to the material: once acquired it is generally permanent, it can afterwards be triggered by exposures far smaller than the one that caused it, and it tends to worsen with each subsequent contact rather than fade. It builds from repeated, unremarkable contact, which is why it is easy to dismiss — nothing happens the first time, or the tenth.

The six-minute skin time is what makes this product's exposure pattern different from a slower filler's. As the directions above explain, you cannot gun a whole room and come back to tool it; you apply a short length, smooth it immediately, and move on. That is the right way to use the product, and it also means your hands are at the wet bead far more often per metre of joint than they would be with a filler that gives you half an hour. The instruction already on this page says to smooth with a wet gloved finger or a spatula. The safety data sheet is the reason for the word "gloved", and the precautionary statements on the label say the same thing: P280, wear protective gloves and protective clothing including eye or face protection.

Note also P261: avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray. On this product that points at the clean-up rather than the application — cured Fast Dry is removed by sanding and scraping, and sanding is where the dust comes from. A mask and an open window for that step.

Protection

• Gloves and protective clothing, including eye or face protection (P280).
• Avoid breathing dust, particularly when sanding cured filler back (P261).
• Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace (P272); take it off and wash it before reuse (P362+P364).
• Wash hands, face and all exposed skin thoroughly after handling.
• Keep out of reach of children (P102), and read and follow the label instructions (P103).

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Skin	Wash with plenty of soap and water (P302+P352). If skin irritation or a rash occurs — including some hours later — get medical advice or attention (P333+P313), as that may be an allergic reaction rather than simple irritation.
Eyes	Wash out immediately with water. In any case of eye contamination it is a sensible precaution to get medical advice.
Inhalation	Move the person to fresh air, away from the exposure. Let them rest comfortably and keep them warm. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink. Give nothing by mouth to an unconscious person. Seek medical advice.

Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations (P501).

If medical advice is needed, have the container or label to hand (P101). If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about No More Gaps Interior Fast Dry

Can I really paint over it in 10 minutes?

With gloss or low sheen paint, yes. Flat paint needs 100 minutes and ceiling paint 120 minutes, and oil-based paints need 24 to 48 hours.

Why do flat and ceiling paints need so much longer?

They are highly filled and contain less binder, so the dried paint film flexes less as the sealant dries underneath. Painting those too early is what produces cracking.

How quickly do I need to tool the bead?

Skin time is 6 minutes at 25°C and 50% relative humidity, so smooth each section within a couple of minutes of applying it.

How much joint movement will it take?

Up to ±10%, in expansion joints where the depth is not greater than half the joint width. That is lower than most fillers in the range — for a joint that moves more, use a silicone sealant.

What size gap should I fill?

To avoid paint cracking, apply to gaps no larger than 5mm deep and 10mm wide, at temperatures above 20°C.

Can I use it outside?

No. The product page lists it as indoor use only and not recommended for exterior use or areas exposed to constant water.

Can I use it between floorboards?

No. For gaps between tongue and groove boards and weatherboards, Selleys directs you to No More Gaps Exterior.

What surfaces does it stick to?

Plasterboard, wood, particleboard, cement sheeting, aluminium and glass. The product page notes it is not suitable for polyethylene, polypropylene or Teflon.

Can I sand it?

Cured product can be removed by sanding and scraping, so sanding back a proud bead is workable once it has dried.

How do I clean up?

Uncured product comes off with water and a damp cloth. Cured product has to be sanded or scraped.

What size does it come in?

A 475 g cartridge in white.

Is it better than the standard interior filler?

It is faster, not stronger. Skin time of 6 minutes and a 10 minute paint over with gloss are what it is for; its movement capability of up to ±10% is the trade-off you accept for that speed.

For general interior gap filling without the time pressure, see No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose; for exterior joints and weatherboards, No More Gaps Exterior. The whole range sits under gap fillers.