What is Selleys No More Cracks Doors & Trim, and where should you use it?

Selleys No More Cracks Doors & Trim is a ready to use filler made specifically for surfaces that will be finished in gloss paint — doors, windows, architraves, trims and skirting boards. It can be used inside or outside, and it gives a mirror-like, durable finish with superior gloss retention.

That last phrase is the whole reason this product exists as a separate item in the range. Gloss paint is unforgiving: it reflects, so it shows every ripple, and it sits differently over a patch that absorbs finish at a different rate to the timber around it. A filler formulated for gloss retention is one that lets the top coat hold its sheen across the repair instead of flattening off over it. If your trim is going to be painted in gloss, the filler choice is doing more work than it would under a flat wall paint.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Appearance	White paste
Sand / paint time	2–3 hours for 2–3 mm applications
Packaging	270 g tub and 580 g tub
Adhesion	Timber, plaster, concrete, mortar and primed metal
Use	Interior and exterior, under gloss paints

These are indicative data from the product's technical data sheet only, and are not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the drying time actually means for your job

The figure to work from is 2–3 hours for a 2–3 mm application, and the qualifier attached to it matters as much as the number. Selleys states that drying depends on humidity, and that for applications more than 2 mm deep, or in cold or humid conditions, you should expect longer drying times.

In practical terms, that means the stated time is a fair-weather figure for a thin fill. A 2 mm fill on a warm dry afternoon will be ready to sand in the stated window. The same fill on a cold, damp morning will not be, and sanding it early gives you a smeared, dragged surface rather than a crisp one — then you fill again. On trims and architraves, where the fills are usually shallow, this is rarely a problem; it becomes one when someone tries to fill a deep gouge in a door in one pass and treats the shallow-fill timing as if it applied.

The other implication is about sequencing. Because the sand/paint time is measured in hours rather than days, filling and painting a set of door frames is realistically a one-day job — fill in the morning, sand and undercoat in the afternoon. Just do not compress it further than the timing allows.

Where to use it

No More Cracks Doors & Trim is designed for the joinery and trim elements of a house, inside or out:

• Doors
• Windows
• Architraves
• Trims
• Skirting boards

It has excellent adhesion to timber, plaster, concrete, mortar and primed metal. Note that the metal in that list is primed metal — the filler is specified over a primed surface, not over bare steel.

If the repair you are looking at is a wall rather than trim, the rest of the wall filler range covers those cases — including Small Cracks & Dents for fine interior imperfections and Large Cracks & Holes for bigger repairs. Selleys also has a walkthrough on filling cracks in doors and trims.

How to apply it

1. Make sure the surface is clean and dry, with no loose or powdery material. Filler bonds to sound substrate, not to dust or flaking paint.
2. Prime exterior surfaces before filling. This is an instruction rather than a suggestion, and it applies to the substrate under the filler.
3. Press the filler firmly in with a filling blade or scraper and scrape off the excess. Scraping back properly at this stage is the single biggest saving in sanding later — a proud fill is material you have to remove by hand.
4. Allow 2–3 hours to dry, depending on humidity, then sand with fine sandpaper.
5. For a perfect finish, apply another thin coat of filler, let it dry, then sand lightly with fine sandpaper. Two thin coats give a flatter result than one thick one, and the second coat is where a gloss-quality surface is actually achieved.
6. Clean the surface with Selleys Sugar Soap before painting. A clean surface aids paint adhesion, and after sanding there is always dust.
7. Apply an undercoat before your top coat for best results.
8. Protect exterior applications from rain until they have been painted over.

The rain instruction is easy to overlook when the forecast looks settled. Until the paint system is on, the filler is exposed, and an exterior architrave that gets wet before it is painted is a repair you may have to redo.

Limitations — where Doors & Trim should not be used

• Where movement occurs, use Selleys No More Gaps instead. A rigid filler in a joint that opens and closes with the seasons will crack along the line of the joint. The classic example is the junction between a skirting board and the wall, or between an architrave and the plaster — that is a moving joint, and it needs a flexible product, not this one.
• Not suitable for exterior timber likely to absorb excessive amounts of water. Timber that takes up water swells and moves, and no rigid filler survives that.
• Do not use below 5°C.

The distinction between a crack in a piece of trim and a gap between two pieces of trim is the one worth learning here. Filler belongs in the first; a flexible sealant belongs in the second. Using filler in a moving joint is the most common way a neat job reopens within a year.

Clean up and storage

Clean up: clean tools and hands with water before the filler dries. Once it has dried, you are into scraping and sanding rather than washing.

Storage: close the lid tightly after use and store in a cool, dry place. A part-used tub with a poorly seated lid dries out from the top and the skin has to be discarded.

Getting a gloss-quality finish

Three of Selleys' own instructions exist purely to serve the gloss finish, and they are the ones most often skipped:

• Scrape off the excess when filling so that minimal sanding is needed. Heavy sanding on trim rounds over crisp edges.
• Apply a second thin coat and sand it lightly with fine paper. The first coat fills; the second flattens.
• Clean with Sugar Soap before painting and use an undercoat. Dust left from sanding is what causes the top coat to sit unevenly over an otherwise good repair.

Under a flat paint you might get away with skipping these. Under gloss, the light will find every one of them.

Hazard classification

This filler is not classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7. It carries no signal word and no hazard statements, and it is not classified as Dangerous Goods under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS5433.

That is a genuinely useful thing to know rather than a formality, because it is not true of everything on the same shelf. Several ready-mixed fillers in the No More Cracks range — the exterior wood filler, the large cracks and holes filler, the plaster filler — are classified for skin sensitisation, which means a permanent allergy can be acquired through repeated bare-handed use. This one is not. If you are filling a house full of door frames, architraves and skirtings by hand, that difference is worth having.

Not classified as hazardous does not mean the product is food. It means the formulation does not meet the GHS thresholds for any hazard class. The ordinary precautions still apply, and they are the ones you would use anyway:

• Keep it out of reach of children, and do not swallow it.
• Wear a dust mask when sanding. The page already tells you to sand the repair back and to clean the dust off before painting — the mask is for the same dust, before it reaches you.
• Wash it off skin with soap and water before it dries, and wash your hands before eating, drinking or smoking.
• If any gets in an eye, rinse it out with water and seek medical advice if irritation persists.
• Keep the lid on between uses and store the tub in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys No More Cracks Doors & Trim

How long before I can sand and paint it?

2–3 hours for a 2–3 mm application, depending on humidity. Allow longer for deeper fills, or in cold or humid conditions.

What sizes does it come in?

A 270 g tub and a 580 g tub.

Can I use it outside?

Yes. Prime exterior surfaces before filling, and protect the repair from rain until it has been painted over.

What does it stick to?

It has excellent adhesion to timber, plaster, concrete, mortar and primed metal.

Can I use it on bare metal?

The stated substrate is primed metal. Prime it first.

Why is it sold specifically for gloss paint?

It gives a mirror-like, durable finish with superior gloss retention, which is what a gloss top coat needs from the filler underneath it.

Do I need two coats of filler?

For a perfect finish, yes — apply a second thin coat, let it dry, and sand lightly with fine sandpaper.

Do I have to clean it before painting?

Selleys recommends cleaning the surface with Selleys Sugar Soap before painting, because a clean surface aids paint adhesion. An undercoat before the top coat also gives a better result.

Can I use it on the gap between my skirting board and the wall?

No — where movement occurs, use Selleys No More Gaps. That junction moves, and a rigid filler will crack.

Can I use it on exterior timber?

Yes, with one exclusion: it is not suitable for exterior timber likely to absorb excessive amounts of water.

What is the minimum temperature?

Do not use it below 5°C.

How do I clean up?

With water, before the filler dries.

How should I store the tub?

Close the lid tightly after use and keep it in a cool, dry place.