Time required:
- 3 minutes
Equipment list:
- Putty knife
- Nail
- Nail punch (optional)
Materials:
If you have a lot of nail holes to fill with spackle (for example, if you've had your windows replaced or a room remodeled), making a Spackle Ghost can really help increase your efficiency. It's quick, easy, and pays dividends over trying to scoop the spackle out of the bucket every time.
Instructions
First, it helps to have painter's plastic when making a spackle ghost. However, in a pinch you could use plastic wrap from your kitchen. Using your razor knife, cut a piece of plastic about 1 foot x 1 foot. Then take a big scoop of spackle and put it in the middle of the plastic. Wrap the plastic around the spackle, creating a "ghost" head. Give the "neck" a few twists, then put a piece of tape around it. Now poke the end of the ghost's head with a nail (or, if you have bigger holes to fill, use a nail punch). By squeezing the spackle ghost, you can dispense small blobs of spackle much quicker and easier than trying to scoop it out of the container every time. (It works a little like a cake decorator.) These blobs more easily fit into nail holes. They waste less spackle and get less smeared on the surface of the trim or wall, thereby limiting the amount of sanding needed later. Spackle ghosts also make great economical Halloween decorations! :)
