How should I fill in decorative "gashes" in wood siding?

chef_carol

Our house has old siding with decorative holes: At first I thought this might be termite damage but a house inspector examined it and confirmed that this is purely decorative style. I'd like to change this. Is there a wood filler I can use here? Or is replacing the entire plank the only option? I'm reluctant to replace entire pieces because there is insulation blown in behind the wall and removing the pieces could get messy.

Originally asked by Mike B on Stack Exchange (diy) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

Wow, not exactly what I'd call decorative, but whatever. You can fill those gaps with Bondo auto body filler. Just be sure to clean out any loose or chipped paint etc. Auto body willer actually works better than wood filler in exterior applications.

Full answer by shirlock homes: https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/12855 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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