When painting the exterior of your house and want a professional looking finish? First, spackle all the nail holes in the trim and caulk all the cracks. This will keep water from getting into the wood and causing the paint to blister.

Use an exterior spackling compound. They are light weight and easy to work with and they don't shrink! Holes only have to filled in once.

Get an acrylic latex caulk. They are available at most paint stores and they also fill in holes and cracks. Most caulks do shrink. So check in a day or two after the first application to see if a second one is needed. Apply the caulk in a small bead about the size of the crack you are filling. Wipe it in with your finger to work it in. Then, take a damp sponge and wipe any excess off the wood.

Caulking and spackling are not that hard, but they are very important to achieve that long lasting paint job.