Sooner or later, one of the walls in your home will probably suffer some kind of damage. Sometimes, cracks appear from your home settling. Other times, a hole may be made in the wall from children playing, or perhaps some minor damage will happen when you are moving a piece of furniture.
Small cracks, holes and dents in drywall may be repaired by simply removing any loose paper or drywall from the damaged area, spreading spackle over the damage, smoothing with a broad knife, sanding and repainting. Small, narrow cracks may require that you widen the crack to provide enough area for the spackle to adhere. Larger cracks and holes may require more extensive steps, but handy homeowners will be able to complete this repair. If the damage is not too extensive, a repair patch kit (available at most hardware stores) may include everything you need to fix the hole or crack up to the point of texture and paint.
Most drywall repairs require the use of a few basic tools, including a drywall knife, which may be referred to as a broad knife or putty knife. Drywall knives may have blades as narrow as two inches or as wide as 10 inches. You can buy premixed drywall compound, but if you are making a larger repair and want to mix it yourself, you will need a mud pan. Various grits of sandpaper will be helpful, as you will want the finished texture of the repair to match the surrounding wall finish, but a finer grit such as 220 will probably provide the smooth finish for feathering the repair into the existing finish. Also, for larger repairs, you will need a utility knife and/or perhaps a keyhole saw for removing the damaged wallboard and for cutting the patch.
For larger repairs, follow these steps:
1. Remove all the loose drywall and excess paper from the damaged area.
2. Mark around the irregular damaged area with a pencil so you can use a keyhole saw or utility knife to cut a square or rectangle area in which to fit a new piece of drywall for the patch.
3. Cut the patch to fit the hole. The patch should be small enough to easily go into the hole without having to use force.
4. If the hole is large enough that wall studs are exposed, screw the patch to the existing studs. If there are no exposed studs, insert a 1×4 and screw through the existing drywall into the 1×4 to hold it in place.
5. Screw the patch to the studs or the 1×4 that was installed. The patch should be inset a little from the existing wall. This area will be filled in to match the existing wall with drywall compound.
6. Put self-adhesive fiber reinforcement tape around the edges of the patch.
7. Apply the first coat of drywall compound with your broad drywall blade. Smooth the first coat with the blade and feather the edges. After it dries, sand it smooth and apply a second coat. Continue to add the drywall compound coats as necessary to bring the patch out to match the surrounding wall. Be sure to let each coat dry completely before adding the next one.
8. Texture and paint the area that you patched to match the area surrounding the repair. A paint roller with a heavy nap may provide enough texture to match the existing wall. However, the repair could require repainting the entire wall.
There you have it! Take your time, and use the proper tools and supplies. With a little skill and patience, your wall will be repaired, and no one will notice there had ever been damage in the first place.
Sources:
1. Homedepot.com.
2. buildipedia.com.
Written by Bill Smith
You must be logged in to post a comment.