Drywall may be among the most common interior construction materials, but it’s far from indestructible. Indeed, most homeowners and business owners will experience dents, dings, and holes in their drywall at some point. But sometimes it takes more than just a can of compound and a small putty knife to get good results. Fortunately, most of this impact damage can be easily fixed with the right tools and techniques. Let’s go over some useful tips for flawless drywall repairs.
Drywall Repairs Techniques
The size of the hole will determine what method of repair you’ll use. You may not need all of these tools. Before you purchase anything, reference the guidelines below to see what you’ll need. You’ll find the required materials listed with each step. Drywall tape is available in paper or mesh, select mesh if you have a choice. The tools in bold are required for each step, regardless of hole size.
Gather the Materials You’ll Need
Before you can fix your drywall, you need the right materials on hand. While not all drywall repair jobs will require everything listed below, these items cover just about any type of repair job you might encounter. You’ll want:
- Joint compound/spackling paste/putty.
- Putty knife.
- Sandpaper (various grits).
- Drop cloth.
- Hammer.
- Utility Knife.
- Tape Measure.
- Pencil.
- Drywall Tape.
- Drywall Screws.
- Drywall Patch Kit.
- Extra Drywall Material.
- Primer.
- Paint (and roller pan).
- Paintbrush/roller.
Inspect the Damage
The exact materials you’ll need, and how you use them, will depend on the type and severity of damage done to your drywall. For instance, a minor puncture that’s just a couple inches or smaller in diameter can be easily fixed by filling it with quick-drying spackle, sanding it smooth once dry, and painting over the drywall repairs.
Larger holes, on the other hand, may require the aid of a patch kit, tape measure, utility knife, and more. By inspecting the damage, you can gather only what you need and get right to work.
Make a Dent for the Patching Compound
When you remove a nail, drywall anchor or picture hanger, there is usually a little ridge of old paint or drywall sticking out that’s hard to cover with patching material. The solution is to make a dent over the hole, and then fill the dent. Most good-quality putty knives have a rounded hard plastic or brass end on the handle that works perfectly for making the dent. The rounded end of a screwdriver handle or the handle of a utility knife will also work. Press the handle against the hole and twist it slightly while applying pressure to dent the surface, or if you have good aim, use your denting tool like a hammer.
Cracks
As the ground beneath us slowly shifts, fine cracks may appear in your drywall. These fractures are fixed opening the border of the crack until the mesh tape will fit in it (by opening I mean to remove the texture, compound and top paper of the drywall along the crack). Apply the mesh tape to cover all the open crack, then apply compound using your spatula. Let it dry and apply a second coat of compound. After it dries, sand using sandpaper #150. Then match the texture of the rest of the wall or ceiling you just repaired. Priceless Painting has more of 16 years of experience matching all kind of textures, we are really experts doing it (it is a mix of practice and art, we will say). You can check out how many of our testimonials clients praise how good are our patches: Almost invisibles!
Need Help with Drywall Repair?
Just about anyone can learn how to repair drywall. That said, if you’re not confident in your abilities, or you don’t have the time to do it yourself, hire a repair contractor to fix up the damage for you: leave it to our professionals from Priceless Painting. We perform the best drywall repairs in the region by completely restoring your drywall to as good as new.
