Every now and then, our house walls need to support pictures or heavy shelves, hits from moving furniture, and vigorously propelled toys, and in the end it causes unwanted holes to appear on the walls. Most of the time, the walls and floors are designed fairly straightforward and you do not need expert skills or specialized knowledge for repairing it. The damage to walls and floors are often remedied using tools and materials that you normally have around your house or that are readily available in your local hardware stores. Below are some of the steps in order for you to cover up a hole in your wall.
What you need:
For small holes:
- Utility knife
- Putty knife
- Sanding sponge
- Joint compound
- Mesh repair patch
For large holes:
- Utility knife
- Putty knife
- Drill with a wall screw adapter
- Carpenter\’s square
- Drywall saw
- 1-by-3 piece of wood
- 3-inch Drywall screws
- Drywall panel
- Drywall tape
- Joint compound
- 60 to 120 grit sanding sponge
Method:
- For covering a small hole, for example a one-inch or even a smaller hole, you need to clear away all the loose drywall paper and debris around the affected area.
- Then, you have to sand the edges around the hole and also the small area away from the hole. After that, apply the joint compound using a putty knife to make sure it is kept smooth.
- Leave the affected compound area to dry for a while and then check the work that you have done. If you notice the first layer of the compound shrinks after it has dried, apply a second layer of compound on the area. Then, you need to sand, prime, and paint the affected area.
- For covering holes measuring from one-inch to six-inch in size, you can use the same method as above but add additional steps such as cutting the mesh repair patch a little larger than the size of the hole and then affix it to the wall.
- After that, you have to cover the repaired part using joint compound and when you have finished, let it dry thoroughly.
- The next step is to apply additional layers of compounded if the need arises and then you need to sand, prime, and paint the affected area.
- If you are covering larger holes, first of all you need to replace the drywall and then find the stud near the hole. After that, you have to draw a rectangular guide around the hole by using the carpenter\’s square. You also have to make sure to accommodate at least an inch around the damaged area with half the width of the stud.
- Then, by using the utility knife, you have to cut out the above area out of the wall. The next step is to cut a 1-by-3 piece of wood that measures the height of the removed area plus adding 2-inch more from it before attaching this support cover behind the removed area using the drywall screws.
- After that, you need to cut a new piece of drywall that measures the same size as the removed area from the wall and then attach it to the stud and support.
- You also have to center the drywall tape on the seam of the repair and also apply joint compound to the entire repaired area, plus making sure that it is smooth and flat.
- Leave the compound to dry thoroughly before you sand it to make it even smoother and then, apply another coat of compound and again leave it to dry thoroughly. Finally, you need to sand, prime, and paint the affected area.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/video_4150_patch-hole-drywall.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2339532/fixing_a_hole_in_your_wall.html?cat=6
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2039587/how_to_patch_a_hole_in_your_wall.html?cat=6
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28489859@N03/2955564089/
