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Repairing Holes in Drywall

Believe it or not, the biggest challenge in repairing a hole in drywall has nothing to do with the drywall itself, but rather with matching the paint color of the wall after the repair has been made. If you happen to have leftover paint from when the wall was last painted, that challenge goes away. If you don’t, there is a way to overcome that challenge. Most repair jobs start with squaring up the area needing repair. In that case, there should be a piece of the existing drywall that has the paint color that needs matching. Many paint retailers today have a computer that “reads” a paint color and can prescribe a mixing formula by which the retailer can come extremely close to matching the existing color.Now that we’ve solved that problem, let’s start repairing the hole in the drywall. Begin by squaring up the damaged area by drawing lines on the wall forming a square whose sides are parallel and perpendicular to the floor and just outside the damaged area. Then use a drywall or similar saw to cut out the area to be repaired. If the area to be repaired exposes one or more wall studs, the job will be easier because it’s necessary to have something to attach the patch to when making the repair. If there are two or more studs, the job is very easy. If one stud is exposed, another attachment may be needed. If no studs are exposed, there is still a way. In the case of no stud exposure, or one stud but still needing another attachment, follow these instructions:Most of the large hardware chains will sell a piece of a full sheet of drywall from a sheet that was broken by them during handling. Despite the relatively low price for a full sheet, transporting a full sheet is a problem if you don’t have a truck. If buying a partial sheet, be sure you purchase more than you need.Also make certain you purchase the correct thickness. For most walls, the thickness most often used is one-half inch. Five-eighths inch is the usual thickness for ceilings. Also, make sure you’re purchasing the correct type. If the repair is being made to a bathroom wall, “green” drywall should be used.Next, cut a piece of drywall one inch narrower than the width of the hole and six inches longer than the height of the hole. This will become the “backing” piece for the repair area. Drive a nail through the dead center of the piece from the back side. Also, tape a piece of string across the back side leaving several inches of string hanging out from the edge of the piece. Now, place a generous amount of drywall joint compound on the face of the ends beginning at the end and inward three inches. This next step requires some careful manipulation to make sure you don’t lose the backing piece in the wall cavity. Using the pointed end of the nail as a handle, insert the backing piece through the hole and position it tightly against the inside face of the existing drywall surrounding the repair area. Now bring both ends of the string forward and tie them off tightly around a long piece of wood or a broom handle, or something similar.Allow the backing piece twenty-four hours to set in place, then cut the string off and push the nail though into the wall cavity. Now cut a patch the same (or slightly smaller) size as the hole. Using a utility knife, make a small bevel around the edges of both the patch and the existing wall. Place a thin coat of joint compound on the face of the backing piece and the back side of the patch and press it into place. If there is an exposed stud, nail or screw the patch into place making sure to depress the nail or screw slightly into the face of the drywall. Allow the patch to set into place twenty-four hours with something leaning against it to hold it in place.Using a joint compound knife, fill the crack between the patch and the wall with joint compound. Then apply a thin coat of joint compound to the wall and the patch extending out two inches each way from the joint. Using a joint compound knife, press a strip of paper drywall tape into place over the joint. Allow to dry for twenty four hours.Sand any rough spot out of the dried joint compound and apply a coat of joint compound to the top of the tape and feather the compound out several inches in each direction. After allowing this coat to dry, sand out to a smooth finish using a sanding block or wrapping the sandpaper around a hand-sized piece of wood.Wipe off all sanding dust; apply a coat of wall primer followed by the paint. Be sure to feather the paint out beyond the repaired area.