Fixing Holes in Drywall

Fixing Holes in Drywall
Kids will be kids and that sometimes means you'll have to patch holes in the drywall. Don't call a professional. Save the money and learn how to do it yourself. With our quick repair method you'll have the hole patched in a few hours. Click on the images to the right to enlarge.
Step 1: Cut out the Hole. The first thing you'll want to do is clean up the hole. Feel around the edges to see if the drywall cracked off on the backside. We ended up cutting the repair hole about twice the size as the original damage because of weak and broken sheetrock on the backside of the hole.
Step 2: Screw Backer Boards in Place Use a couple of scrap board and screw them in the hole to support the replacement drywall.
Step 3: Attach Replacement Drywall You'll need a piece of scrap drywall the same thickness as your wall (probably ½"). Don't buy a full sheet; your hardware store will probably sell you part of damaged sheet. Attach the replacement piece to the backer boards with drywall screws.
Step 4: Apply Repair Tape Traditional drywall tape is a paper-based tape that is applied by laying down a coat of drywall mud to attach the tape to the wall. You can save a step by using the new self-adhesive fiberglass tape. Simply apply the tape to the wall and move on to the next step.
Step 5: Apply the Mud Drywall compound is often referred to affectionately as mud. You can purchase small pails of it at your local hardware store. Using a 6" drywall knife to apply an even coat over the patch and fiberglass tape. Extend the mud about 6" past the edge of the repair. Try to apply the mud as evenly as possible.
Step 6: Heat It Up! You could wait for the drywall mud to dry on its own, but that could take up to 12 hours (according to the manufacturer). You are probably in more of a rush so try this. Use a hair drier or heat gun to speed up the process. We strapped this 750 degree heat gun to a chair and heated the wall for about 15 minutes.
Step 7: Sand it Smooth Use sandpaper on a sanding block or professional sheetrock sandpaper to sand the surface smooth. Apply a second coat if needed and repeat step 6.
Step 8: Paint the Wall You can take a sample of the damaged wall to the paint store and have them provide you with a color-matched paint. After the paint dries the damage should be unnoticeable. If you can still see lines from where the drywall mud was not completely sanded you can apply more mud and sand it back again. That's all there is to fixing a hole in the wall. Good luck!