How To Repair Screw Holes In Dry Wall

Sheetrock Repair: How to Patch and Repair Holes in Drywall

Dan is a licensed electrician and has been a homeowner for some twoscore years. He has nearly always washed his own repair and improvement tasks.

Sheetrock Repair: Patching Holes

Patching and repairing holes in drywall is something virtually every homeowner will face up old. While drywall (sheetrock is a trade name) is a wonderful wall covering, with quick installation and cheap toll, it is non the virtually durable.

Still, repairing sheetrock is not difficult. Patching even the largest holes in drywall is inside the abilities of nearly every homeowner, is not expensive, and does not require a large inventory of tools or materials.

In general, this chore tin be divided into 3 separate categories; small holes around one inch in size or smaller, medium-size holes up to eight to 10 inches, and larger holes. Each size is treated somewhat differently and volition be addressed separately.

Tools for Repairing Sheetrock

Pictured above are common tools used for patching holes in drywall. The modest holes will non require the cordless drill, nor will they need the rock saw.

• The rock saw pictured makes quick piece of work of cutting drywall, but a razor pocketknife will exercise the job with a lilliputian more effort.
• The cordless drill pictured is used to drive screws in the patching of larger holes; a screwdriver volition work just volition again require more effort to complete the piece of work.
• The folding Black and Decker workmate bench is not required; it is only used as a prop for taking the photo. While information technology makes a nice add-on to your workshop, it won't be used to patch drywall.
• Often it is more convenient to just purchase a pocket-sized patching kit instead of buying a gyre of drywall record, a drywall knife, and drywall mud; several such kits are featured here.
• Some type of drywall pocketknife or putty knife will exist necessary. Some patching kits come with a small plastic knife that, while serviceable for small jobs, is non ideal. Preferable is a 4" or 6" drywall pocketknife, with preference given to the 6" size. While you will non be finishing an entire wall of drywall, using the smaller 4" size makes it difficult to smooth the drywall mud of larger areas.
• Drywall tape will be used for all but the smallest holes, with the mesh type being preferred for modest holes. Paper tape is quite adequate for patching larger holes in your drywall.
• A small amount if drywall mud will exist needed; this can be purchased in 3-pound tubs or even smaller sizes. Information technology will not final forever, even in the can, so don't purchase far more than is needed. Any drywall patch can exist done with the 3-pound size.

Patching and Repairing Smaller Holes

Repairing small areas of sheetrock impairment is past far the easiest and simplest task. Pocket-sized holes are categorized equally those damaged areas of around one" in size: if it is much bigger than your thumb, you should probably cheque out the next department.

• At the top of this list are those holes made past nails or other like very small-scale holes. These can exist patched with nothing more than than a daub of drywall mud or even toothpaste on the tip of your finger; merely push it into the hole and smooth information technology out. Excess drywall mud can be removed with a damp sponge after drying or by sanding.
• A larger pigsty, up to about one", tin exist repaired with just a picayune attempt. Clean the hole out with a razor knife, sloping the sides so that the exterior of the hole is slightly larger than it is on the inside of the wall.
• Using mesh drywall tape or the patches supplied with a drywall repair kit stick the patch over the pigsty.
• Comprehend the mesh patch with drywall mud, pressing information technology firmly onto the patch and into the pigsty with the drywall knife. This should be a adequately thin glaze of mud, leaving the mesh tape visible.
• Plumage the edges out to nothing about 2 or three inches from the patch. Endeavour not to leave any ridges or bumps of mud, just if you do, they can exist sanded off quite hands. Allow dry out: some types of mud will dry in but a couple of hours while others will take 24 hours. Check the instructions on your mud.
• Sand the patch lightly, being careful non to push hard on the hole. Apply a second coat of mud over the entire area, extending it out to around 4" outside the hole all effectually.
• Permit dry out in one case more and sand again. If the wall is smooth, be aware that any imperfection will be visible on the painted wall. If any tin can be found, echo the mudding process for a 3rd and final time.
• If the wall is textured, wall texture may exist purchased in different texture appearances and but sprayed on the wall. When dry out, pigment to lucifer the surrounding area. If you are painting the entire wall, this is a great time to patch all of the small (and larger) holes in your drywall as it will greatly enhance the finished wall.

This type of patch is quite weak and like shooting fish in a barrel to damage again. For that reason, only small areas are normally patched in this manner. Some kits advertise that holes up to several inches across may be repaired, but it is not recommended unless the damaged area is high on the wall or in another fashion relatively inaccessible.

Sheetrock Repair of Pocket-sized Holes

Holes this size and smaller are easily repaired

Patching and Repairing Mid-size Holes

Side by side in line are the mid-sized holes, ranging from around 1" to almost 10" in bore. Information technology is obviously impossible to simply fill a hole 10" across with mud, and so a different method is necessary. Some grade of backing to hold the mud in identify is required.

The simplest method here, and probably the one most used, is to provide a wooden backing behind the hole and cover that backing with new sheetrock.

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• Offset by cartoon a foursquare effectually the hole, completely enclosing information technology. In the beneath, a magic marking was used as it shows up better in the photograph, but don't exercise this! A magic marker may well bleed through the mud and pigment, showing through the finished job. Utilise a pencil.
• Cut out the square you have fatigued using a rock saw or utility (razor) knife. The stone saw is quicker and easier, only utility knife more than mutual; either will work fine. It is best if the hole is perfectly square (using a carpenters square volition assistance) equally a patch must now be cut from some flake drywall, sized to just fit into the hole. Make sure the patch is the same thickness as the drywall on the wall being repaired; most homes use ½" drywall.
• You volition need a small piece of board, a little narrower than the pigsty and about 4" taller. The photo beneath shows the board to be used; a spiral was driven into the eye of the lath to use as a handle. Insert the board into the square pigsty you have cut into the wall and drive a spiral through the remaining drywall into the board above and below the cut opening. Larger openings should have 2 screws both above and below. The "handle" may now be removed from the lath. Larger holes in the 8 or 10-inch size should have two boards or 1 wider one.
• The patch is at present inserted into the hole and screwed to the lath behind information technology. Two screws are commonly all that is required here unless the hole is large. Bulldoze the screws in until they are merely barely into the drywall; if the drywall knife is passed over them, you should not be able to detect where they are. The photograph shows the correct placement.
• Drywall record is at present applied all the way effectually the patch, roofing the seam between the patch and the existing wall. Either paper or mesh tape is fine hither.
• When the taping mud is dry, apply a 2nd glaze. When the second coat has dried, sand lightly to shine the surface (100 grit sandpaper works well) and apply a tertiary coat as necessary.

Cease the wall equally desired, either with spray-on texture or left smoothen, and paint. This patch is much stronger than the patch used for small holes in drywall and tin can be expected to terminal indefinitely.

Sheetrock Repair of Larger Holes

Holes this size are a little more difficult, just can all the same be washed.

Patching and Repairing the Largest Holes

The largest holes, greater than around 12" in diameter, will require a different fix. Patching a hole a human foot across by using the existing drywall equally a support volition result in a patch that is all too piece of cake to destroy again, the answer is to use the studding in the wall as support.

• Brainstorm by drawing a horizontal line above and below the hole, preferably by using a level to get information technology actually horizontal.
• Begin cutting to a higher place the hole and cut towards the side until a stud is encountered. Stop there and cutting the other direction until the studding on that size is constitute. As you volition be cut articulate to the stud, be aware of whatsoever possible electrical or plumbing in the wall and cut advisedly.
• Using the cuts as a guide, describe a line down each stud near the center of the stud. As studs are i½" broad, measure ¾" from the end of each cut to observe the centre of the stud and depict a line between the two cuts. You will likely find a nail or screw when cutting downwardly the stud; if then just remove it.
• Cutting downwards the eye of the stud to make a large square hole that extends into the stud on each side. A utility knife works best here.
• Cutting a piece of scrap drywall only smaller than the hole so that information technology volition fill the pigsty when set over the studs, and fasten information technology into place with either screws or nails. Bulldoze either 1 just into the drywall; the thought is to take it just beneath the surface of the drywall without breaking the drywall newspaper. The department above shows a photo of properly driven screws.
• Record and mud the seam all the style around. For instructions on how to tape a joint, refer to this hub on taping and finishing drywall. When the tape coat is stale, sand lightly and utilize a 2d coat. When that glaze is dried, sand over again and use a third, final, coat of mud as necessary. Sand as necessary.

The wall may be left shine or textured with the spray tin can wall texture featured above.

Sheetrock Repair of Big Holes

The big holes need a dissimilar procedure

This article is authentic and true to the best of the author'south noesis. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business organization, financial, legal, or technical matters.

© 2011 Dan Harmon

Dan Harmon (writer) from Boise, Idaho on February 01, 2012:

Eventually, well-nigh anybody volition have a hole or two that needs patching, and volition have to larn how to do this pocket-size repair.

Glad you found the hub and photos useful, and appreciate the compliment.

myawn from Florida on February 01, 2012:

A very informative hub peachy photos I really had a mobile dwelling where I had to larn how to do this drywall patching. Cheers!

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