How To Repair Holes In Drywall Ceiling

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Holes in the ceiling tin can be acquired by many things, including leaks, lighting or fixture installation, and elementary accidents. Patch small and medium-sized holes with a mesh drywall patch or brand a foursquare patch out of a new piece of drywall to fill up in larger holes. Either way, cover the patch up with two coats of spackling, sanding after each coat, then prime the patch with a h2o-based primer earlier painting over information technology. Soon enough, yous'll have a hole-free ceiling again!

1
Put on safety goggles and a dust mask. Y'all'll exist working underneath the pigsty, so it'south important to protect your eyes and oral fissure from falling drywall dust and debris. Safety goggles are better than safety glasses because they fully wrap around your eyes and don't allow anything in.^[i]
- Drywall grit tin cause respiratory problems if inhaled, and then always article of clothing a dust mask when cutting and repairing drywall.
- Brand sure y'all have a sturdy step ladder to work with besides so you lot can reach the ceiling.
ii
Utilise a utility knife to cut away any loose droppings effectually the edges of the hole. Carefully slice away whatever loose pieces of drywall and paper effectually the edges of the pigsty to neaten it up and get rid of whatsoever jagged edges. Try to make clean the pigsty up enough that a drywall repair patch volition exist able to sit flush against the ceiling.^[two]
- This method will work for holes in drywall ceilings that are upwardly to 6 in (15 cm) in diameter.
Tip: For holes that are less than 0.five in (1.iii cm) in diameter, yous don't need to use a patch. You tin can simply fill up them in with a petty bit of spackle.

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3
Cut a drywall patch so information technology is 1 in (2.5 cm) bigger than the hole. ^[3] Cut a square drywall repair patch with sharp scissors and then it is 1 in (ii.5 cm) taller and 1 in (2.5 cm) wider than the hole y'all want to patch. This will give information technology 0.five in (1.three cm) of actress length and width on each side so it can adhere to the ceiling around the hole.^[four]
- Drywall repair patches are fabricated of a type of closely-woven mesh. They come up in squares in dissimilar sizes upwards to about 8 in (20 cm) in diameter. You tin buy a drywall repair patch at a home improvement center, hardware store, or online.
iv
Remove the backing from the patch and identify the patch over the hole. Skin the protective backing off of the adhesive side of the drywall patch. Eye the patch over the hole, so press it firmly confronting the ceiling around all the sides to make it adhere.^[five]
- The adhesive will cure correct abroad, so you can become ahead and beginning covering the patch with spackle.
- Y'all now demand to spackle and sand the patch to finish fixing the pigsty.
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1
Protect your eyes and mouth with safety goggles and a dust mask. This will continue drywall dust and debris from the hole from getting in your eyes or oral cavity. Always article of clothing this kind of protective gear when repairing holes in drywall and cutting drywall.^[6]
- Safety goggles that fully wrap around your optics are preferable to safety glasses that accept open sides. You volition be working right under a hole and debris and grit volition be falling straight down, so more protection is better.
- Yous'll need a sturdy footstep ladder also so yous can stand up on it to reach the ceiling.
2
Cut a drywall square that is 2 in (5.1 cm) bigger than the hole. ^[vii] Use a drywall saw or utility knife to cut a square patch out of a new piece of drywall. Get in 2 in (5.i cm) wider and two in (5.1 cm) taller than the hole in the ceiling so you can cutting the hole square to fit the patch.^[8]
- Yous can get pocket-size pieces of drywall for making patches that are about 2 ft (0.61 m) past 2 ft (0.61 thou). Buy a piece at a dwelling improvement middle to cut the patch from if you don't have any spare drywall lying around.
- This method works for holes that are bigger than 6 in (fifteen cm) in diameter.
3
Trace the outline of the patch onto the ceiling around the hole. Eye the square patch over the pigsty and hold it confronting the ceiling. Trace effectually the edges with a pencil to describe the outline of the patch on the ceiling and so y'all can cutting a foursquare pigsty.^[ix]
- Go someone to help you hold the patch against the ceiling while you lot trace it if it is likewise big and awkward to do yourself.
4
Use a drywall saw to cut the square outline around the pigsty out. Cut from the center of the hole diagonally out towards each corner of the outline y'all traced. Plunge the tip of the saw into a corner, then saw along the line at the side of the outline, removing the department of jagged drywall when you achieve the other corner. Repeat this forth each side of the outline until yous have cut information technology all out.^[ten]
- Yous can test-fit the patch at this point to make sure it fits in the pigsty easily. If yous demand to make whatever adjustments, you tin cutting along the edges of the hole using a utility knife to remove small amounts of textile.
v
Cut two furring lath strips six in (15 cm) longer than the width of the hole. Furring boards are one in (2.5 cm)-thick, ii in (v.ane cm)-wide pieces of soft wood lumber used for various carpentry purposes. Cutting two strips of furring board that are 6 in (15 cm) longer than the width of the square hole to be attached inside the pigsty and concord the patch in place.^[xi]
- You lot tin buy furring strip board at a home improvement center or lumber supply store. They usually come in 8 ft (two.iv m) sections, but you might be able to find smaller flake pieces.
- You tin apply a hand saw or whatsoever kind of power saw you have available to cut the strips. Don't worry too much about making the cuts perfectly straight every bit they will exist hidden inside the ceiling.
half dozen
Attach the furring board strips inside the hole using drywall screws. Insert the strips at each side of the hole so the ceiling overlaps nigh 1/4 of the furring boards at the sides and the furring boards have 3 in (7.6 cm) of length against the inside of the ceiling at each terminate. Use an electric drill to insert a drywall screw through the ceiling and overlapping furring board at each cease.^[12]
- Make sure to concord the furring lath strips firmly in place while you drive the screws through the ceiling into them to avoid leaving any gaps between the ceiling and the wood. If the furring board strips aren't flush against the within of the ceiling, the patch won't sit flush with the ceiling.
7
Screw the drywall patch to the furring lath strips. Place the square drywall patch into the hole and hold information technology firmly confronting the furring board strips. Insert a drywall screw through the patch into the boards every 3–iv in (vii.6–x.2 cm) or so.^[13]
- Become someone to concord the patch firmly in place while you lot put the screws in if it'due south too hard to do yourself.
- Note that you need to spackle and sand the patch to finish the job.
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1
Put on a grit mask and condom goggles. This is particularly important while sanding. The grit mask and goggles will ensure y'all don't inhale dust from drywall or spackle or get it in your eyes.^[fourteen]
- Make certain y'all utilize goggles rather than regular safety glasses. Since you'll be looking straight upward at the ceiling while you sand, it'southward better to have protection that wraps completely around your optics.
- Use a sturdy step ladder to reach the ceiling while you are sanding and spackling.
2
Apply a putty pocketknife to apply a thin layer of spackle over the patch. Scoop up some spackle on the border of a putty knife. Drag it across the patch to comprehend it, overlapping the spackle onto the surrounding wall by about two in (5.1 cm). Scoop more spackle onto your putty pocketknife as needed and proceed applying it until you take covered the patch evenly.^[15]
- Make sure you printing spackle downwardly into all the holes in a mesh drywall patch or into the seams between a drywall patch and the ceiling around information technology.
Tip: If you lot prefer, you can use articulation chemical compound, besides known equally drywall mud, instead of spackle. The advantage of spackle is that it dries faster and shrinks less, making it platonic for filling in and patching holes.
three
Permit the offset coat of spackle dry overnight. Spackle is typically dry after 2-4 hours, but drying times vary depending on conditions. Exit the get-go coat to dry overnight to be sure it is completely cured before you proceed to sand information technology and add together another glaze.^[xvi]
- If you don't let the spackle dry completely before proceeding with the procedure, wet can get trapped inside and cause the patch to fall autonomously over time.
4
Sand the patch with 120-dust sandpaper to smooth it out. Put a slice of 120-grit sandpaper on a sanding block or just sand by hand. Sand the entire patch down lightly until it is evenly smooth. Sand very lightly around the edges where the patch overlaps with the surrounding ceiling to blend the spackle in with the rest of the ceiling.^[17]
- Run your hand over the patch as yous go to feel for any rough spots and then sand those areas further until the whole patch is smoothen.
- Don't sand likewise aggressively or y'all might end up removing the first layer of spackle, just try to go far uniformly shine and blend information technology in with the texture of the ceiling.
v
Wipe the patch with a dampened rag to remove dust. Wet a clean cloth and wring out the excess water. Wipe downward the patch later sanding to go rid of any spackle dust.
- This will help the second coat of spackle adhere better.
- You could also apply a tack textile or microfiber cloth if y'all have 1 handy.
6
Apply and sand a 2nd coat of spackle using the same technique. Use your putty knife to spread another thin glaze of spackle over the patch, dragging the knife beyond it to spread it out and blend the edges into the ceiling. Let it dry out overnight, then sand it smooth with 120-grit sandpaper and wipe information technology downwards with a damp cloth.^[18]
- If your ceiling is textured and you want to make the spackle match, yous can dab information technology with a sponge while it is nevertheless wet and skip the sanding. Y'all could besides curl on a final coat of watered-downwardly spackle with a textured paint roller.
7
Prime the patch with a water-based primer. ^[19] Use a paintbrush or minor paint roller to utilise 1 coat of h2o-based primer to the patch to cover the spackle. Permit the primer to dry for 3 hours earlier proceeding to paint over it.^[xx]
- About h2o-based primers will really dry in 30 minutes to one 60 minutes, only let it dry for at least 3 only to brand sure it is 100% dry earlier y'all paint over it.
8
Paint over the patch to arrive match the remainder of the ceiling. Paint over the patch with paint that is the same color as the rest of the ceiling to make it blend in if you take some of the right paint color. Give the whole ceiling a new coat of paint if you don't have paint of the same color to use on the patch.^[21]
- For instance, if the ceiling is white, information technology would be fairly piece of cake to just apply a white coat of paint to the patch and not repaint the whole ceiling. However, if the ceiling is a different color and you don't have any leftover paint that matches it lying around, you lot're probably better off repainting the whole thing.
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Wear goggles and a dust mask to protect yourself from drywall dust and droppings while fixing holes in a drywall ceiling.
Use a sturdy footstep ladder to help yous accomplish the ceiling.
Exist very careful whenever operating a saw.

Things You'll Need

Safety goggles
Dust mask
Utility knife
Drywall patch
Scissors

Safety goggles
Dust mask
Utility knife
Drywall saw
Piece of drywall
Drywall screws
Furring lath strips
Saw
Electric drill
Pencil

Safety goggles
Dust mask
Putty pocketknife
Spackle
120-grit sandpaper
Sanding block
Water-based primer
Paintbrush or roller

About This Article

Article Summary X

If you accept a small hole in your ceiling, y'all can hands fix information technology with a mesh drywall patch you can get from a home improvement store. Cutting the patch and so it's one inch bigger than the hole, remove the adhesive backing, and stick the patch over the hole. For larger holes, you'll need to cut out a drywall foursquare 2 inches bigger than the pigsty, trace the square onto the ceiling around the hole, and cutting the foursquare of ceiling out. Then, you can screw a couple of furring board strips inside the pigsty using drywall screws, and screw your foursquare drywall patch to the board strips. For more tips, including how to sand and paint your ceiling patch, read on!

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