At some point in your life you will inevitably have to fix a hole in your drywall. There are several different ways to mend drywall, but we will only look at two of them in this article. The two this article will focus on is the use of a patch and the use of a smaller piece of drywall.
Fixing Small Holes with a Patch:
– In my experience mending with a patch is easier than using a smaller piece of drywall. There are six steps to this method.
1. Buy a peel and stick drywall patch kit. You can find these at your average hardware store.
2. Use a sharp utility knife to cut away any loose pieces of drywall.
3. Peel away the backing covering the adhesive on the patch and position it over the hole.
4. Use a 6in. taping knife to press the adhesive into place. (A putty knife will work as well)
5. Apply two thin coats of wallboard compound over the hole; be sure to let the compound dry in between coats.
6. After the wallboard compound dries completely sand the patch with a fine grit paper to make it smooth. Be sure to blend the edges with the drywall.
Fixing holes with smaller pieces of drywall:
– This method is a bit more complicated but has been known to work well. You can buy pieces of drywall at your average hardware store, or sometimes even local drywall suppliers.
1. Measure the thickness of your drywall, the replacement piece you buy will have to match. The thickness of drywall is typically 1/2in or 5/8in. Make sure to use a square piece that is slightly larger than your hole.
2. Use a pencil to trace around your new piece of drywall and mark the top of the new piece so you know which side is up.
3. Use a key-hole saw to cut out your pencil line, after use a sharp utility knife to cut away any frayed edges.
4. Cut and place two pieces of suitable framing. (One on the top and one on the bottom) Use 1×2 pine fur strips for smaller holes.
5. Install the new piece of drywall by drilling it into the frames.
6. Apply mess joint tape or paper joint tape and mud over the top.