Over time and with even unintentional abuse, you may find that you have to repair holes in the drywall in your home. I had several small and medium-sized holes to repair due to thrown objects hitting the wall.
There are many reasons you may have holes in the walls in your home. Whatever the reason, the easiest way for me to fix small and medium-sized holes is the method described below. Note: this method may not work well for very large holes in the wall.
Materials Used
I purchased from my local Walmart some 6-inch wall repair fabric, a bucket of joint compound, several sizes of putty knife and sandpaper. You may also want a damp sponge to wipe off excess compound and paint your walls after repairing. The wall repair fabric, joint compound and putty knives cost me less than $20.00 total.
Wall Repair Fabric
This is a kind of sticky mesh tape you can use to cover a hole prior to filling in with joint compound. I find it much easier to fill holes in the wall if I begin with wall repair fabric. I cut a piece of wall repair fabric larger than the hole and press firmly over the area. This helps make a more level surface to patch in any hole. If your wall repair fabric is narrower than the hole, you may use a few strips, being sure to overlap the fabric.
Joint Compound
I like to use joint compound to fill in small holes in the wall. It dries firmly and can be sanded, smoothed and painted when finished. Using a small putty knife, I applied joint compound carefully over the wall repair fabric a little at a time. This prevents waste and makes it easier to work with. Once the hole was patched, I used a larger putty knife to smooth over the patch and remove any excess (see picture). You may also wish to use a damp sponge to carefully remove excess joint compound from the wall.
Sanding and Painting
Once the joint compound is completely dry, it may shrink a little, especially if the hole was larger. You may apply another layer of joint compound as directed above and allow to dry thoroughly. Then you can sand over the patch gently, making the patch level with the wall. Wipe the patch and surrounding area gently with a damp sponge to remove any residue prior to painting.
These are the general directions I used to repair the holes in the walls in my home. Be sure to follow the directions on any supplies you purchase over the advice given here.