Whether you are a homeowner or a renter, doing home DIY projects is a must. For some projects it just doesn’t make financial sense to hire someone else to fix the problem. One such project is a simple hole in your drywall. If you have a hole in your wall, it is possible to repair it yourself. Below I will walk you through the process I used to repair a hole in my drywall.
The supplies:
If you’re new to these types of projects, you may have to visit your local hardware store for supplies. For this repair, I used an old newspaper, drywall mud, drywall tape, a large putty knife, a pair of scissors and fine grit sandpaper. Once you have these items you are ready to begin your repair.
Preparing the wall:
If your wall is painted with a semi-gloss or gloss paint, you will need to sand the paint around the hole so the drywall mud will stick to the wall. You should sand at least one inch all the way around the hole.
Repairing the hole:
I began by using the old newspaper to fill the hole. To do this, you simply need to loosely ball up the pages of the newspaper and place them inside the hole to fill it. You need to do this step to prevent the drywall tape and mud from collapsing inside the hole.
Next, I needed to start applying drywall tape. Using the scissors, I cut three pieces of tape that were each two inches longer than the hole was wide. The first two went over the hole from corner to corner on a diagonal. The third went over the hole from top to bottom. This created a star-like pattern.
It was then time for me to apply drywall mud. To do this, I used the corner of my putty knife to scoop out the drywall mud. I placed the mud in the top left corner of the hole and with firm, but gentle pressure I smeared the drywall mud over the hole toward the bottom right corner. I repeated this motion in a crisscross pattern until the hole was covered. The goal was to cover the tape and the hole evenly with a thin layer of mud. Remember, you can always use your putty knife to remove the excess mud from the wall. It will take about 24 hours for the drywall mud to fully set. Once it has fully set you can move to the final step
The final step before painting the wall, is to sand your patch job. I found the best way for me to sand the wall was to just use the sandpaper in hand. Once the wall is sanded you are ready to re-paint the wall, and your repair project is finished.
While DIY projects often seem overwhelming, with the correct supplies and knowledge you can accomplish anything. Don’t be afraid to do your home repairs yourself.