“Wall texture is rolled, so use a small roller, not a paintbrush, which will produce a different surface look,” says Nungesser. ![]() Paint the patch.Īpply one coat of primer and two coats of paint (or use paint that contains primer) to cover the patch, letting dry sufficiently in between coats read the can label for dry times. Use a rag or tack cloth to remove the sanding dust. Let dry overnight, and sand again the next day. If the surface area still looks uneven, add a third coat of mud with your 12-inch blade. Work around the edges of the patch first, then into the center. Now use a 100-grit sanding sponge to smooth it, using a circular motion, not back and forth, or you can remove too much of your repair and expose the mesh. Load the blade with about a cup of mud, and draw the knife down the wall to cover yesterday’s patch plus a few inches all the way around that area. The next day, use the 12-inch putty knife. “You can’t rush it or try to make the joint compound dry faster or it will crack,” says Nungesser. Try to get it as smooth as possible because any bumps will have to be sanded out eventually. The goal is to have the first coat cover slightly beyond the mesh area on all sides. For your first pass, load the 6-inch putty knife so that there’s about ½-cup of mud on it, then pull the blade down against the wall to apply the mud. “The number one reason drywall repairs look unprofessional is that people don’t carefully spread the joint compound out from the patched area,” says Nungesser. You’ll also need a container of pre-mixed joint compound, also called mud, and 6-inch and 12-inch metal putty knives (plastic isn’t flexible and may have tiny defects that leave lines behind when applying the joint compound). The patches have a pre-applied adhesive, so you place it on the wall like a sticker. ![]() Remove any jagged or dangling pieces of drywall, then place a piece of mesh to overlap the hole on all sides by about 1 ½ inches, says Nungesser. Get the right tools.ĭrywall patch kits contain a type of mesh, available in various sizes, as a first step to covering the hole. Here’s everything else you need to know about how to patch small holes and gouges in drywall. “But for very large holes that require a new piece of drywall to be cut, you may need to hire an expert.” “Repairing small holes yourself takes several days, and it’s not difficult if you’re somewhat handy,” says Michael Nungesser, owner of Five Star Painting in Georgia. Nail and screw holes can be filled with spackling compound smeared on with a putty knife, but holes up to about 6-inches wide require more steps. Sooner or later, everyone needs to patch a hole in drywall! Whether you had a fail when trying to hang pictures or the door handle gouged the wall, you can make it right again with a little effort.
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