How to Patch Holes in Drywall
Nothing ruins the look of a well maintained house like a hole in the drywall. Whether it be an angry child throwing a temper tantrum or a careless mover. Patching the hole is an easy task, but it requires several steps to get a perfect result.
Ready to learn? Here’s How to Patch Holes in Drywall:
Most home improvement stores sell a variety of wall patch kits. The one I used is the Snap 2 Size Wall Patch (affiliate link).
Materials:
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- Wall Patch Kit
- Joint Compound
- Drywall Taping knife (6″ or wider)
- Utility Knife
- 6-in-1 Painter’s tool
- Sand paper
Instructions:
Find the size metal patch (from the kit) that best fits your hole. Ideally you want 1/4 – 1/2″ larger than the hole.
Bend and snap off any excess.
Hold the metal patch over the hole and gently score the drywall around the patch.
Use the 6-in-1 Painter’s tool (or putty knife) to peel off the paint and top layer of drywall inside the scored lines.
Test to make sure the metal patch fits inside the hole.
Cut an adhesive mesh piece 1″ bigger than the metal patch.
Place the metal patch onto the mesh and push the patch into the hole (mesh side out.)
Cover the mesh with a thick coat of joint compound.
Ideally you don’t want to see any of the mesh after your first coat of joint compound.
Allow it to dry and sand smooth.
Add a second coat of joint compound. Feather the compound out further than the first coat. Be sure to cover any bubbles or mesh that is showing.
Allow the compound to dry. Be prepared to add a third coat of joint compound to get a perfect finish.
After the joint compound has dried, give it a final sanding.
Wipe any sanding dust with a damp rag. Then paint the patched area with your touch up paint.
To match the texture of the rest of the wall, use a roller instead of a brush.
That’s it! Let the wild rumpus commence now that you know How to Patch Holes in Drywall!
For more hole patching tutorials, you might find these helpful:
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My husband usually repair any large hole we had in the past, but I truly appreciate this post, because I always wanted to learn how to do this. Thanks to you, I think I can do this to.
Happy New Year!
Interesting article, and helpful. Thanks. I do have a question. What would you do to fix a crack in the corner of a room? Right in the middle of the corner bead (or form, or whatever it’s called). Do I strip the entire thing from top to bottom, or just use spacking and respackle until it looks acceptable? You can tell I am no expert.
If it’s not too bad a crack, I’d just add some joint compound and lightly sand and repaint.