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Seven Easy Steps To Repair Damaged Drywall
Tony Evans
A hole in drywall may appear to many people to be difficult to repair,
but in reality it is a simple fix that the majority of homeowners can
repair themselves. The repair technique outlined in this article takes
a few hours, but if done correctly will leave you with a flat,
seamless wall. There are seven steps that you should follow in order
to achieve a great repair on your drywall.
1. Mark off the area to be patched. Use a square to mark off an area slightly larger than the hole that you are repairing.
2. Using a drywall knife, cut around the four sides that you have already marked off, leaving you with a square hole in the wall.
3. Prepare a piece of wood to reinforce the patch. To do this, cut a thin strip of 1x2 or 1x4 slightly larger than the height of the hole. Slip the wood into the hole and position it so that the wood extends equally above and below the hole. Attach the wood using drywall screws attached through the surrounding drywall.
4. Create a drywall patch for the hole. Using a tape measure, utility knife and a square cut a piece of drywall to fit inside of the hole.
5. Secure the patch using drywall screws attached through the reinforcement board that you have already installed. Screw the patch down till it is even with the surrounding wall.
6. Spread a thin coat of joint compound on the patch using a drywall knife. If necessary, apply drywall tape around the perimeter and spread on another thin coat of joint compound. Allow to dry and then sand using fine grit sandpaper.
7. After the joint compound is completely dry, apply another coat of joint compound using the drywall knife, blending in the repaired area with the surrounding wall. Allow to dry completely and sand again with fine grit sandpaper. Once you have completed the steps, you should have a seamless patch.
All that is left to do now is paint the repaired area and your job is complete. To do this you need to prime the newly repaired area first. You can use a latex based primer to do this such as Kilz or Zinsser. Once you prime the area and let it dry, you are now ready to apply the topcoat of paint. If you have touch up paint it may not match perfectly because even interior paint will fade over a period of time. If the paint does not match, you have two options. The first option is to repaint the entire room which is another project altogether or you can paint from corner to corner of the repaired wall. I would advise you to try and paint from corner to corner of the repaired wall first and if it does not match with the rest of the room you can always paint the entire room.
So the next time you have some damage to your sheetrock, if you follow these steps you should have no problem repairing it to its original state. Good luck.
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The author has over thirty years experience in the home improvement industry and is the owner of Smoky Mountain Painting. For more tips, visit http://www.smokymountainpainting.com
This news arrived on: 08/18/2008
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Posted Comments:
08-25-2008 14:36
Teresia McArthur wrote:
A guy thing?
This has nothing to with guys or gals. I already know how to do this, and have had to do this myself. (No, it is not my profession.) I also know guys who would not have the first clue what drywall was, let alone how to fix it. Thank goodness I had a Father who taught us how to do lots of things and didn't qualify them gender-specific. I also do not have to wait around for a "guy" to decide whether they want to do it or not.
The article would have been great with a few sketches or pictures for people new to this.
The article would have been great with a few sketches or pictures for people new to this.
08-22-2008 20:58
Leon Gris wrote:
Seven Easy Steps To Repair Damaged Drywall
Melody Yaneza wrote:
"This is a guy thing
"Interesting story but I think it is one for the guys. If I need something like this fixed, I could probably call on my boyfriend to help do this for me."
Ah, but there is much to be gleaned for the gals, as well.
1. Identify the scope of the problem.
2. Reframe the problem such that it falls within the scope of a known solution.
3. Provide support for the solution.
4. through 6. Implement the solution, using the framework provided by step 2.
7. Finish it.
Agreed, "It's a guy thing" to be familiar with the materials and the tools, yet the method is unambiguously gender agnostic ;)
"This is a guy thing
"Interesting story but I think it is one for the guys. If I need something like this fixed, I could probably call on my boyfriend to help do this for me."
Ah, but there is much to be gleaned for the gals, as well.
1. Identify the scope of the problem.
2. Reframe the problem such that it falls within the scope of a known solution.
3. Provide support for the solution.
4. through 6. Implement the solution, using the framework provided by step 2.
7. Finish it.
Agreed, "It's a guy thing" to be familiar with the materials and the tools, yet the method is unambiguously gender agnostic ;)
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