Drywall is made from plaster, wood pulp and other materials that are used to build the interior walls and ceilings of houses. This type of construction is easily preferred to use in homes, schools, offices, and pretty much in any structure because it is easy to install, it is durable and in case it gets damaged, it is easy to repair. That said, if you find yourself in a damaged-drywall situation, here are the things you need to know about how to repair drywall.
Get To Know the Drywall Repair Toolkit
Getting things fixed needs the right tools and equipment that can make the job super easy for you. So before you go about hammering and tinkering, you need to get acquainted with what is included in your standard drywall repair toolkit.
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First, any toolkit will have a three-inch, six-inch, and eight-inch width flexible knives. Second, expect to find an inside-corner knife and a utility knife, aside from the former. Aside from those, you should have a hammer, screwdriver, construction adhesive, fiberglass mesh tape, furring strips, trowel, a pencil, drywall saw, and a drill. For the other more complex jobs regarding drywall repair, you will need to have a hand sander, a nail bar, putty knife, a level, and a hacksaw. Aside from those, be sure to have some drywall joint compound, scrap drywall, mesh tape, paper tape, a jab saw, drywall sanding sponge, sanding pole and sanding sheets, drywall nails, and screws.
From nail pops to gapings in drywall, here the steps to repairing drywall from Plan It DIY.
Easy Steps on How to Repair Drywall
Take your blade knife and clean the damaged area. Cut at an angle so that the exterior part of the hole is bigger than the interior. After that, fill the hole with some painter’s putty. Do your best to make it level with the surface of the wall. Let it dry. Once the area is dry, sand the area until it is smooth and then spackle over the putty. Keep repeating this step until you have covered the whole area.
For medium-sized holes, use a drywall metal patch instead of the putty. Before putting on the metal patch, sand the surface around the hole and wipe off the dust. Take the patch, peel the paper backing off and then firmly press the patch in place making sure that the mesh faces outward. Then, spread the drywall compound over the patch. Feather out the edges, smooth it out and then let it dry. Sand the surface until it is as smooth as the wall.
If the whole is really large, you need drywall patches. Just make sure that it is as thick as the drywall that is already there. Cut a square of drywall that is larger than the whole. Score one side with a blade knife. Snap it apart and then cut the back of the breakline. Take a pencil and draw an outline of the patch around the hole you are repairing. Check if there are plumbing or electrical cords in the area you are about to cut out. If there are no cables, cut out that draw area with a drywall saw.
Screw in the wooden boards behind the drywall – one on top and one at the bottom so that the patch does not fall through. Screw the drywall patch to these wooden boards. Spread drywall compound and then add mesh. Sand the area and keep spreading drywall compound and adding mesh until the patch is undetectable. Once the area is dry, paint over it.
If you are repairing cracks that are usually seen above the door or below the window, smoothen out the crack with an abrasive-coated foam block or a sanding sponge. Apply a thin coat of joint compound on the damaged area and sand it smooth. Apply more coats as needed. After that, spray elastic crack coating on the repaired area.
For battered corners, cut away the metal corner bead with a hacksaw. Pry off the damaged section of the corner bead with a nail bar. Take and hold the new corner bead in place and then mark its length. Cut the new section of the corner bead to its exact length and then attach it with nails. If the area surrounding it is glossy, then sand smooth. Finish the repair with coats of drywall compound. Be sure that the last coats are applied using the 8-inch taping knife.