Drywall Repair - Large Holes

Drywall Repair - Large Holes - There are several ways to accomplish repairs of big holes. Before deciding which way to use you might want to consider what caused the hole and where it is located. For example a hole caused by a door knob swinging into it, you would want to reinforce it as you repair it.

Before attempting a drywall repair. Make sure the room is sealed off airtight. This can be accomplished by using tape to hang sheets of plastic over doorways. If it is a door you will use while work is in progress make sure to use overlapping sheets. So you have to weave your way through them to enter. Overlap all edges by at least one foot. Drywall dust has an uncanny ability to find any leaks and get out going all over the place if you let it.

The way you would reinforce a large hole repair is to use a knife to cut out a square around the hole. Make sure that two edges opposite each other go into the closest support beams by 1/2 the width of the beam. Then cut a new piece of beam just long enough to go in between the two pre-existing beams. Put it in place with the big flat side facing the drywall. This way you reinforce the maximum area with one board. Place it flush with the pre-existing beams. Toe nail it into place. (Toe nail means nailing at an angle so as to go thru the end of one board by an inch or so and into another board.) Be sure to toe nail both top and bottom on both ends.

Get a new piece of drywall the same thickness as what you cut out. Cut it to the size of what you cut out. Insert it in place and nail the edges where the beams are. Place self stick drywall tape over the edges, putting the crack down the middle. Apply drywall compound over the tape. Keeping it as thin as you can while making sure it hides the tape. Spread the compound out a few inches beyond the tape. Making it thinner and thinner the further away from the seam you get. When it dries, sand it smooth trying to make the compound as thin as possible without having the tape show thru. If you make a mistake and take too much off just re-apply compound and start over.

The perfect joint may spread out a bit. But it will be so thin and so gradually reducing to nothing that you won't be able to detect it once painted, even with the use of a spotlight aimed down the wall. Most professionals can make a joint disappear to the naked eye. Only the best can make them disappear to a spotlight aimed right. With the use of a spotlight most are thick enough that you can see the bumps they create. To make them disappear to the naked eye is plenty good. If you for some reason need to make it completely disappear it can be done this way with a few tries.

If it is a smooth surface wall you are done, just prime and paint. If it is a textured wall buy a can of spray texture to use. Make sure every inch of floor/furniture is covered with a drop cloth. Also make sure you are wearing rags. As when you spray it is going to get all over, just like the drywall dust.

Follow directions on can. You might want to experiment on a scrap piece before you spray it on a wall. Once sprayed you are done if you are trying to match a ball type texture. If it is knockdown type you will need to roll over it with a fine nap or no nap roller, thus flattening the balls. After all is cured and dry, prime and paint. A flat gloss paint will hide more imperfections than a semi-gloss.

If it is a spot that doesn't need reinforcing skip adding the beam behind it. If it is a medium size hole, one strip of drywall tape will cover it. Then mud and sand it just like it was a seam. Always make sure you like the results before priming and painting. As it is easy to sand and redo before but not after.