Repairing a Hole in Sheetrock
In the past week, we have had TWO holes in sheetrock that needed to be repaired.
One was from a water leak. The other from a child who “accidentally” punched the wall and “accidentally” made a hole.
Repairing holes in sheetrock, while annoying because they COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, are relatively simple repairs.
Step One:
Curse, stomp, and generally let everyone within earshot know how put out you are feeling.
Step Two:
Gather your supplies: sheetrock, sheetrock knife, putty knife, self adhesive fiberglass tape, joint compound, piece of scrap board.
Step Three:
Cut out the damaged area. Make it a nice smooth even square or rectangle. Remember that you will be measuring and cutting an exact replica of the space out of sheetrock to fill the hole.
Step Four:
Screw the scrap board into place. This acts as a support under the new patch of sheetrock from the backside of the wall. Is that confusing? Basically you want a board that extends horizontally beyond the edges of the hole by a couple of inches. You will then screw this into place through the existing sheetrock. Now you have something for the new piece of sheetrock to lean against so that it doesn’t just fall into the dark abyss. Depending on the size of your hole, you may need more than one board.
Step Five:
Use the self adhesive fiberglass tape on all the edges to secure the sheetrock piece in place.
Step Six:
Use a drywall or putty knife to apply an even coat of joint compound over the patch and fiberglass tape. You will want to extend the joint compound well over the edge of the fiberglass tape. Remember your goal is to create a seamless patch. You will want to taper and feather the edges so that it blends.
Step Seven:
Allow to fully dry. Lightly sand. LIGHTLY being the keyword.
Step Eight:
Repeat steps Six and Seven.
Step Nine:
Once the patched area is smooth and even with the wall, it is time to paint.
