Patching Holes in Drywall

Drywall is prone to damage, most frequently from doorknobs which might hit the wall repeatedly and too hard. Drywall is not difficult to patch. However, you should measure and cut carefully when patching holes in drywall so that the finished wall is a uniform surface. To prepare for patching holes in drywall, you will need a utility knife, scrap lumber, drywall, a drywall saw, screws, joint tape, joint compound, and a taping knife.

To prepare for patching holes in drywall, cut a patch piece of drywall with a utility knife. If there is trouble cutting the drywall, then score the lines with the knife, and fold along the scoring. Then cut from the other side of the drywall also. Hold this patch piece up to the hole in the drywall and trace around it. Using a drywall saw, cut along the markings.

Next, cut two pieces of scrap wood so that they are at least six inches (15 cm) longer than the height of the opening in the drywall. Attach these pieces of wood to the inside of the wall with two drywall screws at each end. Secure the drywall to the pieces of wood with screws in each of the four corners.

The next step in patching holes in drywall is to apply self-adhesive fiberglass-mesh joint tape over the joints. Next, smooth the tape with a taping knife. Apply joint compound with a taping knife and smooth the compound over the tape. Make sure the joint compound is smoothed, and allow it to dry completely — and turn completely white — in between coats.

After the first coat of joint compound, apply two additional coats. Each coat should be applied farther than the previous, and a wider knife may be needed as you go on. If the first two coats dry unevenly or roughly, sand them down. Sand the final coat with 120-grit sandpaper and a rubber sanding block until there are no obvious ridges at the outer edges. when you are patching holes in drywall, make sure that you do not sand into the paper facing of the drywall.

Lightweight joint compound is a new option in joint compound. This lightweight compound not only dries faster than standard joint compound, but is is obviously of a lighter weight than standard compound. However, lightweight joint compound does not dry to as hard of a surface, so it can be damaged more easily.