Patching Holes In Drywall

By: Merle Henkenius (Page 1 of 5)

1. Tear off any jagged paper edges and remove bits of crumbly gypsum from the area crushed by the doorknob.

2. Peel off the backing paper from the Wall Guard Plate, then stick it to the wall directly over the damaged area.

3. The white plastic plate can be left as is or painted to match the wall. It will accept both oil- and latex-based paints.

1. Use a drywall saw to carefully cut away the damaged section, after you have marked the cut lines on the wall.

2. Install four metal mounting clips onto the edge of the cutout. Be sure the two spring tabs on each clip face out.

3. Cut a new drywall patch to fit the cutout, then secure it with two screws driven into each of the metal clips.

4. Grab onto the metal spring tabs with needlenose pliers and snap them off below the drywall surface.

5. Cover the seams around the drywall patch with strips of self-adhesive, fiberglass-mesh tape.

6. Spread a coat of joint compound over the whole patch — not just the taped seams. When it's dry, sand it smooth and repeat.

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What You'll Learn:

Drywall is great stuff, but sooner or later you're going to have to repair a dent or hole in it. It's as inevitable as the next stock market correction. You know it's going to happen; you just don't know when.

Patching drywall, regardless of the size of the hole, is fairly simple with the proper tools and techniques. We'll show you how to tackle three common repairs: covering up doorknob dents, patching large holes, and filling in voids caused by sloppy cutting around electrical outlets.

Keep in mind that drywall patching often requires you to do some painting, too. Before beginning a repair, be sure to have the appropriate paint on hand for touch-ups.