Patching Holes In Drywall

By: Merle Henkenius (Page 2 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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Doorknob Dents

Doorknobs cause the most common and recurring type of damage. If a door is flung open too forcefully and there's no doorstop, the knob can hit the wall with enough force to leave a big dent or even break right through the drywall.

The damaged spot can simply be filled with joint compound or patched with a new piece of drywall, but those repairs won't protect the wall from the next collision. A better, easier fix is to install a protective Wall Guard Plate ($3) from Homax Products. This 5-inch-diameter, adhesive-backed plastic disk is tough enough to withstand any doorknob crash. But perhaps the very best part is that you can finish this repair in only a few minutes.

Start by carefully removing loose bits of gypsum and drywall paper from the damaged area (step 1). Then, peel off the backing paper from the disk and press the disk to the wall directly over the dent (step 2). That's all there is to it. If you like, paint the disk to match your wall (step 3).

Step By Step

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.