How to Repair Sheetrock

Posted by Marylou Biederman in Renovation

Everyone who owns a home occasionally has to deal with unexpected circumstances. The boiler could break, the roof could develop a leak and need repair. You could even suffer from storm damage that requires extensive repair work. Compared with these larger issues, a small hole in the wall feels like a minor issue. Even so, many people put off repairing their wall blemishes due to the belief that it is a difficult, time consuming task. Sheetrock repair can be done in a number of ways, but here are some rules for getting it done as quickly and easily as possible.

The first step is to take a sharpened utility knife and remove all the loose sheetrock from around the hole. Make the lines straight to form a square or rectangular hole. The straighter the lines, the easier it will be to fit your new piece into place.

If the wall studs are not accessible from the hole you are going to need to cut two thin strips of plywood about 4-6 inches longer than the hole, when measuring from top to bottom. Insert each strip inside the hole so that they run vertically across the hole and screw each end with a drywall screw.

Then cut a new piece of sheetrock to fit into the hole. You can purchase small sheetrock pieces good for patching holes as most hardware stores. If the piece fits, screw it into place using the plywood strips as studs.

You are now done with the heavy duty part of the job. You will then want to cover all four joints with drywall tape and then use a spackle knife to cover the tape and all screws with a layer of joint compound. Wait one day and then sand the joint compound smooth with a piece of drywall sandpaper. Add another layer of joint compound and let dry for another 24 hours. Sand once again, and if the wall is smooth it is ready to be painted. If not, apply another layer of joint compound and repeat this step until the whole section is perfectly smooth.

Fixing a hole in your wall is a diy home repair project that can be done with little technical skill. Most homeowners can complete this project in just a couple of hours spread over 3 or 4 days.

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Tags: diy home repair, hanging sheetrock, repairing sheetrock, sheetrock installation, sheetrock repair, sheetrock tools