Drywall Repair
Some of the most quoted repairs we do are holes in drywall. In this post, we thought we would give a walkthrough of proper drywall repair for those that want to do it themselves. If however, after reading this you decide it is more than you want to take on, then contact Queen Bee Cleaning, and we will take care of it for you!
Tools Required:
1. Tape Measure
2. Utility Knife
3. T- Square, Carpenter Level, or Straightedge
4. Drywall Screws
5. Driver or Drill with Driver Bits
6. Keyhole Saw
7 Drywall
8. Drywall Joint Compound
9. Drywall Tape (This Author Prefers Paper Tape)
10. Mudpan
11. Drywall Taping Knives
12. Chop Saw or Skilsaw
13. 2×4 Nailer
14. Sanding Block
Prep The Area
The first step in any Drywall Repair is going to be to prep the area where the hole is. Remember, the main requirement for a Drywall Repair is a “nailer” to screw the new Drywall to. Reaching into the hole can determine if you are close to a wall “stud.” Often it is easier to cut the hole over to where a stud is to use that for a nailer. If the hole is not close to a stud, in the middle of the wall, or as we say, “in the field,” then you will have to create a nailer.
After determining whether you will have a stud available on one side of where your hole is, or if you have to create nailers, the next step is to layout your cuts. Using your straightedge tool (T-Square, Carpenter’s Level, Straightedge) and Tape Measure, measure how big your hole needs to be. It is important to make sure to cut big enough to get any crushed sheetrock where the hole was created out of your new hole. Mark out a square and make sure you have a large enough sheet of Drywall available to fill it. Mark out a square or rectangle with your Pencil. Use your Utility Knife to score through the paint and layer of paper on your existing wall. Take your Keyhole Saw and proceed to carefully saw where your lines are until you have a new squared-off hole.
Prepare Your Hole
Now that you have a nice square or rectangle hole cut, now you need to cut Nailers to screw the new Drywall to. The purpose of the Nailer is to give something to screw to when filling the hole. A 2 x 4 works great and can be cut with a Chopsaw or Skilsaw just slightly longer than your hole is tall. Measure your hole height then add 4 inches, two for the top, and two for the bottom. Slide in your 2 x 4 and secure them with Drywall Screws using your Drill and Bits or Driver. Make sure to have half of the 2 x 4 available to screw the new Drywall to.
After you have cut and installed your 2 x 4 Nailers the next step is to cut the Drywall to fit. Again, using your Tape Measure and Straightedge tool, mark out with your Pencil a piece to match your cut out. Then, score through any layers of paint into the Drywall paper underneath. Then, using your Keyhole Saw, carefully cut out your new piece of Drywall.
Install & Tape
Using Drywall Screws, and your Driver or Drill with Bits, secure the new piece of Dryall to the Nailers. Make sure you drive the screws slightly below the surface of the Drywall! Next, fill your Mudpan with Joint Compound than using your smallest Drywall Knife, proceed to fill the gaps around the new Drywall piece. Take your Drywall Tape, and press it into the wet Joint Compound, then using a larger Drywall Knife, hold one end of the Drywall Tape, while using the Drywall Knife to smooth out the excess Joint Compound. Finally, take your largest Drywall Knife and use it to coat the entire area with a final skim coat.
After taping, let the Joint Compound dry for at least 24 hours before sanding with your Sanding Block. It is necessary to do this sanding and skim coating process at least twice before the wall will be ready to paint.
That’s It!
Although Drywall Repair is not hard, it is tricky. It takes patience and a bit of acquired skill to get it done right. If this repair is something you would rather not do, remember, we make it easy to Get Clean with the Queen!