HOW TO PATCH, REPAIR A LARGE HOLE IN DRYWALL

HOW TO PATCH, REPAIR A LARGE HOLE IN DRYWALL (PAGE 1 OF 2)

Okay, There are many different ways of patching a big hole in damaged sheetrock. I want this patch to be complete in 2 trips so I'm going to be using "Hot Mud". (I'll explain as I go)

I'll show you step by step what I feel is the best way to patch larger holes.

Note about texture: Later in the project we will have to try and match this texture. It's too thick really to be called an orange peel. It looks like a knock-down that never really got knocked down. Anyhow, we will try to make our texture match. We will call it a "splatter" This is going to be a fun.

To see pictures of various drywall textures click here

Various Drywall textures

STEP 1

If you look at the picture below, to the left of the big hole you can see an air bubble deal. Fixing that is not part of the deal but, I'm going to do it anyway. I just can't stand to leave it. The 1st thing you want to do is square the hole up using a keyhole saw. There are 2 ways of going about this. Some people like to cut the sheetrock back to the middle of the closest stud. I like to just saw mine flush with the edge of the stud and nail on some 1" by 2" chunks of wood. For me it's the fastest way.

STEP 2

After you get the hole squared up you need to nail or screw on your backing material (1"x 2" wood chunks is what I use). For the top and bottom you will need to hold the board in place with one hand while you screw with the other. Watch out for your fingers.

STEP 3 & 4

Now cut and hang your patch piece of sheetrock. You can see by the picture below, not only did I screw the patch piece real good, I also screwed the area around the patch. This way everything is good and tight and the patch will not crack. I also dug out the bad air bubble on the left.

I do this for a living so in order to make money, I have to go fast.. I am going to be using mesh tape and "Hot Mud" for the 1st coat.

If you're scared of the hot mud, you can use regular all purpose joint compound and paper drywall tape. To learn about how to tape with regular mud and paper tape go here How to hand tape If you do use regular mud and paper tape you must wait 24 hours before you can 1st coat, then another 24 hours before you can 2nd coat.

If you decide to use the mesh tape, make sure to use hot mud. If you need to know more about different types of mud (joint compound) click here All about Joint Compound

Stick on the mesh tape, you can see by the pictures how and where to apply the tape.

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