​Drywall repair sometimes can be a DIY type of project. There are holes that are so small the homeowner could take care of them him/herself if they desire to put the physical effort in.

If the drywall hole is small, you can buy a wire mesh patch sold in small sizes, which you can place over the hole. In addition, you will need mesh tape to apply at the seams between the wire mesh plaster patch and the existing wall or ceiling surface.

If the drywall hole is large, you will need to obtain a piece of drywall 1/2" or 5/8's thick, depending on the thickness of your existing board, cut a square piece a little larger then the hole itself, place the drywall piece over the hole, mark around it with a pencil, and then cut out the squared hole. Next, cut two pieces of strapping larger than the hole and screw the pieces inside the hole with drywall screws so that you will be able to screw the new piece of drywall patch in place onto the strappings. The next step would be apply the mesh tape at the seams along with 2 coats of spackle/mud with a putty knife at a width of about 8-10 inches to blend in with the existing surface. Make it as smooth as you can, wait for it to dry and sand it before you apply a textured finish to match the existing finish or keep it smooth to have it ready to prime and paint.

In summary:

• Get a piece of drywall 1/2" or 5/8's thick
• Cut a square piece and mark around with a pencil
• Install pieces of strapping for the new patch
• Apply mesh tape and 2 coats of mud
• Make it as smooth as possible
• Wait to dry and sand it

Drywall repair can be extremely messy, especially when you need to sand. So, before you do anything, cover and protect the work area. If you don't want to deal with the mess, hire a professional plasterer to handle it for you. Contact Boston Plastering for assistance.

Boston - MetroWest - Worcester - South Shore - North Shore

"How to fix drywall" may be a popular search question because it seems like the repair is super simple. For a professional drywaller or plasterer, yes, it's very simple. But one of the things customers tend to forget about is the mess involved with any simple repair, especially plaster or drywall repair.

Drywall does not normally crack across the board itself, instead, it usually cracks along the seams or close to the seams between the each board.

How simple it is to really repair drywall? It can become simple with practice. However, for starters, simply applying spackle (or "mud" as commonly called), does not do any good. One needs to locate where the strappings or studs are and screw the boards along the cracks and in an appropriate manner. Then, a mesh tape needs to be applied, we prefer the pink heavy duty mesh tape, which is not cheap, but helps prevent cracks even further. Then, apply 2-3 coats of mud properly, with an 8-10 inch drywall putty knife and at least 16 inches wide, to prevent bumps and to blend in with the surrounding surfaces. It needs to be as smooth as possible because you will need to wait for it to dry to then be able to sand it into a fully smooth finish. If the existing surrounding finish is textured, then you would apply a textured finish to match with the old finish on your wall or ceiling.

In summary:

• Locate the strappings or studs
• Screw the boards along the cracks
• Apply mesh tape
• Apply 2-3 coats of mud using a putty knife
• Make it as smooth as possible
• Wait to dry
• Lightly sand

As a reminder, drywall repair can be very messy, especially when sanding. So, make sure you cover and protect the work area before doing anything else. If you don't want to deal with the mess, contact a professional plasterer to take care of the problem for you. Contact Boston Plastering to assist you.

​Boston - MetroWest - Worcester - South Shore - North Shore

Why You Should Not Plaster Your Ceilings With a Textured Finish