Patch nail holes in drywall

Drywall is an excellent building product—the sheets are relatively easy to hang compared to old-school plaster and lathe , and most folks can learn to mud and tape a drywall joint fairly quickly. One aspect to mudding and taping the process of making all the sheets look like one plane is learning how to patch screw or nail holes in drywall.

Nail and screw holes occur for a few different reasons. For one, hanging a piece of drywall involves driving a nail or screw through the front of the sheet and into the wall stud behind, leaving roughly 30 holes in a sheet.

Secondly, hanging a picture or a shelf from a wall requires creating a hole in the drywall. Of course, holes can just happen in drywalls as well maybe your kid accidentally butted her hockey stick through the wall. Regardless of the reason for the hole in your wall, this guide will cover how to patch screw or nail holes in drywall. Patching holes in your drywall is a fairly simple task that you can probably do yourself without calling a repair person.

There are some slight differences in technique when patching different holes, though the process remains mostly the same. Also, remove any loose drywall paper with the utility knife. If you have a paddle mixer, tighten it in your drill and mix the compound, being careful not to lift the spinning paddle above the bucket. Just be sure to mix until any separated water incorporates with the mix. Once mixed, scoop a bit of compound out onto the hawk or into the tray and clean off the putty knife.

A little goes a long way, so add it sparingly. Joint compound shrinks when it dries, so it may be necessary to apply a third coat. Lightly sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper. Apply primer to the repair area, then paint. For this size job, its best to take advantage of the many wall repair kits available at home improvement stores.

Choose a wall kit that fits your size hole. The kit will generally include the following items:. Follow the packages instructions, but here are general steps so you can see how easy it is to use one.

If you can reach inside the hole, pull out any debris and run your fingers around the edges to smooth it out as much as you can. You will have some sort of mesh or stabilizing patch in your kit with a tacky coating on one side. Put that over the hole, sticky side on the wall. Use the spackle in the kit to cover the entire patch. Apply in a crisscross pattern and feather the edges so it blends in with the walls surface.

Use what the kit suggests to further smooth out the spackleit could be a wet sponge or sandpaper. Let dry. Recommended Reading: Varisi Nail. The patch comes stuck to a 6-in. Everybody has a tube of toothpaste lying around. You can use toothpaste to fill small nail holes in your wall.

Its the fastest way to get the job done. Toothpaste is a great quick fix if youre in a pinch. For example, you may have your landlord coming by in less than an hour to take a look around. In that case, grab whatever you use to keep your teeth shiny and white. Its important to note that toothpaste eventually cracks as it dries.

Resultantly, its no good for filling larger holes, such as those accidentally made by a hammer. However, theres a trick that will eliminate this problem. Hopefully, you also have a few aspirins lying around. If so, crushed one or two aspirin and mix them with a small amount of toothpaste. The mixture will seal the hole and wont crack. All you need to do is apply the toothpaste to the hole, let it dry, and youre all set. Again, without painting, this quick fix method only works with white walls.

Also, it will only work with white toothpaste. If needed, a trip to the store for a small tube of white toothpaste is a lot easier than making your way to a hardware store. Recommended Reading: Hongo Cura Reviews. The process for how to fill nail holes that are a bit larger in size is pretty much the same as filling small nail holes, with the added caveat that youre probably going to want to add some reinforcement by means of adhesive-backed fiberglass mesh tape.

Heres how to do it:. If so, dont worry there are multiple ways, some easier than others, to fix the mistake and either make your hole smaller or fill the existing one completely to be able to make a new hole of the right size. In this article, you will learn about eight such methods that work mainly with wood.

You can use the putty knife to scratch off the surface area to expose the nail or screw. If it's a nail, use a hammer to push the nail back into the drywall so that it's flush with the wall.

If it's a screw, use the appropriate screwdriver to push the screw back into the drywall. Now that the nail or screw is pushed back into the drywall, you can use the drywall spackle over the spot to fill in the gaps.

Again, wait a few hours for the spackle to dry, then use the sandpaper to even out any bumps. Go over the area with a couple of layers of paint -- and that's it. Damage to your drywall can be an eyesore or a nuisance, but it doesn't have to be.

Now, the next time a hole or a ding in your drywall happens, you don't have to break a sweat. Follow the steps above to achieve a clean, even surface on your wall. And, if you're interested in more easy home fixes, try our guide on how to clean your oven with ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

How to repair your drywall: Small holes, dings and nail pops Whether you rent or own, holes, cracks and nail pops in your drywall can happen, but fixing them is easy.

Julie Snyder. May 31, a. Covering up unsightly holes and marks on your wall is easier than you might think.