Repairing Drywall Made Easy

If you own a home (or rent for that matter) wear and tear on drywall happens. Unless you don’t do anything in your home, sheetrock gets dented, dinged, and damaged. Repairing drywall is a skill is easy. There are lots of shortcuts you can take to repair any damage, depending on the magnitude of the repair needed. A spackle job is a task most anyone can do on their own. If the damage is substantial, or you need to patch a larger hole it can be a bit more challenging. However, repairing drywall can be easy if you know how.

In this article we’re going to go step by step showing you how to repair a larger hole in drywall. We’ll go over the tools and materials needed, preparation, patching, mudding and taping, and finishing the drywall. In the end you’ll see repairing drywall is easy.

Tools and Materials

Before we get started let’s going over what we need to begin repairing drywall. We’ll start with the tools and give an overview of the drywall specific tools. Next we’ll touch on the materials you’ll need as well.

Tools Needed

• Tape Measure
• Impact Driver
• Utility Knife
• Hand Sander
• Drywall Square
• Joint and Taping Knives
• Mud Pan
• Drywall Rasp
• Drywall Cut-Out Tool or Key Hole Saw

Drywall Square

While a drywall square may not be necessary for small patch jobs but is helpful when measuring and cutting sheetrock. It is used primarily to provide a straightedge to cut drywall with a utility knife.

Taping and Joint Knives

Taping and Joint knives are easily the most important tool in your drywall kit bag. They come in many shapes and sizes, and you’ll need several to do a good job taping and mudding. I recommend a 6 inch Joint knife, and 8 inch and 14 inch taping knives.

A joint knife typically is 4 to 6 inches wide and has a firm metal blade. It will primarily be used to spread mud into the joints and seams between sheets of sheetrock. It’s also used to apply mud over nail/screw holes and drywall tape, as well as tearing joint tape.

A taping knife typically is 6 to 14 inches in width with a flexible metal blade. A taping knife is used to spread mud on taped joints. The wider blade applies mud smoother across imperfect sheetrock surfaces.

Mud Pan

If you’re doing a fair bit of drywall work a mud pan is a nice addition to your kit bag. It’s small enough to hold in one hand while working and wide enough to accommodate most taping knives. Additionally, the mud pan is the mixing container for the mud prior to application.

Drywall Rasp

A drywall rasp is a simple tool to smooth the edges of sheetrock after you’ve cut it. Simply run the rasp along the cut edges of the sheetrock smoothing it for installation.

Drywall Cut-out Tool

A Drywall Cut-Out Tool is nice to have if you’re doing a lot of drywall work. It’s great for cutting out holes for electrical boxes or other cut-outs that are not nice and straight. For most drywall patch jobs this tool won’t be necessary. A keyhole or jab saw can achieve similar results.

Materials

Only a handful of materials are needed to patch drywall. It’s important to know exactly what you need to achieve the best results. I’ll discuss a few of the key things to be aware of in the following section.

Materials Needed

• Sheetrock
• Drywall Screws
• Joint Compound (There are multiple types and you will use more than one type to patch drywall)
• Joint Tape

Sheetrock

Sheet rock comes in many different types, thicknesses, and sheet sizes. The type and thickness are the most important factors to consider when patching drywall. The primary types of sheetrock are Fire Resistant, Moisture/Mold Resistant, and standard sheetrock.

Fire Resistant Sheetrock is typically thicker than standard sheetrock and has a different composition that lends to its fire resistance. It is typically for applications on walls between garages or utility rooms and living areas.

Moisture/Mold Resistant Sheetrock is treated with a mold inhibitor to prevent mold growth. This type of sheetrock is necessary for use in areas with higher humidity or potential for water to splash on the sheetrock such as kitchens, bathrooms, or laundry rooms.

Sheetrock ranges in thickness from 1/4 inch to 5/8 inch thick. When patching a hole in sheetrock you must match the thickness of the surrounding drywall to which allows for smooth transitions that can be easily blended.

Drywall Screws

Drywall screws may not appear to be special, but they are necessary to hang and patch sheetrock. While they may not appear to be much different than any other screw the difference is in the threads. Drywall screw threads are deeper, allowing them to create a strong lasting attachment of the sheetrock to the wall studs.

Joint Compounds

Drywall joint compounds are the least understood and make the biggest difference in how a repair turns out. Like sheetrock there are a lot of different joint compounds to choose from. It’s very tempting to just use pre-mixed joint compound and call it good. However, to do a good job you’ll need a setting type compound too.

Right now, you’re probably asking what’s the difference, they both say they’re joint compounds? Yes they are, but there’s an important difference that impacts how smooth those finished joints turn out. The short answer is shrinkage and workable time.

A setting type compound is mixed as you need it. It comes in large bags. To mix you simply pour the compound into the mud pan, add water and mix. A setting type compound will experience minimal shrinkage. This makes it ideal for filling seams between sheets or gaps between the existing sheetrock and patch. However, when the setting type compound is mixed there is a limited workable time. This time ranges from 5 to 45 minutes depending on the type of compound

A pre-mixed joint compound comes prepared in a plastic container or buckets and ready to go when you open it. I recommended remixing it prior to use. Unlike a setting type compound a pre-mixed compound will shrink more. This makes it less suitable for filling the seams or gaps between sheets. However, it remains workable for much longer and unused compound can be sealed in its container for later use. Because of its longer workability a pre-mixed compound is ideal when taping and finishing sheetrock. It allows for much more detailed time intensive work to create smooth surfaces to be performed.

Joint Tape

Joint tape provides a strong bond between adjacent panels of sheetrock and protects the edges. This prevents joint compound from cracking and crumbling over time. It also helps create a smooth transition between those sheets. Joint tape comes in a few varieties with the main types being paper and fiberglass. I prefer to work with paper joint tape because it’s easier to create smooth joints, however fiberglass joint tape is a necessity in high humidity environments.

Let’s Build: Repairing Drywall

I know patching drywall well seems like it’s a difficult thing to do. Believe me I used to really kind of suck at patching and finishing drywall. That changed after I watched, talked to, and got go few tips from professional drywallers. I’m not kidding it was a game changer. Now let’s be honest here, I don’t really enjoy doing drywall. By no means would I hang and finish any significant amount of drywall. That said, I have no issue doing smaller patch jobs anymore. With that said, let’s start showing you how to make drywall patching easy.

Repairing Drywall Step 1: Prepare The Opening

To prepare your damaged drywall to be patch, first cut the opening out to a square or rectangular area. Cut back the sheetrock to expose the studs to the center line on each side of the damaged area. Another option is to put in a section of 2×4 to serve as your attachment point for the sheetrock. Next measure to determine the size of the patch. For my project I was patching a hole left when I removed an old in wall heater. The heater fit exactly between two standard 16 inch spaced wall studs. The existing opening covered the surrounding studs on each side. Rather than cut back the drywall, I opted to install 2×4 nailer strips in the opening as attachment points.

Repairing Drywall Step 2: Cut The Patch

Cutting the patch to fit the opening is the next step. Using the drywall square measure and mark patch on the sheetrock.

After drawing the outline of the patch cut the patch using a utility knife to score the sheetrock. Using the utility knife cut along the patch outlines drawn on the sheetrock in the previous step.

Bend the scored sheetrock at the cutline and snap it. Use a utility knife to cut the paper backing.

Repeat the entire process to cut the opposite side to of the patch to size. Finally using the drywall rasp smooth the cut sides of the patch.

Repairing Drywall Step 3: Install The Patch

With the patch cut and fit it’s time to install it. First, place the patch in the opening. Make sure it fits well. Ideally it should fit in the opening with gaps of a 1/4 or less. For gaps less than a 1/2 inch joint compound will fill them. If they’re more than 1/2 inch a new patch is necessary.

After the patch is in place the next step is to attach it with drywall screws. Using a impact driver (or screwdriver…) sink a drywall screw into the sheetrock. Sink the head just below the surface of the sheetrock patch, but not so deep that it pulls through. Repeat this process around the patch. Standard spacing between screws is 16 inches, but I recommend every 12 inches to ensure a secure attachment.

Repairing Drywall Step 4: Fill The Seams

With the patch screwed in, the next step is to fill the seams with the setting type joint compound. Using a setting type joint compound to fill the seams around the patch makes a significant difference in how the end product turns out. As mentioned above, a setting compound shrinks less than a pre-mixed compound. This makes blending seam between the patch and surrounding drywall smoother.

Start by mixing the joint compound. Pour a generous amount of the dry mix into the mud pan and adding water. Using a joint knife mix the compound until it has a thick paste like consistency. Instructions for how much water to add to the mix are on the bag of joint compound. As a general rule start with a small amount of water mix it in until its incorporated. Add more water to achieve the desired consistency.

Next apply the mixed joint compound to the seams using the joint knife. Scoop a generous amount of compound out of the mud pan with the joint knife. Next apply it to the seams holding the joint knife in a shallow angle against the sheetrock. Move the joint knife in an angled motion across the seam to work the compound in. Continue this process to fill the seams along all sides of the patch. Use any leftover joint compound to fill screw holes and to begin smoothing the transition to the surrounding sheetrock. Allow the compound to set for a few hours before sanding/scraping off any rough areas.

Repairing Drywall Step 5: Tape and Mud

Taping and mudding is the step that makes for a smooth finish to a drywall patching job. Taping the seams of the patch protects the mud in the seams from cracking and crumbling over time. Pre-mixed joint compound (Mud) are the materials required for this step. A joint knife and wide taping knife will be used to get that smooth finish.

To Start get some joint compound on the joint knife. Apply the joint compound smoothly along one of the seams of the patch. Next apply the drywall tape to the seam. Use the joint knife to smooth the tape along the seam. Cut the joint tape by apply pressure with the joint knife and tear it. Smooth the end with the joint knife.

Next, scoop more joint compound with the joint knife. Then apply a generous layer over the joint tape to blend it into the surrounding patch and sheetrock. Repeat this process for each seam.

Next, using a wide taping knife generously apply joint compound across all the seams and patch. Be sure to spread joint compound along the surrounding drywall as well. Using the wide taping knife, smooth the joint compound across all the seams. Ensuring your taping knife sits on both sides of the seam as you do so. This will help create a smooth transition across both sides of the seam. The joint compound needs to dry for at least 24 hours before sanding. Keep the workspace at a temperature of at least 65 degrees as the compound dries. If it is not, it will take longer and not set properly.

Repairing Drywall Step 6: Sand and Finish

After 24 hours check the joint compound to see if it is dry. It should appear uniformly dry and feel firm to the touch. If it does not, wait to sand it. It may also be a good idea to use a space heater or fan to accelerate the drying process. If it is dry, it’s time to start sanding.

The goal of sanding the mud is to smooth out any lines left and smooth the edges. The surface will be relatively smooth and even after the mud was spread in the previous step. When sanding is done the surface should be seamless across the entire patch and surrounding drywall.

Using a sheet sander with 120 to 150 grit sandpaper sand back and forth across any lines or obvious imperfections. As these lines smooth off move on to the next area. Focus on the edge lines where the mud was spread on the surrounding drywall to blend into the surface. Sand any raised areas along the tape lines and seams.

During this process, be careful not to sand too much or you will expose the tape. If this happens remove and reapply the joint tape and mud.

Carefully inspect the surface as you sand, looking at the overall smoothness. I personally will run my hand over the surface to feel for bumps and imperfections throughout the process. I’ll then sand those areas until they feel smooth and consistent.

Once the entire patch is sanded, transitions are smooth and flowing the hard work is done. Nex wipe down the surface with a damp cloth or sponge. This removes excess dust from sanding. Sanding drywall is a VERY dusty process.

Repairing Drywall Step 7: Prime and Paint

The last step is to prime and paint the patched drywall. Priming the patch in necessary since it is fresh sheetrock. Use a quality primer before painting. I know it’s tempting to use an all in one paint and primer, but the paint will not appear consistent across the patch and surrounding drywall. So it really is best to prime the patched area, then paint it.

And We’re Done!

Congratulations, you now know how to patch drywall. I know this guide makes it sound easy, which it is once you know what you’re doing. The best advise I can give you is to follow the steps outlined here. Don’t be afraid to practice this process. Repairing drywall is more of an art than a science. Take your time and don’t be afraid to mess up. The great thing about doing drywall is you can always sand down and redo the mud if you’re not happy with the results.

I used to hate doing any drywall repairs. It would be a leap to say I love doing it now, but I don’t dread it anymore. It just took a little knowledge and practice to improve my skills. Good luck and happy building!