Patching Things Up: Fixing a Hole in Your Wall
by Jessica Groach
Home Improvement Ideas Columnist
It makes you mad every time you look at that nasty hole in your wall--but home repair projects give you hives.
Patching a hole is one home repair project that's cheap and easy. Here's how you do it.
Plaster Walls:
- Measure and draw a rectangle around the hole, keeping the hole at its center.
- With a utility knife or keyhole saw, cut out the rectangle in one piece.
- Buy a scrap of drywall for hole repair. Using the removed rectangle, trace this shape onto the new drywall.
- Mark an area two inches wide around the rectangle's perimeter.
- Cut the drywall along the inner line, leaving the paper intact, all the way to the outer line. You'll have a rectangular piece of drywall with an outer flap of paper.
- Apply topping compound to the paper edge.
- Plug the drywall into the hole, paper out. The hole is repaired, but you'll need to press the paper edge against the wall until it sets.
- Once that dries (about 24-48 hours), sand the edges flat and paint it.
Hardwood Wall:
- Trace a circle around the perimeter of the hole with a compass. Cut it out with a keyhole saw.
- On a piece of wood that matches the color and grain of your wall, trace the same size circle with the compass.
- When cutting the new circle, angle the drill to create a taper at the back of the plug, for easy insertion into the hole.
- Test fit the wood into the plug to make sure it fits, lining up the grain. Sand down rough or uneven edges.
- Coat the edge of the plug with wood glue, and insert it into the hole. When dry, sand the plug flush with the wall.
Sources
About the Author
Jessica Groach, a new homeowner herself, is a freelance writer and writing instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
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