While the term ‘drywall repair’ may initially sound daunting, fixing a hole in drywall is actually a lot easier than you might think. Drywall repair typically does not take more than a few hours, and can also be done for a low cost and without contracting any experts. For whichever drywall repair you need, we have supplies readily available at HomCo Lumber and Hardware. With just a few hours and a little bit of elbow grease, your drywall, and house, will look as good as new!

Watch the video! How to Fix a Hole in Drywall:

Learn how to fix a hole in drywall with HomCo’s expert, Mike! Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions:

How to Fix Smaller Drywall Holes:

There are a variety of reasons there may be a small hole in your drywall. Sometimes something smacks into the wall and damages it. Sometimes there is a small screw hole in your drywall. Sometimes the drywall itself has popped away from the stud and the nail is pushed through it. Whatever the reason, smaller holes in drywalls are a quick and easy fix. They don’t require many materials to repair; you just need some spackle, or joint compound, a putty knife to smooth the material down, mesh material for drywall repair, or drywall tape, if the hole is under six inches, and a sanding block or sandpaper to smooth the joint compound down after it dries. Don’t forget to feather, or flatten, the joint compound as you spread it so that it will blend into the wall.

When you are repairing popped screws in the wall, this means that the drywall has come away from the stud, so you will need to nail the drywall back with a new nail. You won’t need to sand or paint over the old screw holes if you don’t want to, but it is recommended that you paint over the larger holes so that the joint compound doesn’t clash with the current paint on your drywall.

How to Patch Large Drywall Holes:

Larger holes in the drywall are less common and can be caused by rarer accidents, like something large falling onto the wall. Larger holes will require more care and a few more materials. Instead of covering the six-inches-or-larger hole with just joint compound, which physics will not allow for unfortunately, you will need to cut and fit a new piece of drywall. Thankfully, drywall is available for sale at HomCo Lumber and Hardware, and you can swing by and purchase the size closest to what you need.

The most important thing to remember when repairing larger holes is to provide support for the new drywall. After you cut a surrounding area in the drywall while making sure to avoid any wires, you will need to hammer in some stabilizing wood on the two sides of the hole. This will make sure that the drywall doesn’t bow or fall out of its place. Some recommend that, when you cut your too-big replacement piece, to cut off the extra when fitting it, but leave the paper intact. This will provide something smooth to spread the joint compound over, and it won’t sink into the wall when it dries as much. Whether or not you leave the paper, make sure to put the mesh drywall material over each of the sides to provide support for the joint compound. Also, don’t forget to feather the mix when you spread it so that the finished product is easier to sand. After doing two or so layers of the joint compound to make it even, sand it out when it dries. Make sure that the wall is as even as you can get it, and you will be able to paint over the hole as if it never existed.

Repairing Drywall Corners

Sometimes the corners on drywall become damaged, and though it is not a difficult fix, it requires a few more steps than the general drywall repair. House corners should come reinforced with a metal corner that runs from the ceiling to the floor. If the metal piece hasn’t been damaged, you should be able to cover it with the joint compound and sand and paint it over, but if the metal has been damaged, you’ll need to replace that as well. You’ll need to cut away the damaged strip and remove it from the wall, and you’ll need a small saw for that. Depending on the material used, you may need to pry some screws and nails away if it was a heavier-duty metal. After that, you’ll cut a new, undamaged piece from your purchased corner. Make sure to avoid bending it while you cut it to size. You can also file any rough parts away with a metal file. After that, secure the new corner to the wall with some nails, since those are easier to get flush with the drywall. Instead of putting on new drywall, like with the large holes, you’ll just use the joint compound to smooth over the metal, and sand it away when dry. Paint over it, and the corner should look good. Make sure to layer the compound at least twice, and wait for it to dry completely before you sand it.

After that, your corner should look as if the damage had never occurred!

Next steps: Fix a hole in drywall

Drywall is a repair that doesn’t take much time, many materials, and it doesn’t require much stress. You can get it done in an afternoon and still have time for a movie. Hopefully, this post and our video have helped you with your own drywall repairs to get your walls looking fresh and brand new. If you have any other questions about drywall repair, or anything related, you can head on over to HomCo Lumber and Hardware and speak with our Building Material Center associates about drywall, and our Tools associates for any tools you may need to get your house in tip-top shape. Our Paint Department is also available for any paint matching you may need for getting your walls looking great. We’re always happy to help at HomCo Lumber and Hardware!