Repairing Damaged Drywall

CLEAT THE HOLE

You then cut a couple of 1x3 cleats about 6 inches longer than the area you’re going to patch. You should then work the cleat into one side of the recess and cinch it to the rear of the drywall with 1-inch drywall screws. You should repeat for the other side. The cleats will keep the drywall patch from falling into the wall. Please make sure your drywall screws are counter sunk just below the drywall to insure coverage and concealment with drywall compound.

CUT THE PATCH

You should then cut a piece of drywall to same dimensions as the hole you’ve cut and set the patch in the recess against the cleats.  Then use a 1-inch drywall screw to fasten the patch to the cleats and tape the joint around the patch with fiberglass drywall tape. You may use paper drywall tape also if you prefer.

MUD THE PATCH

You should then apply a thin coat of drywall compound over the tape with a trowel or putty knife. Please remember that your edges do not need to be perfectly smooth because you will be sanding it smooth once dried (see your compound instructions).

SAND THE SPOT

To finish you start with a damp drywall sponge and sand area smooth (Do not drench the area with water). The process may take several coats of thin drywall compound and sanding until it’s smooth for painting (Follow instructions on compound container for finishing compound).

PAINTING

To paint the area you should first match the current paint color with a paint swatch booklet of some type. Most of your home improvement stores have them available. Once you have matched said area you should apply a nice primer coat according to directions. Once primer is dry you should mask off area with painters tape and apply your paint color. The paint is best applied with a roller to insure adequate coverage.

It should be noted that it may take several coats to cover your repaired area if you’re changing colors from dark to light.