Sometimes patching in a small hole or crack in a damaged wall can be a real challenge. However, there is a technique that I have used over the years that works very well, is not expensive to do and it is a simple drywall patch that really works.
In this example I am going to show your how to make a repair in a wall using a 5"x 8" area that has a damaged section in the center of it. I actually had a client ask me how to make a repair in their bathroom using this exact size and these are the drawings I did for him which will work great it this article.
The drawings show the patch done both vertically and horizontally.
With drywall this type of patch of this type you come up with a solution on not only what to patch the hole with but also there is not need for drywall tape to be used because the 1" paper edges act as the drywall tape. Plus you won't need any nails or screws to attach it.
Once the hole has been cut, take some drywall and cut a piece that is
about 1/4" smaller in width and height (7 3/4" x 4 3/4") then the
entire area that you are working on. The next part is a little tricky,
but not difficult to do if you follow these instructions.
Take the piece of drywall you just cut and lay it on a workbench or piece of scrap plywood
and put it face down. On the back side use a pencil and a ruler and
measure and draw lines in from the edges 1" all the way around the
piece of drywall you just cut.
You will now need to score the lines with your utility knife
one end at a time. As you get each end scored, you are going to snap
the pieces and carefully pull them away from the paper. When you are
done, you will have all the paper remaining and just the center section
of drywall remaining. This will be used as a patch to repair the damage
area of backer board. See the drawing below.
Next you will need to take some joint compound and using a
small putty knife apply the joint compound to the 1" area left in the
the 5" x 8" area of the wall. You can apply it a little thick. After
that you will take the "patch" that you made as indicated in the
drawing above a place it so the drywall part of it fits into the hole
in the damaged section of the backer board that you cut out and press
the paper against the joint compound. Using your putty knife, flatten
out the paper by pressing and sliding the knife against the paper so
the it fits nice and flat against the wall. You will be squeezing out
some excess joint compound that you can scrape off and wipe way with
the putty knife.
Next there will be a series of photos showing the concept
mentioned above using a couple of pieces of drywall. The section of
drywall with the hole cut out represents your wall where the patch is to be made.
The first few photos show the steps taken when working on the 7 3/4" x 4 3/4" piece of drywall that will become the patch.
Score along drawn lines on back of drywall with the utility knife.
Snap end piece back.
Carefully pull of piece leaving the paper.
Drywall shown with piece removed and paper remaining.
Cut, snap and remove all remaining pieces.
How piece will look after all pieces are removed.
This shows the hole to be fixed with the piece above that will be used to make the patch.
Make sure piece fits in the hole properly. You can always
scrape away and excess drywall if it needs trimmed a little. I drew
lines on the front of the piece just to give you a reference point
between the drywall and paper.
Apply a coat of joint compound with a putty knife to the 1" area around the hole.
Insert the patch into the hole with the paper against the joint compound.
Use a putty knife to flatten and smooth out the paper of the patch.
Patch is now in place with all edges smoothed out. Let this dry.
After the patch dries, you may want to apply a few thin coats and a finish coat to to blend the piece into the wall.
You should use drywall sanding clothe or a sanding block to sand lightly between coats as in the finishing drywall process.
Once your patch is complete, you can then paint over it, install wallpaper or tile, whatever the job calls for.
Rick Maselli is Founder and Editor of Showroom411.com