Small holes in it can be filled but a large hole requires a patch – removing the portion of damaged drywall and replacing it with a new piece. Here is the step-by-step process for installing such a patch, which will take a couple of days to complete.

You will need:
A new piece of drywall to use as a patch
A keyhole saw
Pencil
Sharp knife
Drywall compound
Putty knife
Sandpaper

1. Use a keyhole saw to cut out the damaged portion of wall. Cut out a crude square.

2. Cut a patch from the new piece of drywall. It needs to be 4 inches larger than the hole in the wall; so if the hole is a square with 6 inch sides, the patch needs to be a square with 10 inch sides.

3. Lie the patch face down and draw lines 2 inches in from each side. You should finish up with a tic-tac-toe pattern on the back of the patch, with the centre square being the same size as the hole in the wall.

4. Score along the lines, removing the rear paper and breaking off the gypsum rock, leaving the front sheet of paper in place. You will now have a piece of drywall which fits into the hole, but has a sheet of paper on the front with overlaps to the existing wall. The patch needs to be just slightly smaller than the hole will go into.

5. Apply plenty of drywall compound around the hole and on the inside of the edges. Push the patch into the hole and squeeze the excess compound out, using it to smooth down the paper onto the wall. At this point you need to be careful not to put pressure on to the patch otherwise it will be pushed into the wall, leaving a depression in the surface.

6. The patch must now be left to dry overnight.

7. Once dry, the patch can be sanded down to remove the high points. A second, very thin, layer of compound is then applied over the entire patch.

8. The patch is again left overnight to dry.

9. A final sanding down will be needed to produce a smooth finish, which can then be painted over.

The hole in the wall has now been patched and should look as good as new. The hardest part of a drywall repair is getting a smooth finish; the amount of mess on the rear of the wall is irrelevant because it will never be seen.

Written by Andrew Michaels as found on his site at Helium.

Walls: Smooth out those ugly nail pops for good.

Popped drywall nails and screws are common in old and new homes alike. It’s tempting to just pound the fastener back in and fill the divot. But this is a short-term solution. To permanently fix the problem, drive a new nail or screw to reattach the drywall to the framing and remove or bury the old fastener. Don’t be scared off by the extent of damage, even in extreme cases where the nail pop was made worse by an overzealous drywall installer. In situations like this, the crushed drywall must be removed before you fill the hole.

We used lightweight spackling compound to fill the damaged area. It dries quickly, doesn’t sag and is easy to sand. Expect to apply two or three coats to cover a large hole. The drying time between coats will depend on how deep the hole is. Use a fine sanding sponge or 100-grit drywall sanding paper to sand the patch before priming and painting.

Refasten the drywall with 1-1/4 inch drywall screws. Drive the screws until they are recessed but don’t break through the paper covering on the drywall. If you accidentally drive a screw too deep, add another screw alongside it.

Cut out crushed or damaged drywall with a sharp utility knife. Bevel the cut and don’t leave any fuzzy bits of paper that would be hard to cover with the patching compound.

Bury drywall nails in the wood framing with a nail set. Back out and remove old screws.

Fill the damaged area and the holes left by the new screws with lightweight patching compound. Use a flexible putty knife to apply the compound and smooth it. Apply two or three coats, allowing each to dry completely before recoating.

Painting Drywall

The most important tip is to make sure the drywall is in good shape. If it is bumpy, lumpy, or has holes here and there, that is what your finished painted project will look like as well.

You have to start with a smooth surface. Make sure that the drywall is smooth, where no nails are popped up, all divots from screw indentations are filled, joints where drywall sheets meet are taped down, and all necessary areas are mudded and sanded.

Also note that any spots not properly filled in, mudded, and/or sanded will show through the final coat of paint. And before you buy the paint; make sure you understand that the glossier the paint finish is, the more likely you will see any small imperfections in the end.

After you have properly prepared the drywall and chosen your paint, the next important step is to choose your brushes/rollers. Don’t buy the cheapest you can find, because a good quality brush may be a little more expensive, but it will allow the paint to gently flow on the drywall surface. Some brushes are made for certain paint types and textures, so read carefully before choosing your brush. For high wall areas, make sure you also use a roller pole for easier reach and flow of painting.

If you need to mark off the area you are painting from other areas, such as the trim or the floor, use painter’s tape. If you use duct tape or regular masking tape, it will ruin the surface which it was applied. Make sure you mark off any door hinges or jambs as well, as getting paint in there can affect how easily the door opens and closes.

And if you wonder to use primer or not, ask yourself this: is the drywall new? Is there a glossy paint already on it? If either of these questions is yes, then use a primer, or you will regret it later. The primer will cover over the surface and allow the paint to “stick” better to the wall.

The last word of advice is to be patient. Let each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next coat. Use primer if necessary. Let the final coat of paint completely dry before removing any of the painter’s tape. If you remove the tape too soon, you may be taking some of the paint with it, and have to repaint those areas.

Happy Painting!