How to Fix a Hole in Your Drywall

Drywall is a fantastic building material and a great way to throw up easy and affordable walls in your home. However, it is also very easy to put a hole in it either by bashing it with something or in some cases even falling into it!

If the hole is big enough for you to put your finger in it is a good idea to patch it, rather than just sticking some filler on. We will discuss patching in this blog.

What Is Patching?

Patching involves putting a wire mesh over the hole in the drywall which the filler or ‘spackle’ can then cling to. The filler will not have a lot of integrity and is challenging to make it flat when it has nothing to cling to. The mesh will just stick on the wall, meaning you can repair that annoying hole in a matter of minutes!

Where Do I Get the Patches?

You can get the drywall mesh online or in any hardware shop. You can often find sets that contain the mesh, the filler, and a spreader, which is everything you need for the job.

Step 1: To begin, clear out any loose debris in the hole you want to fix. Rub about the inside of the hole with a knife or screwdriver until all the dust and other loose product is removed.

Step 2: Cut out the mesh to a suitable size, or pick a suitable size if they are pre-cut and place the sicky side over the hole and against the wall. The patch should now be covering the hole and very flat against the wall.

To be extra sure, take your putty knife with no filler on it and move it across the meshing. This will ensure it becomes as flat as possible against the wall.

Step 3: Take a generous amount of filler on your putty knife and begin working it into the mesh. Go back and forth ensuring it is as smooth as possible until the shape of the mess starts to disappear as it is replaced by the smooth filler.

This process is not complicated, and it shouldn’t take too long, but take your time. Once it is finished, leave it for a few hours until it is dry. Check the packaging to see how long the manufacturer suggests you should leave it for.

Step 4: Once the material has fully dried, take some sanding paper and get to work smoothing the filler out. Eventually, it should be integrated into the wall, apart from being a different colour. Any waste from the sanding should be collected by a wet paper towel and disposed of in the pin, do not flush this paper towel to run the risk of blocked drains.

All the filler needs is a lick of paint, so make sure you use the paint that matches the wall!

A Tip for Painting

It is key that you use exactly the same colour of paint when you are coating over the filler. However, even then the newer paint will likely still stand out depending on what the original paint was applied. Consider repainting the whole wall, if the patch is bothering you, as it is the only way to make things truly uniform!