I have big uneven holes in the drywall. Any suggestions how to fix it?
Question:Give me some specific details, please!
Answers:
Drywall putty... fill the holes, sand down so it is flush and then repaint over where the putty is...
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/patchdr...
You can purchase a repair screen at any home center ( Home Depot etc..) and apply sheet rock mud , then sand smooth , if you have textured walls you can purchase a roller and use the mud like paint for a textured effect. Hope this helps.
You can go to Home Depot and pick up a drywall hole patching kit.
It is basically a wire mesh the will go over the hole and then you put drywall compound over it so that it will kind of fade into your wall. After it dries make sure you sand it down. If you don't sand it down to where it is completely smooth the paint will show it.
Another thing you can do if the drywall is very bad is to either replace the drywall you have now or cover it up with more. If you are going to cover it up and just place the new drywall in front of the old, make sure you buy the thinnest piece or you room will be substantially smaller.
When you say big I am considering several inches across, just so we know.
1. Clear out the hole entirely.
2. Peel back some of the paper from the surrounding drywall.
3. Apply some plaster to that surrounding area - not excessively thick and under the peeled back paper(this is where your tape goes and paper covers it all).
4. Apply drywall " Mesh Tape" over the hole and overlapping the plaster just laid down.
5. Lay that paper back down that you peeled back to allow the tape to be place under it.
6. Apply plaster to the entire area, one moderately thin coat.
7. Apply a second coat - it can be a normal thickness this time.
8. Sand with a fine grade paper until it is even with surrounding wall surface.
9. Paint over if desired.
Note: To determine if the area is even do this:
1. Get a staight edge - could be a piece of a 2X4 even.
2. Tape a pencil to it so that when you slide it will write right on the wall.
3. Start from a point above where you repaired and slide the board right down the wall so the pencil leaves a straight line on the wall.
4. Go right past the point you worked at, but be sure to slide the board over the point you worked on.
If your area is even the mark will be an unbroken line. If your area is not even you will see the line stop at the point your work is raised. This is where you need more sanding.
Just remember when sliding that board lay it flat against the wall so the pencil will write on the wall. slide it down right over your work and look at the line left behind.
If they are huge, cut out the hole, making a nice square opening. If there is nothing behind to screw the drywall to, place a board on the back of the square you are placing in the hole, then screw through the drywall on both sides of your patch to catch your "brace". This will hold your new patch in place. Then tape, mud, sand or wet wipe. YOu hve to patch over your two screws also. Once dry-paint. You are done.
How large are the holes?
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use that repair screen. I can spot that crap within seconds of walking in a room. It never makes a nice patch.
If the hole is 1/2 dollar size or smaller, fill the hole with drywall mud (joint compound). It is truly the only material that sands smoothly and matches the surface of the drywall for large patches. Don't even consider any patching item that is sold in the paint section. These are meant for quick fixes and small holes from picture hangers, etc. It will take more than one coat. Fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand. Be careful not to oversand.
If the hole is larger than that, you will need to fill with a scrap of drywall. To do this, you need something to screw it to, although in the past I have overcut, forced it in and trimmed anything sticking out past the wall with a razor blade (lazy way to do it). If large enough this won't work, you will need scrap wood as well. Cut it larger than the size of the hole, place it behind the drywall and secure in place w/ screws. Then place the drywall scrap (cut to the size of the hole) and screw it to the scrap wood. Then put mud over the joints and any other area that needs to be smoothed out, sand, mud, sand, mud, sand, until it is smooth. Then paint over.
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