Tools and Material: Wood (1” by 4” or 2” by 4”) stud, 1/2” or 5/8” drywall (use water resistant in bath areas), drywall compound, drywall tape, cornerbead (maybe), drywall compound pan, drywall wood screws, drill or screwgun, drywall knife (boxcutter), keyhole saw, 4” or 5” drywall putty knife, 10”-12” drywall putty knife, sanding sponge (medium to fine) and face mask.

Prepping the hole and installing new drywall:
1. Anytime you have had a leak, the first thing you need to do is poke a hole in your drywall and let the excess water pour out into a bucket. Then cut out all of the drywall that was wet, don’t skimp here, or you run the risk of mildew and mold exposure. With any other kind of hole just cut out the damaged area, but be generous, go past the obvious damage by a couple of inches all the way around.

2. When cutting out your damaged board, the easiest way is to first determine the rough size of the hole (for water damage this will require cutting out all of the wet areas first), then pre-cut a piece of new drywall that is larger than your opening. Next place the new drywall over the hole and mark the edges with a pencil on your wall or ceiling. Cut out the marked pencil lines with your keyhole saw.

3. Check your opening by inserting the pre-cut piece of new drywall into the hole insuring a good fit, then saw a piece of wood stud that is 4”-5” larger than the two vertical or horizontal sides of your hole (it doesn’t matter if you go up and down or side to side with your studs, as long as you do both together). If there are obstacles in your way such as wall studs or electrical boxes you may have to resize your opening to go around these obstacles, just re-do the steps in section 2.

Finishing with drywall compound:
1. Take your drywall pan and fill it with joint compound. Using a 4-5” putty knife apply a thin coat of compound (about 1/4” thick) along a joint, just enough to cover the joint, make sure the coat of compound is thick enough to hide all of the drywall it covers, go over the compound until it is smooth and uniform, then place a piece of drywall tape over the area and using pressure on the back of your putty knife wipe down the center of the tape removing all of the excess compound. Allow this coat to dry for 24 hours.

2. After the tape coat is dry, apply another coat using a 10”-12” putty knife. Thoroughly cover the tape with compound but make your coat only as thick as it needs to be to cover (about 1/8”), so tape does not show at all. Go over the compound with your blade held almost flat until compound is smooth and uniform. Putting pressure on one side of your putty knife feather the edges. Once both edges are feathered go down the middle of your coat one more time with your putty knife held almost flat with pressure on the blade, this is to smooth out the compound. Allow this coat to dry completely, may take longer than 24 hours.

3. After the second coat (called a block coat) is dried, repeat the step above. If possible, use a 10” knife for the block coat and a 12” knife for the finished coat (called a skim coat). Allow this coat to dry thoroughly (usually 24 hours).

4. Take your sanding sponge (we do not recommend using a sanding block or any other method using regular sanding paper , regular sanding paper tends to scratch drywall finishing), and lightly sand until the area is smooth. Make sure that you do not have any humps in the finishing. You will have to sand as much or as little as necessary to insure a smooth and flat finish that will blend into the surrounding area once painted. Make sure you sand without a lot of pressure or you will scratch your work. Note, drywall dust is lighter than air and may require re-cleaning a few times to remove all of the dust.
Caution:Be sure to use a face mask when sanding, drywall dust can damage your lungs.

Want a professional to do any or all of your drywall repair? Call Liberty Now!