How to Patch a Hole in Dry wall

Step by step instructions on how to patch a hole in sheet rock or drywall. This "how to" article is meant for smaller holes that do not have a large diameter. Larger holes sometime require more work or the need to cut out more drywall and replace it with new drywall.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a putty knife or scraper
• sheetrock joint compound
• sanding block - fine/medium grit
• Sheet rock mesh
• boxer cutter / utility knife

1. The first step is to prepare the hole to be patched. Use your utility knife to cut off any rough or uneven edges around the hole.

2. Then use the sheetrock mesh to cover the hole completely. Slightly overlap the mesh. I have often saw people pack the hole with newspaper before covering it to give it a stronger backing.
   
   The sheetrock mesh can be found at any hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes. I always get the one with the adhesive backing.

3. next use your putty knife and cover the area completely with the Sheetrock joint compound. Smooth it out as much as you can with the putty knife while making sure the area is covered well. This will normally take anywhere from a few hours to a day to dry completely.

4. After the sheetrock joint compound is completely dry sand the area down as smooth as possible. Be patient. Often times you may need to repeat this step and the previous step two, three, maybe even four times to get the desired results you are looking for.

Tips & Warnings

• be patient, sometimes it may take from a couple hours to a couple days for you to get your desired results. The good thing is its a fairly easy repair and you can always sand the join compound down and start over.
• the joint compound/patch is paint-able and after completed and painted should look like the surrounding wall
• if you are allergy sensitive you may want to wear a dust mask to avoid breathing in the dust when you sand down the joint compound