How to Estimate Damaged Drywall
To estimate damaged drywall, it helps to be aware of some of the newer drywall repair products on the market--repairing large holes and matching texture is easier than it used to be. Once you've come up with a plan for the drywall repair, it's not hard to estimate how much time and materials will be required. Whether the damage is limited to nail-pops or a hole caused by a door knob, or more extensive damage from a water leak, drywall repair is a job that most people can accomplish with some basic hand tools and a little mess.. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Fiberglass drywall tape
- Metal mesh patch
- Drywall
- Joint compound
- Door handle bumper
- Spray texture
Instructions
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Measure the hole. If it's less than 1 inch in diameter, you will be able to fix it with some fiberglass drywall tape and spackle or drywall mud. For larger holes, up to 6 inches wide, get a 6-inch metal mesh patch. These make it a much simpler process to repair a larger hole than cutting, fastening, taping and mudding a patch using drywall.
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Purchase sheets of drywall for larger repairs and replacing large damaged areas. If possible, take a piece of the old drywall to the store with you to make sure you get the correct thickness. If not, measure it. Drywall comes in various thicknesses from 1/4- to 3/4-inch. Typically, thinner drywall is used on ceilings, and thicker drywall is installed on walls.
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Purchase one gallon of joint compound (also called "mud") for every 100 to 200 square feet of drywall repair and taping, if the damage is extensive. One gallon of premixed joint compound is usually more than enough for doing multiple repairs.
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Stick a door handle bumper over a hole in drywall caused by a door being opened too hard. These are adhesive, paintable white vinyl discs that cover the hole and prevent further damage.
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Allow about eight hours between coats of joint compound, unless you use a quick-setting drywall compound or "hot mud." Bear in mind, the quick-setting joint compound is harder to sand.
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Buy some aerosol spray texture for matching texture. You should be able to match most common drywall textures, including orange peel, skip-trowel and acoustic popcorn ceiling. The aerosol spray cans are expensive but much faster and less expensive than renting a drywall texture sprayer. Depending on the type of texture you are matching, a 20-ounce can will cover between 50 and 100 square feet.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase good-quality tools, such as metal drywall knives instead of cheap plastic ones, and professional drywall sanding tools.
Look for "dust-free" joint compound. Instead of floating through the air and coating everything in the room, the dust falls straight to the floor and is easy to vacuum up.
Never wash excess joint compound down the drain or scrape it back into the bucket. Scrape it into the trash instead. It's OK to clean what's left on your tools down the sink.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit drywall tools image by Sherri Camp from Fotolia.com
