How To Fix Nail Holes In Drywall

October 13, 2021

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Using Larger Anchors And Oversize Screws

How to Fix Drywall – Repairing Nail Holes – Drywall Repair

Perhaps the easiest way if you have the necessary hardware to get around the problem of a hole thats too big for a screw is to just use the existing hole, but use wider anchors and matching screws. Depending on the specific situation, a toggle bolt might be the best choice.

In case the hole needs to be expanded a bit to accommodate the larger screw or anchor, it can be widened slightly using an appropriately sized drill bit. If using a longer screw, make sure its not too long or it may pop out of the other side.

Sand The Spackled Area

After the spackle is dry, sand it down with your fine-grit sandpaper. The goal is to get the spackle to be completely flush with the wall. Be careful not to press too hard when youre sanding so that you dont accidentally over-sand and cause a dent in the surface area of the spackle. If you do sand off more than you mean to, add a bit more spackle, smooth it out, let it dry, and sand again.

How To Fix A Hole In The Wall

Easily repair a hole in the wall of any size with these step by step instructions.

Flipboard

No matter how careful you are, live in a home long enough, and you’ll find yourself with some holes in the walls to patch. And if a small section of wall is really badly stained or damaged, you’ll have to cut out the affected area and cover the hole with a drywall patch.

Fortunately, fixing holes in drywall doesn’t require a lot of time or experience. Wall-repair kits, available at home centers and hardware stores, make it even easier. How you should proceed with your repair depends on the size of the hole you have to fix.

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Dry Sand And Prime The Drywall

Allow the joint compound to dry for two to four hours. Apply a second coat of joint compound. If the patch is not blending in well with the surrounding wall, use a broad feathering knife to draw a wide, thin coat farther out on the wall.

Inspect the area. Joint compound shrinks when it dries, so it may be necessary to apply a third coat. Lightly sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper. Apply primer to the repair area, then paint.

How To Fix A Small Hole

A small hole is anything considered about ½ inch to five inches in diameter . For this size job, its best to take advantage of the many wall repair kits available at home improvement stores. Choose a wall kit that fits your size hole. The kit will generally include the following items:

Small tub of spackle
Self-adhesive patch
Putty knife

Sanding pad

Follow the packages instructions, but here are general steps so you can see how easy it is to use one.

Tools and Materials Needed:

Touch up paint for your wall

Step 1: Clean the Hole

If you can reach inside the hole, pull out any debris and run your fingers around the edges to smooth it out as much as you can.

Step 2: Apply the Patch

You will have some sort of mesh or stabilizing patch in your kit with a tacky coating on one side. Put that over the hole, sticky side on the wall.

Step 3: Spackle the Patch

Use the spackle in the kit to cover the entire patch. Apply in a crisscross pattern and feather the edges so it blends in with the walls surface.

Step 4: Smooth the Spackle

Use what the kit suggests to further smooth out the spackleit could be a wet sponge or sandpaper. Let dry.

Step 5: Prime and Paint

Touch up the area of the wall with prime and paint to match your wall.

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Holes Between 11/2 To 6 In Diameter

Holes ranging from 11/2 to 6 in. diameter must be bridged with an even stronger, more rigid material. We used a 4×4-inch galvanized-metal patch from Homax to repair a 2 1/2-in. diameter puncture caused by a doorknob. The company also makes 656- and 8×8-in. patches. The patch comes stuck to a 6-in.-sq. piece of adhesive-backed fiberglass mesh.

Quick Nail Hole Fixes In A Pinch

Everybody has a tube of toothpaste lying around. You can use toothpaste to fill small nail holes in your wall. Its the fastest way to get the job done.

Toothpaste is a great quick fix if youre in a pinch. For example, you may have your landlord coming by in less than an hour to take a look around. In that case, grab whatever you use to keep your teeth shiny and white.

Its important to note that toothpaste eventually cracks as it dries. Resultantly, its no good for filling larger holes, such as those accidentally made by a hammer. However, theres a trick that will eliminate this problem.

Hopefully, you also have a few aspirins lying around. If so, crushed one or two aspirin and mix them with a small amount of toothpaste.

The mixture will seal the hole and wont crack. All you need to do is apply the toothpaste to the hole, let it dry, and youre all set.

Again, without painting, this quick fix method only works with white walls. Also, it will only work with white toothpaste. If needed, a trip to the store for a small tube of white toothpaste is a lot easier than making your way to a hardware store.

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Filling Large Nail Holes

The process for how to fill nail holes that are a bit larger in size is pretty much the same as filling small nail holes, with the added caveat that youre probably going to want to add some reinforcement by means of adhesive-backed fiberglass mesh tape. Heres how to do it:

Your first step will be to apply a layer of adhesive-backed fiberglass mesh over the nail hole. This mesh tape is a bridging material that adds additional support and stability to holes of a certain diameterup to 1 ½ inches. Sand the area around the hole first to ensure that you have a flat surface for the adhesive, then cut a piece of mesh to size. Youll want it to extend about 1 inch around the hole on all sides.

After the mesh is in place, apply your spackle using the same techniques mentioned above. To ensure that the spackle properly adheres to the mesh, allow it a longer dry timeat least five hours, though preferably overnight.

When the spackle is dry, use your fine-grit sandpaper to smooth it out. You may notice that the layer over the mesh is a bit thin, but thats okay. After sanding, apply a second layer of spackle, smooth it out, and allow to fully dry again.

Give the second coat of spackle another sanding after its dry. If it still doesnt fully cover the mesh, apply a third coat.

Once any ancillary coats of spackle are dry and sanded, use a small paintbrush and paint the covered up hole as needed.

Easy Ways To Fix A Screw Hole That Is Too Big

Fixing Small Holes and Nail Pops

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Did you make the mistake of choosing the wrong drill bit and making your screw hole too large?

If so, dont worry there are multiple ways, some easier than others, to fix the mistake and either make your hole smaller or fill the existing one completely to be able to make a new hole of the right size.

In this article, you will learn about eight such methods that work mainly with wood. You will also learn what to do in case your hole is in metal or drywall.

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How To Fill Nail Holes In Your Walls

onThis post may contain affiliate links.

If you really want to transform your rental into a space that feels more special, personalized, and stylish, you will most likely need to hang things on the wall. And while I have become a big fan of hole-less hanging via Command Strips in recent years, there are still some things that require nailing or screwing into drywall . This shouldnt stop you though because patching up drywall holes is quicker and easier than you might think. Today, I want to show you how to fill nail holes in your walls using an easy, inexpensive all-in-one product. This tutorial is sure to come in handy whether youre getting ready to move out or you just made a mistake hanging your new art. Lets get to it!

Use The Kit In 4 Steps:

First, hand-sand around the hole to smooth any rough spots. Wipe off any sanding dust with a damp cloth.

Then cut a piece of fiberglass mesh to overlap the hole by at least 1 in. on all sides. Peel off the paper backing and press the mesh to the wall.

Spread a layer of spackling compound over the patch with a 6-in. drywall knife.

Let it dry overnight, sand lightly, then apply a second thin layer. If needed, apply a third skim coat after the second one dries.

Note: Use a 6-in. drywall knife to smear spackling compound through the mesh and over each hole. Let the compound dry, then sand lightly.

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Let The Drywall Patch Cure

Allow this first layer of joint compound to dry. Drying time may take up to two or three hours. You can speed up the joint compound drying time by ventilating the area and by keeping the room warm. Once the joint compound is dry and solid, lightly sand down any high spots with a drywall sanding sponge.

Remodeling : How To Patch Nail Holes Tips From A Master Painter

Drywall Repair: How to Patch a Hole in the Wall

After wreaths and framed artwork come down, what are you left with? Walls and doors with random holes from nails and tacks, the bane of many a real estate broker. How to get back to pristine walls? For advice, I turned to Albert Ridge of Ridge Painting in NYC. Albert, who grew up in County Galway, Ireland, and is known in my northern neck of the city as the most meticulous housepainter around. Covering up imperfections is all about the art of disguise, Albert says. Here are his tips.

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Preparing The Drywall Area

1Use spackle to repair holes less than 4 inches in diameter. Spackle can be used to repair holes up to the size of your hand. You will have to use a support like mesh or wire to repair holes larger than 4 inches in diameter.XResearch source

2Buy light spackle at the local hardware store. Spackle can be bought in different weights and sizes. You can use light spackle for small drywall holes.XResearch sourceAdvertisement

3Use 150-grit sandpaper on the drywall around the hole. Drywall is made from a combination of gypsum, facer paper, and backer paper. When drywall is damaged, these materials cause the drywall to splinter and some smaller fragments will stick out from the wall. If you leave these fragments untouched, the putty won’t stick to the wall properly. Using 150-grit sandpaper will smooth the area around the hole if it’s badly splintered.XResearch source

Place the sandpaper over the hole and rotate it back and forth between clockwise and counterclockwise a few times. This keeps your repair area smaller than sanding from side to side.

You can use 100-grit sandpaper if the drywall isn’t badly damaged.

If you’re patching a small area, like a nail hole, you can simply push the drywall in with your thumb or the base of a screwdriver, then spackle over the indent you make.

Don’t worry about removing paint around the hole. You’ll be painting over the area again later on.

What Causes Nail Pops

Modern drywall systems are largely installed with drywall screws. Drywall screws may occasionally snap off but they will never pop out. Instead, the nail pops in your ceiling and walls are caused by short drywall nails that are no longer firmly attached in the two-by-four studs.

Most houses built prior to the 1970s that have not been subsequently remodeled will almost always have drywall hung with nails, not drywall screws. Made of galvanized steel and with a broad head, drywall nails generally range from 1 1/8-inch to 1 7/8-inch long. Even if you have walls that have been built after the 1970s, you might still have wallboard hung with drywall nails, since some drywall installers prefer to use nails.

As the wood studs dry out over time, the wood fibers lose their grip and are no longer able to hold the smooth shank of the drywall nail. The nails protrude, usually bringing drywall compound filler and paint with them. It is usually fruitless to pound the nails back in place because the wood will not hold the shank.

Multipurpose joint compound

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How To Repair Drywall

The fact that drywall panels are so easy to join also makes them easy to repair. Simple paper joint tape and a small amount of drywall compoundknown in the building trades as mudis all it takes to repair most small holes in drywall surfaces.

Paper joint tape is not self-adhesive, but it does easily adhere with a light application of joint compound with a drywall knife. Paper tape is preferred over fiberglass mesh joint tape. Even though the mesh tape is stronger, it is thicker and more difficult to finish down smoothly.

The techniques described here are for small holesno more than 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Larger holes require a different repair method that provides more support than merely bridging the hole with joint tape.

Using Baking Soda And Craft Glue

Repairing A Drywall Nail Pop. Tips repairing drywall, wallboard, or plaster. Sheetrock Repairs.

You can also use baking soda to fix nail holes. Heres how you go about it:

Take a small amount of baking soda, pour it into a bowl.

Now add liquid glue concoction and mix the two to form a well-blended paste.

Apply the thick paste over the nail holes and give it ample time to dry, at least an hour.

Take a puffy knife, kitchen knife, or ruler and scrape off excess paint around the hole.

If the paste results in a different shade from the one in your wall, consider repainting over the nail hole for uniformity.

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How To Patch Nail Holes In Drywall

While it might feel intimidating at first, patching nail holes in drywall is actually one of the simplest projects around.

My number one recommendation is to start by grabbing this 3M 4-in-1 Patch Plus Primer. It will make everything so incredibly easy and youll be left wondering why in the world you didnt do this sooner.

Why Not Just Caulk Sand And Paint

The real way to fix a hole in the wall is to shoot some caulk or spackling into the hole, let it dry, sand it with fine sandpaper to make it flush with the wall, and then paint over it if needed.

You may be wondering, why not do this method? Its not all that difficult. Thats true, but do you have caulk and sandpaper? Do you know how to use them?

The method we show you here is something many of us can do with just what we have on hand. Its true that caulk will last longer than toothpaste, but unless you stick another nail into the toothpaste, it will keep that hole filled for a very long time, and be very unnoticeable.

So if youre in a hurry, or you cant just go buy some spackle, sandpaper and paint, this is another option that really will work!

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Using Materials From Home For A Quick Fix

1Mix toothpaste and aspirin as an alternative to spackling paste. Use a mortar and pestle or a bowl and sturdy spoon to crush a tablet of aspirin. Squeeze out about .25 inches of toothpaste onto the aspirin powder and mix them together into a paste. Apply this thick mixture to small nail holes with a craft stick or other small, flat tool.XResearch source

If the aspirin and toothpaste won’t mix evenly, add a drop of water to the mixture.

This filler can be used in drywall or plaster walls.

Alternatively, make a paste using 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a few drops of water.

2Rub a bar of soap over the holes to fill them without tools. Rub a dry bar of soap over your nail holes, back and forth. Stop once the holes look filled in. Run a dry cloth or rag over the surface of the holes to wipe excess soap pieces away.XResearch source

Avoid using a wet or damp rag, which can melt or dissolve the soap.

Opt for a white soap if you have white walls.

You can use this method for either drywall or plaster walls.

3Squeeze craft glue into nail holes to fill them quickly. Purchase a bottle of white craft glue online or from a craft store. Position the nozzle in front of each nail hole and carefully squeeze in glue until the hole is full. Wait for the glue to dry, then scrape away any excess glue around the outside of the hole.XResearch source

You can also apply craft glue to the nail holes with a cotton swab.

This quick solution can be used for plaster walls and drywall.

Gearing Up For The Project

How to Fix Popped Drywall Nails and Screws

With confidence and enough time, you can fix holes in walls like a pro. Ideally, youll want spackle for the job. Youll also need a little fine grit sandpaper, andyesif you want to do the job right, youll need paint to match the color of your wall.

Youd begin your mini home improvement adventure by purchasing supplies. However, you dont need much to fix small nail holes in walls.

At a minimum, you want to get your hands on fine grit sandpaper or a sanding sponge. The sandpaper will enable you to make any damage less obvious.

Its understandable not to want to paint after fixing a small hole. After all, if you only need to fix one or two small spots, painting makes the job more of a chore.

In that case, its understandable if the job doesnt feel worth the effort. With this in mind, here are a few DIY methods that will save some work and a trip to the hardware store.

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