In modern construction and repair work, drywall is a very popular material. With its help, interior partitions are made, walls, ceilings are aligned, and they also create elegant decorative elements to decorate the interior. With its simplicity and versatility, this material has one main drawback - susceptibility to mechanical damage. Strong shocks, careless rearrangement of furniture and even active children's games can cause unwanted defects on the surface of such a wall. In this regard, the question of how to close a hole in drywall is relevant for many homeowners today, so in this article we will pay special attention to this topic.
Preparation for work
If you find such a flaw in the wall or ceiling, you should not panic, as this situation is fixable and does not require large financial costs from the owners. The restoration of such structures is a fairly easy process that can be performed independently, using simple materials.
Before starting work, it is necessary to clean the hole in the drywall - remove hanging pieces of paper and remove weakly held and deformed elements. Next, you need to determine the dimensions of the damaged area. Measurements should be made taking into account all cracks, chips and scratches. If a wall section has failed due to flooding with water, all wetted parts of the sheet must be replaced. Focusing on the extent of the damage, they determine how to repair a hole in drywall in a particular case.
Basic repair methods
Depending on the size of the hole, the method for eliminating the flaw is chosen. Repairing a damaged wall can be done in the following ways:
- using putty and reinforcing tape;
- method of creating a patch;
- applying a patch with preliminary arrangement of the crate.
Small cracks in drywall and holes with a diameter of up to 50 mm are eliminated in the first way. In this case, it is enough to stick a sickle on the damaged area and apply 2-3 layers of putty on top of it (with short time intervals). After the solution has dried, the restored surface must be sanded with sandpaper to achieve maximum smoothness.
In order to eliminate holes with a diameter of up to 100 mm, drywall is used , the thickness of which is equal to the thickness of the sheet being repaired. Holes greater than 100 mm should be removed in a third way. Both of these options require prior preparation and the availability of certain tools and materials.
Preparation for work: the choice of tools and materials
When installing a drywall patch, you will need the following tools:
- a construction knife or a hacksaw for metal for trimming and processing material;
- a planer for stripping the edges of the sheet;
- measuring tool (ruler, tape measure, etc.);
- marker;
- metal and rubber spatula;
- screwdriver or screwdriver;
- self-tapping screws;
- container for kneading putty.
If you need to create a crate to install a patch, you must first prepare wooden blocks and a hacksaw for wood. Of the materials you need putty and a new drywall. Small holes can be repaired using old plaster trimmings. If these are not available, then they can be purchased at any hardware store.
Nuances of the choice of putty
Going for putty, you need to clearly understand what kind of mixture you need. For the sake of economy, many prefer conventional gypsum, but soon regret their decision. This is due to the fact that this material shrinks and cracks when dried, so it is better to purchase special mixtures for drywall.
When choosing a putty mixture, it should be borne in mind that if it comes to work in the bathroom or kitchen, it is better to use cement mixes. Plaster compositions are suitable for work in warm and dry rooms. If repairs are planned in several rooms at once, polymer compositions should be used, since they are universal. When all the materials are prepared, you can begin to work.
How to patch a hole in drywall with a patch
If the diameter of the unwanted hole is more than 10 cm, then to eliminate the defect it is necessary to apply a patch of the same material. To do this, you need:
- Using a hacksaw, process the uneven edges of the hole.
- Carefully cut the damaged section of the sheet, giving the hole a uniform shape (square, triangle or rectangle).
- Using a ruler, take measurements from the new hole.
- Using a knife, remove the front layer of cardboard by 2 cm from all edges of the hole. In this case, the gypsum mass must be left untouched.
- On a prepared sheet of drywall, draw a similar figure, but 2 cm wider from each edge. From the back of the patch around its entire perimeter, remove 2 cm of gypsum and cardboard, leaving only the outer layer of paper.
- Cut drywall, the thickness of which corresponds to the thickness of the wall material, try on the hole.
- Apply plaster mixture around the perimeter of the hole.
- Install the patch and press firmly.
- Align the surface and the joints of the two sheets with putty.
- After the solution has dried, smooth the surface by sanding with sandpaper.
It is also allowed to apply a patch by cutting its edges and holes at an angle of 45 degrees. In this case, the inner contour must be processed at the workpiece, and the outer contour at the hole.
Installation of a patch with the manufacture of a lathing
Now we will consider how to close a hole in drywall when its size is more than 10 cm. In such cases, it is necessary to install a wooden crate, which will prevent the patch from entering the space between the gypsum sheet and the main wall.
The repair process is divided into the following steps:
- Measurement of a damaged section of a wall or ceiling.
- Creating a drawing of a future patch on a piece of paper (a margin of 2 cm is made on each side of the figure).
- Cutting a patch according to a drawing.
- The manufacture of battens. Here, small wooden blocks are used, the length of which is 4 cm more than the width of the hole.
- Setting the bars. Planks are installed on the inside of the drywall sheet (above and below the hole) and are fixed with screws on the edges of the hole or in the center.
- Installation of a patch. The finished patch is laid on the installed crate and fastened with screws from each edge.
- Seam and patch surface treatment with putty.
If damage takes up most of the sheet, it will be easier to completely replace the entire plate.
Finish finish
At the end of the work, when the surface is plastered and smoothed, it is time to proceed to the finish. Here you can use paint, decorative plaster and stucco, the main thing is that the restored area does not catch the eye and does not attract attention. An excellent option may be the decision to hide the repaired drywall under the wallpaper. Paper canvases perfectly hide all flaws of surfaces, so there will be no trace of past damage.
A few words about the repair of plasterboard ceilings
Perhaps, many are familiar with the situation when the surfaces of walls and ceilings are corrupted as a result of flooding by neighbors from above. In this case, it is rarely possible to solve the problem by installing a patch, most often you have to change the entire drywall.
Repair can be much cheaper if, at the time of detection of a leak at the lower point of the suspended ceilings, a pair of holes for moisture exit are made. Their further disguise will take no more than 30 minutes, while the entire ceiling does not have to be changed. If the water has affected a small area of the hinged structure, it can be restored using any of the above methods.