Perhaps the most common home repair is fixing a hole in the wall. When I was young, my grandfather would babysit my brothers and I while mom and dad were off earning a living. What our parents called child care, my grandfather interpreted as napping and most afternoons we had the run of the house. Now on more than one occasion, something was said and something was thrown, and some how we ended up with a hole in the wall. It happens to the best of us. Not wanting to risk losing our afternoons of freedom or our grandfather’s reputation, my brothers and I became experts at repairing holes in the wall. As and adult with kids of my own, I’ve found that the holes keep coming whether we want them to or not. The only thing we can do is know how to fix them properly. It is a very easy repair that can be performed in a few hours. I should also note that the directions below refer repairing fairly large holes. Small holes can often be painted over or repaired with a bit of patching plaster.
There are two primary methods of hole repair that we will cover here. The first involves using a simple plaster patch. Begin by marking out a rectangle on the wall around the hole that you wish to repair. Using a small saw carefully cut out the rectangle. Next you will use the rectangle as a template to make an outline for a duplicate, replacement rectangle out of a piece of plaster board. After making your outline, use a ruler to extend the rectangle two inches larger on each side. Once you cut out your two-inch larger rectangle you will have created your patch. Remove the paper from the backside of your patch around the two inch overlap. Apply patching plaster to the overlap area and place the patch in the hole in the wall. Make sure to apply adequate pressure to the patch to make sure that it sets correctly. Finally, sand over the overlap area to ensure that it is flush with the wall and finish by painting over the area.
The second method for repairing a hole in the wall involves using patching plaster instead of the patch. Begin by cutting out a piece of metal screening a little bit larger than the hole that you intend to repair. Insert a few wire ties through the screening and into the hole. Using the wire ties, affix a piece of dowel vertically across the outside of the hole, this will help hold the screen in place. Next, plaster over the entire area using your patching plaster. Let this coat dry and then remove the dowel and wire ties. You can now add a finishing coat of plaster over the area. All that is left is to sand the plaster patch and apply a fresh coat of paint.
Knowing how to repair a hole in a wall may be one of the most valuable skills to learn in home repair. It is a fairly simple procedure that can be accomplished quickly and easily
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