Hanging and taping drywall strikes terror into the heart of any homeowner who is knowledgeable about renovating. This is because those of us who have ingested pounds of gypsum dust will probably tell you to leave it to the pros who have the knowledge, experience and tools. A good drywalling company can hang and finish drywall at breakneck speed leaving very little dust in their wake.

However, almost everyone has had the experience of putting the edge of a piece of furniture or a doorknob through a wall. Both incidences usually leave a fist-sized hole in places which can't be readily hid by pictures. Now you could call a handyman service but for these small jobs there are some tips which can make your blemish disappear.

Tools

First let's get the proper tools. You probably have most of these:

1. 4 ½ inch steel knife

2. Premixed drywall compound

3. Paper tape

4. Fiberglas tape

5. Tape measure

6. Utility knife

7. Drill with a drywall bit

8. Straight edge

9. Small piece of drywall

10. Small piece of strapping (1” X 3”)

Patching A Hole

1. Using the straight edge draw a square box around the hole with the sides measuring to the nearest inch. That is, if the hole is approximately 3 3/8” in diameter make the square 4”.

2. Using the straight edge as a guide use the utility knife to cut the hole until you have a perfect 4” square. When cutting through the gypsum take your time and go over the cuts many times until the knife is though to the other side.. Make sure the lines are straight.

3. Cut the wood strapping 4” longer than the hole. So, if the hole is 4” cut the wood 8.” This will go in behind the hole to support a new piece of drywall. Make a mark halfway down the top side. So if the side is 4” put a mark at 2”. Now put another mark 1” into the drywall from the hole. On these two top and bottom marks start a drywall screw.

4. Find the middle of the piece of strapping and mark it: In this case it would be at the 4” mark. Feed the piece of strapping inside the hole and position it so that the mark is in the middle of the hole. This means that there is a 2” overlap on the upper and lower parts of the wood. Adjust the wood so that the wood is under the positioned top and bottom screws. Drill the screws through the drywall into each end of the wood being careful not to put it throu. The piece is now behind the drywall as a support for another piece of drywall to cover the hole.

5. Cut a square piece of drywall to fit inside the 4” hole.

6. Now, place this piece into the hole and attach it with 2 more screws.

The hole is now neatly filled.

Finishing

1. Make sure the 4 screws are countersunk, that is just below the surface of the wall so that the heads can be covered with compound.

2. With the steel knife fill the cracks and screw head dimples with compound.

3. Cut enough pieces of tape to cover the four slits that have been covered with compound.

4. Dip them in water and carefully place them over the mudded slits.

5. Press the tape so that it melds with the compound and cover the tape with another thin layer of compound. Let dry for 24 hours.

6. Carefully sand this flat and put on another thin layer of compound.

7. Let stand for another day and then sand smooth.

8. Primer and paint