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Prep Work: Wall Repair and Caulking

You will probably encounter at least one problem, if not several, when getting ready to paint the walls and ceiling. So here I'll illustrate the way to repair small holes, medium sized holes, larger holes, and cracks. The tools in the checklist are all that would be needed for any of these repairs. With any sized repairs, first scrape any loose paint or plaster from the area.

FOR SMALL HOLES use the two 4" putty knives and the wallboard compound as a filler.

  1. If the hole is larger than, say 1/2", then ball up some newsprint and pack it into the opening so that it sits just below the surface.
  2. With some spackle on one knife, wipe it into the hole. Drag the excess off with the other knife.
  3. Let it dry, lightly sand with a sanding block, and repeat the spackle coat. Let dry again. After you sand it this time it is ready for the priming/painting.

CRACKS AND CREVICES can easily be caulked. Separations, especially where the wall and / or ceiling meets moldings has always been one of my pet peeves. In the paint job it should take place after any sanding and cleaning.

  1. Load the caulk into the gun and have a bucket of water and sponge ready. A rag wouldn't hurt, either (for drips). Cut the nose of the tube at an angle with a pair of scissors. Most paintable caulk should begin to flow out the tube as you press the trigger, though it may require that you break the seal first. Stick a long nail or some kind of pick in the end to do this (and then take it out).
  2. Run the caulk into the crack, careful to release the trigger tab once you've put in the amount you intended. Some caulk may still flow out the nose end, so keep an eye on it. Smooth the caulk now into the crevice with a combination of wet sponge finishing with a wet finger. Check the instructions: most paintable caulks are ready for priming within an hour for small fill jobs.
  3. And be sure to prime the caulking before painting. The binder in the primer will aid in the seal: paint by itself over a freshly caulked area won't stick well to the caulk and hairline separations may show up in the dried paint.

MEDIUM SIZED HOLES OR LARGE CRACKS in the wall can be solved with some fiberglass mesh tape or just plain paper joint tape. This is a good way of preventing a medium-sized repair job from re-cracking later on. You know the cracks: the ones that keep reappearing after each paint job, even after they've been spackled.

AND THEN LARGE HOLES that are around 4" square or more. I did this repair on HGTV's "Help At Home" a few years back. The producers, director, and network big-wigs were on the set that day, and they were all watching somewhat disinterested as I began my segment. First I punched a hole in the drywall "flat" (a free-standing wall portion for TV sets) to have a repair that needed to get done. After the cameras finished taping the segment of my large-hole-repair the head of the network as well as the president of the production company came over to the area and were like little kids... congratulatory with all kinds of questions and comments. "Wow! I've been looking at a hole in my bathroom ceiling for a while now... I'm gonna go home and fix it myself like that!"

It requires a little artistry but is not that difficult to do. You'll need some plaster compound, your putty knives, a keyhole saw, the utility knife, and a small piece of drywall (a little bigger than the size of the hole). This kind of repair doesn't come up too often, so if you don't have a keyhole saw, an old steak knife will do fine.With the keyhole saw, try to cut straight sides for the hole This will merely make it easier for you to cut a matching piece of drywall to fit into the hole.

  1. Drywall can be cut very easily. It's really only a solid plaster sandwich, with paper as the bread. When one side is scored with the razor on the utility knife, it can be then "broken" in half. The other side of the now-folded piece is scored also, and thus, the drywall is cut. For this particular repair, though, you're going to leave a "flap" of paper to act as the joint tape on the patch. I'll illustrate.
    • First cut the piece of drywall so that it's an inch or so larger all around than the hole you are patching. (For example, if the hole is 4" x 4", then cut your drywall piece at least 5" or 6" x 6").
    • Score the back side of the drywall with the razor blade to create a square within the square: one about the size of the hole. Break the pieces of drywall edges off now. Now you should have a solid square of drywall with an inch or so flap of the front paper left on.
    • Mark an arrow on the front of your drywall patch. Put it up at the hole in the wall and trace the outline of the back piece of the drywall onto the wall. Use the keyhole saw and cut any remaining portions of the wall out so that the patch will fit (snugly) into the hole.
  2. Butter some wallboard compound on the wall around the hole with the 4" knife.
  3. Sit the patch in the hole with the paper in the bed of plaster and smooth the excess compound (and any air bubbles) from under the paper by flattening the patch flaps in place with the knife.
  4. Let this dry... lightly sand, follow with the larger knife and put another coat of compound over the entire patch this time.
  5. Let dry again, and sand. One more coat should do it, however if you think you can still see where the wall had been repaired then follow with floating another coat of compound over the patch with the 12" knife. Follow again with the sanding, and it should now be ready for priming.

The Voice of Experience

Cutting Drywall Down to Size: Even with all the repair work I've done, I rarely buy sheets of drywall. It's not that it's expensive (maybe $6 a sheet). The problem is that drywall (also called Sheetrock or gypsum board) is manufactured and sold almost exclusively in 4'x8' sheets — a cumbersome size to carry home from the store. Instead of having to deal with a full sheet of the stuff for your modest projects (especially repair work), there are a few ways to go in order to get smaller pieces. We keep leftover pieces from earlier jobs. A lot of do-it-yourselfers have a similar stock of scrap. Know anyone who fits that description? Ask them for a spare piece. Or if there's some new construction in your area, just ask one of the workers for a piece (I mean, all you need is a small piece, and a lot is tossed in the garbage on sites anyway). Some stores are even beginning to sell half-sheets of drywall. And if worse comes to worst, you can go to a place that sells full sheets, buy a sheet and cut it at the store into a half or smaller shapes to enable you to get it into the car.

 
  MATERIALS CHECKLIST
•  Putty knives: two 4", one 6", one 12"
•  Drywall piece
•  Fiberglass joint tape
•  Utility knife
•  Wallboard compound (also called spackle)
•  Flexible sanding block
•  Caulking gun
•  Paintable caulk
•  Bucket / sponge
•  Keyhole saw (or steak knife)



With the caulking gun, run a bead of caulk into any cracks and crevices.



Smooth the bead of caulk in with a wet finger.



Finish by smoothing with a wet sponge, wiping out the excess caulk and ensuring a complete seal.





Cut the hole a bit squarer with a razor blade or keyhole saw.



This will enable you to fit in your repair piece. Make additional cuts in the hole if necessary.



Plaster the edge of the hole under the patch paper flap (like you would with drywall tape) and then around the edge of the patch.

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