You may be able to repair a hole in your drywall yourself, but if you’re not sure how to hire a professional. Drywall is easy enough to patch, but the results don’t always look good… You can do it the traditional way by cutting and installing a new piece of drywall, you can buy ready-made patches or you can make your own “California patch”.
How Much Does It Cost To Patch A Hole In Drywall?
It’s a question you probably never thought to ask, but now that your child has punched a hole in your living room wall, you’re going to have to face it: how much does it cost to repair drywall? The answer is, not as much as you might think.
Scoping the Damage
Every drywall job is different, depending on the size and shape of the hole and the materials involved, so there’s no one-size-fits-all price for repairing a hole in drywall.
The most important thing you can do is take accurate measurements.
If your home is large and irregularly shaped, it may be difficult to measure precisely.
Should this be the case, estimate as best you can, but be sure to provide an accurate drawing or photograph of the damage for your contractor.
Be aware that prices increase for drywall repairs with water damage or in hard-to-access areas of your home like attics or basements.
Also know that the more complicated a repair job becomes, the more likely your contractor will charge by the hour rather than flat-rate.
How To Patch A Hole The Traditional Way
Step 1: Measure the hole in the wall and add 1 inch to each side vertically and horizontal. This will ensure that you avoid broken pieces on the inside and give it extra support.
2: Cut out a piece of drywall to the desired size. Make sure your piece has the same thickness as the drywall you are repairing.
3: Place your cut piece over the hole and trace it along the edges using a pencil.
4: With a utility knife cut along your lines using just enough pressure to cut through the paper layer of your drywall but not pushing too hard or else you will risk causing more damage.
5: Remove excess pieces by pushing inwards. Be cautious again not to apply too much pressure and avoid causing extra damage. (Use your utility knife to clean up your cut edges as good as possible)
6: Add a piece of wood from the inside as support. I am using a regular paint stirrer but you can use any solid piece of wood. To tighten the wood I used 1 1/4 drywall screws.
Step 7: Apply drywall compound with a small putty knife making sure you cover all screws and edges entirely then spread it with a larger putty knife removing all excess compound. It is not necessary to apply too much compound just enough to cover everything as you will have to repeat this step. Let it dry overnight.
Step 8: With a medium grit sanding block and a vacuum cleaner you can sand down your compound and avoid it getting too dusty. Your patch should be somewhat smooth now. Add another layer of the compound using step 8 but this time it will only be a light skim coat to fill in whatever you did not get with the first coat. You can repeat this step until you reach your desired finish.
9: Your wall is ready to be painted now. Be sure to use a coat of PVA primer (any cheap primer will do) before painting over your patch or else you will have color flashing.