Nail Down Tips to Fix Wallboard

Wallboard is easily marred and damaged, but, fortunately, it’s easy to repair.

Here are some tips on making it look as good as new:

Popped Nail

To repair a nail that has popped out of the wallboard, drive a wallboard screw 2 inches below or above the nail, sinking the screw head just below the surface. Scrape away loose paper and crumbled compound around the nail. Use a hammer to drive the nail just below the surface. Sand with fine sandpaper.

Apply three coats of joint compound to the nail and screw surfaces, allowing each coat to dry 24 hours. Sand smooth with extra-fine sandpaper or with a wet but well wrung-out, small-celled polyurethane sponge.

Dents and Small Holes

Use a 6-inch wallboard knife to fill a dent or surface scratch with joint compound. Let it dry 24 hours. Compound shrinks when drying, so apply a second coat. Lightly wet-sand it with a sponge to level it.

For a small hole, apply a thin coat of joint compound around the hole. Crisscross joint tape over the hole, pressing the tape into the compound. Use a 6-inch wallboard knife to coat the tape with compound and smooth it. Feather the edges of the patch and let dry 24 hours. Repeat once or twice; then wet-sand until smooth with a sponge.

Larger Holes

For a baseball-size hole, cut a rectangle around the hole with a wallboard saw. Apply wallboard adhesive to a 1-by-2 scrap that’s a few inches wider than the hole. Insert the board inside the hole, hold it in place and fasten it to the wallboard with wallboard screws. Then cut a wallboard one-eighth-inch smaller than the hole all around and glue it to the 1-by-2 with wallboard adhesive.

Coat the seams of the patch with joint compound and embed paper or fiberglass mesh joint tape in it. Coat the tape with two or three thin coats of joint compound, feathering the edges. Let each coat dry 24 hours. Then wet-sand with a sponge.

Here’s another way to patch a baseball-size hole quickly. At a hardware store, buy a kit containing a self-adhesive fiberglass mesh patch with a rigid metal backing. Cut out and square up the damaged section to make it easier to repair. Then trim the patch to fit and apply it over the damaged area. Cover it with at least two coats of joint compound, feathering the edges and letting it dry 24 hours each time. Then wet-sand with a sponge.

For a larger hole, locate the studs on either side of the damaged area. Mark and cut out a rectangular section around the area, reaching from stud to stud. Cut a wallboard patch that’s one-eighth-inch smaller all around than the opening.

Cut 1-by-3 nailing strips half an inch longer than the opening and screw them to the studs. Attach the patch to the nailing strips with wallboard screws. Coat the seams with joint compound and embed wallboard tape in it. Cover the tape with two or three thin coats of joint compound, feathering the excess into the surrounding surface. Let each coat dry for 24 hours, then wet-sand with a sponge.

Joints

To retape a joint, remove all loose tape. Sand away loose tape remnants and all rough edges. Apply a coat of joint compound at the seam and embed a new paper tape in it. Apply two or three thin coats over the tape, feathering the edges. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly, then wet-sand and smooth.