It's been ages since John and I made a home improvement video, but here comes the one that was most requested last year during our renovation blitz: drywall repair.
::Dun Dun DUNNNNN::
::blood-curdling scream::
My friend Corey had a household intercom system he wanted removed, and that meant 5 big holes to patch. So of course we volunteered. What better way to perfect a new skill than by practicing on your unsuspecting friends' walls? :D
::sounds of destruction ensue::
:D
John and I've always said drywall is our Achilles' heel, but since we're also too cheap to hire a pro, we've had to just keep trying over the years. Not to brag, but now I think we've gotten pretty darn OK at it. So this time I had John film me doing every step of one particular patch in Corey's master bedroom (where we could shut the door so I could take down my mask), and then John edited the 3-day process together for you guys. The video is on the long side, but I promise to keep you entertained with helpful tips and frantic faces. (Nearly everything you see is the first - and only - take, and sometimes it shows, bahaha.)
Enjoy:
Enjoy:
[ETA: Sorry for the sound issues around the 2-3 minute mark: we left the ceiling fan on so it sounds like I'm in a windstorm, ha.]
Helpful Extras:
- I forgot to mention that if you have a really small area to patch - like less than 3 inches - then instead of cutting a new piece of drywall you can use one of these kits:
It's basically a stick-on piece of tape that you cover with drywall compound. After that you'll follow the same steps I show to wet sand and texture, but this will save you the steps of adding the backer wood & cutting drywall. Be aware the tape in these kits is thicker than regular drywall tape, though, and will leave a raised bump over the entire patch, not just the edges. That means you'll need to feather out the drywall mud much farther to try to hide the bump.
- The mystery drill bit is called a Drywall Screw Setter, and costs less than $3 on Amazon. Definitely worth it when you're working with drywall.
I hope this helps some of you out there! Let me know in the comments what you'd like to see us fix next - maybe something you've been waiting to tackle in your own home?
******
******
P.S. My t-shirts are from the Epbot Threadless Shop:
You can put all our designs on any color shirt you like, and they are ridiculously soft without being too thin. (I wear geek tees every day, but pulling these on last week to film was heavenly. Ahhhh.) Plus the designs don't wash off or fade like I've had others do in the past!
I could watch your home improvement series on a regular basis! You're so much more helpful than "the professionals". The way you explain it makes me feel like I could actually do this. And the timing of this video couldn't be better because I need to repair some holes where coat hooks and toilet paper holders have ripped out of the wall.
ReplyDeleteI do have one question. What is the best way to match the existing paint on the wall if you don't have any extra or know the brand and color? The previous owners didn't leave any info. Thanks!!
Thanks so much, Courtney!
DeleteOooh, matching existing wall paint is one of THE hardest things in home repair. Your best bet is to use a color deck to find the closest match on a color chip, then buy a quart of that in the same sheen as your walls. (If you don't know what sheen your walls are it's best to ask a pro, BUT... if the wall doesn't feel too chalky flat OR too shiny slick, then it's probably eggshell.)
After you buy the color match you'll need to paint a LARGE area - preferably the entire wall, but at the very least feather the new paint into the old over a big, big area.
I had taken a home maintenance for beginners type class and one of the things we did was patch holes. We did tape and dry sanding, so I was thrilled to see the extra-paper and wet sanding methods! Thanks for sharing your experience with us; y'all have a wonderfully warm and empowering manner!
ReplyDeleteThis was fantastic! Our coronovirus project was remodeling the master bathroom. As part of that, I (ME, not my husband), removed the medicine cabinet and patched the area. I wish I had seen this first because you had some great tips that would have made it easier and it would have turned out better. But like you said, I am not a professional!! Clearly.
ReplyDeleteI have that intercom system in my house! It does work (and includes a radio!) but we only use it for entertainment purposes. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the video!
Thanks for this! Rather than cutting the patch to be the right size for the hole, it is easier to enlarge the hole a bit to match the size of your patch. So you would take your patch, place it over the hole, draw the patch's outline, and then use those pencil lines to enlarge your hole a bit to match the size of the patch. This is demonstrated here: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/walls/21016704/how-to-patch-holes-in-drywall .
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome tip, Stephanie, thanks! I may try that next time, just to see if I can still trace the patch with our paper border in the way.
DeleteStephanie beat me to it! It's so much easier, especially if you perpetually can't seem to find your square like me, to cut the patch and then trace your hole for it.
DeleteI have nothing at all to drywall, and I still watched this whole thing with great interest. You do such fantastic tutorials!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you, Alice! You may be surprised how often this can come in handy - if not for you then for your friends!
DeleteMy landlord's needed this tutorial before I moved into my apartment 5 years ago! You can tell where it has obviously been patched.
ReplyDelete~LST
Wet sanding is sooo good for finishing drywall when you're also living in the space! I love the nubby washcloth recommendation, too. I really like working with 20min set mud for fast projects (it's not a good product for making into the texture, but great for initial mudding). It's easy to get impatient and load too thick a layer of mud on when you're not a pro, then it cracks and doesn't cure properly, but with 20 min set - which I'd still leave longer than 20 minutes depending upon humidity, just sayin' - you don't have to wait overnight to lay on the next layer, reducing the inclination to make each too thick. I've even thinly skimcoated with 20 min set on a wall after removing tile (I prime with Rx-35 if the drywall paper is torn).
ReplyDeleteAwesome tip, Bec, that 20 minute mud would have saved us coming back the extra day.
DeleteI don't even HAVE drywall in my house; I'm not sure why I just watched this whole video! Well-done, interesting, and empowering. Any hints for crumbling plaster? :)
ReplyDeleteYay! All things I was going for. :D
DeleteTake a pic of the plaster in question for me and post it on the Epbot FB page; lots of variables there, so I need to see what it looks like.
Oooh, great video, thank you! I've patched nail and screw holes before but never dared anything bigger on my own, you make it seem a lot more doable! My question, what's that sonic screwdriver-y thingy you used to test the wiring at the beginning called? I didn't know such things existed!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen! The sonic screwdriver (and I'm totally calling it that from now on) is just a basic electrical voltage tester. Very handy, and essential for any wiring work. Here's a good one on Amazon, if you're in the market: https://amzn.to/2BLzFTr It even comes with a plug-in pronged one that tells you if you wired the plug right, which is AWESOME for replacing wall plugs.
DeleteSpeaking of walls, could y'all please help me out with another tip, because you are the only people I "know" that I can ask (and I have no idea how I'd phrase it for a Googling)?
ReplyDeleteI'm a renter, and our kitchen walls are bumpity stucco that has been painted over many times. The last coat (before we moved in) was done in glossy latex based paint, and it is the bane of my existence. Not only does it hold all the various oil/fat/grease splashes near the stove (especially on all the li'l bumps), nearly 7 years of airborne grease has floated up to the ceiling and has a grip of dust and cobwebs all stuck in it. BLAY-OOGH. This old Goth broad is going for more of an Addams Family feel to my house, not the bloody Munsters.
So, Question: How and/or what do I use and/or do to clean my stupid walls WITHOUT stripping off the stupid paint?! Every time I try, no matter what product or technique I use, it either makes the paint rub off or worse, it does sweet FA and my walls are just smeared.
Thanks in advance!
Your Pal,
Storm the Klingon
(PS: Sorry if this is sent twice)
Hey, Storm! Ah, that's a pickle. The problem is the grease is breaking down the paint, so when you effectively clean the grease off, some of the paint's gonna come with it. We recommend TSP (trisodium phosphate) for cleaning dirty walls - it's great for grease, nicotine stains, etc. - but sadly you'll have to be prepared to do some paint touch-ups afterward.
DeleteThanks so much! I owe you a costuming/sewing/make-up advice solid!
DeleteWhen you phrase it like that, I realized that the grease/latex paint situation is not unlike the whole "don't use oil-based lubes with latex condoms" thing and literally LOL.
All I know is, however I get these walls cleaned, they're getting covered with some sort of field-expedient backsplash type set-up, because I'm NOT doing it again, and if the landlord gets mad that I'm trying to save his stupid walls, he can most certainly feel free to bite me.
May the Small Ones sing songs of your greatness!
Storm the Klingon
Ahh, TSP is a great product! One of my first jobs was with a janitorial company. We used TSP like you said to clean nicotine stains. And also for smoke damaged homes that had been through a fire. Great for cleaning wood smoke stains from fire places and wood stoves.
Delete~LST
I wish I had friends like you guys to help me :). Thanks a lot - we just had some electrical outlets installed, and they left us the squares they cut of out of the wall to get to the wires (with paint and texture on it already). They are slightly smaller than the holes, though - (like maybe 1/4 inch all around). Do you think I can use them and just add the drywall tape around the edges, or should I just bite the bullet and go buy new drywall?
ReplyDeleteYes, keep those squares & use them, absolutely! Install them just like I did with the patch, then add drywall tape to the seams and blend out with putty. (You really do need the tape; just filling with mud will result in cracks over time.)
DeleteYour timing is impeccable! I have some drywall repair to do next week and was thinking "I wish Epbot had a tutorial for this..." And voila! One appears :)
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who noticed that the 2 pins and the button on your hat make a hidden Mickey?! Or maybe an intentional Mickey... :)
ReplyDeleteI love watching your videos! My house has some not-so-great patch jobs from previous owners. Maybe I'll try to go back and fix them some day!
ReplyDeleteHave you guys renovated any closets? One of my bedroom closets has a really weird built-in cabinet/shelf thing that is not functional at all. Ripping it out and replacing it with some sort of closet organizer is on my to-do list for this year.
Hiya! Thanks for this tutorial! Really enjoyed it. Now I know what I did wrong in my first foray into drywall patching! I used to do landlord/tenant law and my tenant clients always seemed to be punching holes in walls with their fists, like that was a perfectly normal thing to do. If I go back into public practice or legal aid, I should set up a landlord/tenant law/drywall patching practice!
ReplyDeleteI would love a tutorial on using tricky stud finders (Yes, insert any "I need a man" joke you wish here, but I'm serious about the use of the tool. Okay that sounded dirty, and I didn't mean it that way!) I have a whole utility closet full of nail holes because my stupid stud finder kept lying and saying there were studs where there were none. And, hand in hand with that, can you show how to hang up something in a utility closet to hold brooms, mops, etc. where there are no studs to screw it into?