LAKE MARY, Fla. – Julie in Lake Mary asked us to fix a hole in her wall after she accidentally crashed her wheelchair into it.
So instead of the traditional method of cutting out the broken drywall, taping it and mudding it, we tried a $10 drywall patch kit. It comes with everything you need - a patch, spackling, spackling knife and sandpaper. We discovered, for small holes, this works great!
If you have a project you’d like Erik to tackle, send us an email at GettingResultsAtHome@wkmg.com and next week Erik might just show up at your door!
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
We purchased:
We brought with us:
Breathing mask
Gloves
Sanding block
Step 1
Sand down the edges of the hole. Make sure there are no rough pieces of leftover drywall. You want the surface to be smooth to stick the patch over.
Step 2
Prepare the patch. Cut it a bit larger than the size of the hole. You can use scissors. Then coat the back of the patch with spackling.
Step 3
Press on the patch. Push it up against the wall. You’ll see the spackling on the back ooze out. Press it flat against the wall as much as possible and then smooth it out with the spackling knife.
Step 4
Cover the patch with spackling. This is where your artistry comes in. You’ll want to grab a lump of spackling with the spackling knife and then slide the spackling across the patch in different directions. Once you have it coated, use the spackling knife to flatten out the spackling. You may need to add a lump or two of spackling to make it smooth. Pay particular attention to the edges of the patch, making sure those are covered with spackling, tapering the spackling from the patch to the wall.
Step 5
Wait. What I love about this patch kit is the spackling goes on pink but then turns white so you know it’s dry. It’ll take a few hours, maybe even overnight.
Step 6
Sand. You can use the sandpaper that came with the kit or use a sanding block like we did. If it comes out great, you’re done! If not, use the leftover spackling to cover the imperfections. Let it dry and sand again. If your wall has texture on it (orange peel or knockdown) then use texture spray spraying in a circular motion to try and match the existing texture. Let it all dry, paint, and that’s it!
You just got results at home!
