How to Fix a Punched Hole in The Wall

0 Comments

When a stroppy teenager doesn’t get their way the first thing they want to do is punch something, and this usually leads to a punched hole in the wall!

If isn’t a fist, its an Xbox controller and thanks to FIFA 20, there are alot of teenagers punching walls over their lost matches…whats the world coming too??

The thing is, after the damage has been done most parents reach for the metal patch you can buy from your nearest DIY store.

They do the job, don’t get me wrong, but the finish is poor, even if you’re good with a filling knife.

I have a better way of patching up a wall using a repair called ‘The California drywall Patch’.

The California drywall patch method is probably the cheapest and gives you a better finish than most (if not all) patching methods.

How To Fix a Punched Hole In The Wall – YouTube Episode 2

What Do I Need to Fix a Punched Hole In The Wall?

When using the California drywall patch method for fixing a punched hole in the wall, you won’t need any expensive tools, but I do recommend you have the tools I suggest because they will make the job alot easier, and they are…

Pencil

Ruler

Stanley knife

Dry wall saw

12 inch Taping knife

Plastering Hawk

5 in 1 tool/filling knife

Filler – I recommend Gyproc’s Easi-fill jointing compound

A scrap piece of plasterboard/drywall

Sandpaper, sanding block

How To Fix A Punched Hole In The Wall Steps…

Step One – Check For Wires and Pipes

Using your fingers, carefully remove the damaged piece, and have good feel round (all 360 degrees) for any wires or pipes.

Step Two – Prepping The Hole

Using a drywall saw carefully start to saw the round hole into a square hole.

Step Three – Making The Patch

Offer the BACKSIDE of your scrap piece of drywall upto the square hole you’ve made.

We want a 2 inch overhang all around the area of the square, marking each measurement onto the scrap piece of drywall.

Rotate the drywall 90 degrees and make another two, 2″ wide marks.

Using a ruler or a straight edge join those measurements together to make a square.

Once the lines are drawn, we need to cut the square out using a Stanley knife.

Gently score one line first, then hold the plasterboard and tap with your first on the opposite face of the plasterboard directly in line with the scored line you’ve just made.

Repeat the above process again for the other scored line.

You should now have a square that when offered up to the hole in the wall gives you a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

With this cut drywall square we now need to transfer the inside dimensions of the square hole on to it.

And you this by offering it back up to the hole, making sure your 2 inch overhang is equal on each side.

Grab a pencil and then make 2 marks a quarter of an inch shorter of the edge.

Now using those marks we need to join them up again until you have another square in the centre of the drywall.


Score along each line one at a time, but instead of cutting the scored piece off, we want to peel the plaster from the paper instead (see video also).

Hey Presto! you should now have a California drywall patch ready for action!

Step Four – Test Fit Patch

We now need to test fit the California drywall patch to make sure it fits into the square hole we made earlier.

By placing the patch over the hole without applying too much pressure try to push the patch into the hole.

If the patch doesn’t fit, then adjust the hole not the patch, by running your Stanley knife or drywall saw around the inside edge of the hole until enough drywall is removed so the patch can slide in and fit flush.

Now offer the patch up to the hole again and it should fit nice and comfortably in the wall without adding too much pressure.

Step Five – Mix Filler

Using your hawk, pour some dry filler onto it, then make a crater in the middle of the filler.

We want to add hot water to the filler because it will speed the drying time, helping this patch be a quicker fix than normal.

If your scared of a fast drying time, just add cold water.

Give the filler a good mix using your filling/putty knife until the filler resembles whipped cream.

Step Six – Applying Filler To The Hole and Patch

Load up your filling/putty knife with filler and paste on all four sides of the hole.

Then holding your patch place filler into the corners of the four sides where the paper meets the plaster.

This will ensure no air pockets form when you push the patch into the hole, it also creates a stronger repair.

Take the loaded patch and place into the hole, using your putty knife push on each corner to make sure the patch sits flush with the wall.

Gently with the filler/putty knife, slide the knife across the paper edges until the paper is stuck down with the filler

Removing any excess filler as you go.

Step Seven – Skim The Repair

With the leftover filler, grab a 12″ taping knife, scoop the filler up and skim the filler across the repair.

Try to keep your taping knife at about 20-30 degrees as you pull it across the repair.

Don’t be too perfect because you will be sanding this coat down once it’s dry

Step Eight – Sand Down First Skim and Apply Second Skim

Now the first skim coat is dry we need to sand it down until it is smooth and flush to the surface of the wall.

Mix another application of Easi-fill on your hawk.

SHERLOCK MAINTENANCE TIP: If you find too hard to mix the filler on your hawk, pour the filling compound into an old container, add water and mix. Once it resembles whipped cream transfer it to your hawk…Sorted!

Apply the second coat of skim slightly wider than the first coat of skim. This helps feather the repair back into the wall.

Step Nine

Wait for the second coat of skim to dry and repeat the same sanding process making sure all ridges and high spots are sanded down flush with the wall.

Then wipe down sanded area with a slightly damp cloth.

Step Ten

Now get painting your repair.

If you find after the paint dries there is some high spots or ridges you may of missed when sanding, just wait for the paint to completely dry, rub down and repaint.

Did This Post Help?

Hopefully you now know how to fix a punched hole in the wall.

It is a great skill to have, filling holes this way is by far the best repair.

Let me know if you found it easy following the steps above in the comments section below.

Each and every week I put my heart and soul into providing you with great content to help with any DIY jobs around the home.

If you think this post could help someone you know, please share.

Other Helpful Maintenance Articles

Refelting a Summer House Roof Refelting a summer house roof is quite a big job but its definitely something you don’t want to put off, Follow my step by step guide.

How To Maintain Your House – The Spring Home Maintenance Checklist With spring around the corner it makes perfect sense to check what maintenance your house may need for the season and the coming months ahead

How Much Laminate Flooring Do I Need For My Room? Not sure exactly how much flooring you’ll need? Follow this easy peasy guide and feel like a PRO!

Categories:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *