Drywall is a great surface to paint on, but when there are dings, scrapes, and holes present, your fresh paint can end up looking much less than stellar. Drywall is fragile, leaving the walls on the inside of most American homes riddled with unattractive minor damages.
If you’re preparing to repaint the inside of your home, the first thing you need to do is repair these little accidents so that you have a nice flat, clean surface for your fresh coat of paint and primer to adhere to.
How to Repair Dents in Your Drywall
Fortunately, drywall is easy to repair when preparing to paint. The most common drywall damage is minor, and fixing it is no challenge.
To repair drywall, you’re going to need an all-purpose drywall compound or putty, a flexible putty blade, a drywall razor blade, and some drywall sandpaper.
Small Dent
If you need to repair a small dent in your drywall (smaller than a penny), all you’ll need is some drywall putty or all-purpose drywall compound, a damp cloth, and some attention to detail.
Use your finger to fill in the dent with compound. Continue to use your finger to fade the edges of the dent into the undamaged surface of the drywall until it’s smooth. Then gently run a damp cloth across the surface of the compound to smooth it further.
Allow the compound to dry, and you’re ready to dust and apply a coat of primer.
How to Repair a Hole in Drywall
The first step to repairing a hole in drywall is cleaning up the hole so that there aren’t any shredded or broken pieces of drywall along the edges. Take a drywall blade and cut around the edges of the hole at an angle.
This will help the compound sit level against the surface of the rest of the wall later on, so make sure that it’s a clean cut. At this stage, you can cut around the hole to better fit the shape of your drywall patch if necessary.
Next, use a putty knife to apply a thin layer of compound to the hole, ensuring that it’s as level with the surface of the wall as possible.
Then set your drywall patch into place, and cover over it with another thin layer of compound using a putty knife.
Allow the compound to dry completely, and then use the drywall sandpaper to smooth over any rough edges on the drywall patch. Once the surface is smooth and even, you’re ready to apply paint.
How to Prepare Your Drywall for Primer and Paint
Depending on the scale of repairs done to the drywall, you may need sand and finish in order for the paint to stick.
Taking care of protruding nails is also important when preparing drywall for paint. To do this, you’ll need to remove the drywall that’s protruding and hammer the nail back into place. Then you can cover over the nail with drywall compound, allow it to dry, and sand over to create a smooth surface.
Pro Tip: Always dust and clean walls before applying paint. This gives the paint a smooth, solid surface to adhere to.
Marc Poulos began his real estate and financial services career, but he soon realized that his true passion was beautifying homes. He started working with various small craftsman shops before serving an apprenticeship with the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. His commitment to excellence won him Top Apprentice from Washburne trade school in Chicago – the country’s premier school of its kind.
