How would one repair a cantaloupe sized hole in drywall in a discreet fashion with rather limited supplies?
Answers:
Materials & Tools:
Knife, 6 or 8 drywall screws or other flat headed (countersunk) screws, screw driver, 2 wooden paint stirrers or a wooden yardstick, duct tape, simple white glue, some spackling or drywall compound, putty knife (or spatula), sandpaper, 6 pack of beer, paint, a framed mirror, picture, or print.
if the broken dry wall is still in place or punched into the wall
cavity, carefully remove it. Cut out the broken material carefully - trying to keep it in one piece or attached to the backing paper - and save it. You're going to reuse it.
Get a couple of wooden strips or thin boards that are long enough to cross the hole. Wooden paint stirrers (free) or wooden yard stick cut down to size will work. so would a wooden ruler.
place one of the sticks into the wall cavity so that it traverses the hole. Hold it up against the back side of the existing wallboard and secure it with a screw on each end. You're screwing through the wall and into the wooden strip behind the wall. Repeat with the other strip so you have 2 strips crossing the hole. This is the structure to which you will attach the broken piece. If the hole is small enough or the wooden strip wide enough - only one may be required.
put the broken pieces of wall on the floor FACE DOWN and assemble them in their orignial configuration like a puzzle. Use the Duct Tape to hold them together if necessary. Flip the assembly over, and glue any partial pieces on to fill in any holes, trying to achieve a relatively flat wall surface.
put the reassembled wall section into the hole, securing it to the strips with either a couple of screws, or glue if the wall section is too broken up to get a screw into.
all the screws should be screwed in far enough to leave a little indention. sparingly smooth on the spackling or drywall compound with a putty knife (or spatula), just filling in the cracks and the screw holes. Try to preserve as much of the original wall texture as possible - it's hard to replicate.
If you don't have spakling or joint compound, use the white glue. to fill in indentions (like those made by the screws, don't try to fill it in all at once. do one layer, drink a beer while it drys, then repeat.don't worry about glue not drying flat. Sand off the excess joint compound or glue to get a flat surface.
Paint and hang a picture over it. Drink the rest of your beer and resolve to not make any more holes in the wall.
Other answers:
Wad up newspaper to stuff in the hole, then make a thick flour and water paste to cover over it, then paint.
Wad up newspaper to stuff in the hole, then make a thick flour and water paste to cover over it, then paint.
cut it out to the studs and replace with Sheetrock and then you have to mud it in with joint compound then sand it and re mud it then paint to match not easy if you've never done it call a handyman p.s. good luck
You need to determine if the drywall has been cracked or compromised in any way. If it has it might not be a simple matter of spackling. You may need to cut a hole square and then shave about a third of the drywall off around it. Then get a piece of screen, like from an old screen door, cut it to fit the shaved area, and then spackle it in. Be sure to apply a little spackling before you put the screen in so it has something to stick to from the back as well as the front. Then wait until the spackling dries and add another layer. Lat that dry as well. Keep adding successive layers and letting them dry until the spackling is roughly flush with the surrounding surface area. Then you need to take some 200 grit sandpaper and sand the dried spackling until it's as smooth as it can be and there is very little if any differentiation between the spackled area and the surrounding area. If you don't think your drywall has been cracked or compromised just forego cutting a hole and add successive layers of spackling. Let it dry and then paint over it.
Okay, here we go:
Shopping list for Lowes.
Smallest bucket of joint compound. And ask if they have some damaged drywall you can get cheap. You only need a 1ft x 1 ft section. They will probably give it to you. You need to know if it is 5/8 or 1/2 inch, probably 1/2 inch.
Smallest box of 1" drywall screws.
12" drywall knife, cheapest available.
Take two small pieces of wood that are larger than the opening. Put one toward the left side, behind the drywall, horizontally. Hold in place while putting screw through wall to hold in place. repeat on right side. Cut scrap drywall to rough size of opening. put in place, and screw to wood. all screws have to be slightly recessed.
Put glob of joint compound on drywall knife and go over hole, resting knife on good part of drywall to give even finish. Next day when dry sand and repeat for smoothness and to fill cracks that formed. Next day sand and smooth with joint compound if necessary. Wait one more day to dry, do one final sanding then paint.
10 points please.