Post by
Q451990 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/q451990-u142.html
Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:38 pm
As a real estate investor, I have patched waaaaay too many holes in drywall over the years. My favorite trick is to walk through the paint department at Home Depot on the way to the registers and grab a handfull of those big wooden stir sticks... the ones for the 5 gallon bucket. They make great backers for sheetrock patches. For some reason they tend to split less than 1x2s, and they're free.
The biggest thing I have learned is to do as much smoothing as possible while you're applying the mud. But be sure not to build it up too much. You will need to sand and re-apply at least twice.
Good luck with the "covert operation" since the entire room will likely be covered in white dust from the sanding!
One of my favorite tricks for small patches is online somewhere, but I can't find it. I'll describe it as best as possible, but it's hard to put into words. Say you have a 4"x 4" hole. Cut a 6" x 6" peice of sheetrock, then cut the back side through the paper and most of the filler, in a 3 7/8" x 3 7/8" square leaving the face of the paper intact. When you're done you'll have the front sheet with a chunk of drywall that will fit perfectly into the hole in your wall. The "flaps" around the edge can be buttered with drywall mud and act as both sheetrock and tape! Like I said, hard to explain, but it works. For smaller patches, you can get away with only one touch-up coat of mud.
Happy patching!
Heath