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Dimple the popped nail with a hammer.
Apply drywall patch with a broadknife for a smooth surface, then sand and paint.
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Chances are drywall is all around you. It's the material that covers the walls in most homes built in the last 40 years. It replaced lathe and plaster wall material because drywall is easier—and faster—to install. It's also relatively easy to repair. You can do this!
Drywall is a manufactured flat panel made out of gypsum plaster and encased in heavy paper. Drywall is also known as gypsum wallboard (GWB), plaster board, or USG's Sheetrock®. A drywall panel typically is 4 x 8 ft. or 4 x 12 ft. in size and 1/4 to 5/8 in. thick. The panels are nailed or screwed onto the wall framing and the joints are covered with a special tape and joint compound. The wall or ceiling is then primed and painted. Sometimes texturing is added as a decorative element.
Drywall problems are relatively easy to spot. Nails sometimes pop out slightly from the drywall. Corners where walls meet get bumped and scraped and can be damaged. Tape can split. Dents, gouges and holes appear. All are relatively easy to fix.
To hide a popped nail:
- Use a hammer or screwdriver to drive a ring-shank nail or a screwdriver to fasten a drywall screw about 2 inches above and below the popped nail. Make sure the heads are below the surface of the drywall without breaking the paper. This is called dimpling.
- Carefully dimple the popped nail.
- Cover dimples with joint compound and allow them to dry as recommended by the compound manufacturer. Apply a second coat, if needed, and allow it to dry.
- Sand the area with fine-grit sandpaper, then wipe the surface clean.
- Prime and Paint the area, blending in with the paint on the rest of the wall.
To repair a small hole in drywall:
- Remove loose drywall plaster and cut away torn paper with a utility knife.
- Roughen the edges of the hole with coarse sandpaper, then wipe dust away from the hole.
- Cut a piece of wire screening slightly larger than the hole[md]or use a drywall patch screen[md]and cover the hole with it. You may need a coat of fresh compound or a string to keep the screen in place.
- Cover the screen with compound, then let it dry before continuing.
- Once dry, sand, prime and paint.
To patch a large drywall hole:
- Mark out a rectangle around the hole with a straightedge or carpenter's rule.
- Cut through the paper surface on the marked lines using a utility knife or keyhole saw.
- Cut a drywall patch two inches each direction larger than the hole. Remove the 2-inch perimeter, but leave the facing paper.
- Spread joint compound around the outside edges of the hole and along its inside edges.
- Place the patch in position and hold it in place for several minutes while it begins to adhere. Spread more joint compound as needed with a drywall knife.
- Once dry, sand, prime and paint.
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