DIY Basics - How to Patch a Wall | The Home Depot, by The Home Depot on YouTube. 1 min 2 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 2 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes plus drying time
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Clean the area around the hole with a damp cloth and let it dry. Pick out any loose crumbs or crumbling plaster with your fingers or the tip of the putty knife.
Check the hole size. Spackle alone handles holes up to about the size of a coin. Anything bigger needs a self-adhesive mesh patch pressed over the hole first.
Scoop a small amount of spackling compound onto the putty knife. The color changing kit starts pink and turns white as it dries.
Press the spackle into the hole with the knife, pushing it in from the edges to the centre. Fill the hole completely and slightly overfill it.
Drag the flat edge of the knife across the repair to scrape off the excess. Feather the edges so the patch blends into the surrounding wall.
Let the spackle dry fully. Wait for the pink color to turn white, which usually takes 30 minutes to a few hours depending on humidity and depth.
Sand the dried patch lightly with fine sandpaper until it sits flush with the wall. Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth.
Apply a second thin coat if the patch still looks low or you can see a dip. Let it dry and sand again until smooth.
Prime the patch so the paint grips evenly. Once the primer is dry, paint over it with the wall color and feather the edges to blend.
Tips and common mistakes
Overfill slightly and sand back rather than underfilling, because spackle shrinks a little as it dries.
Keep each coat thin. Thick blobs take much longer to dry and are harder to sand smooth.
Sand gently by hand so you do not scuff the paper surface of the drywall around the patch.
Prime bare spackle before painting, or the patch will soak up paint and show as a dull spot.
Questions
Can I patch a wall without sanding?
You can skip sanding if you apply the spackle very smoothly and feather the edges well with the knife. Most repairs still look better with a light sand, so keep a piece of fine sandpaper handy.
How big a hole can spackling compound fix?
Spackle works well for small nail holes, dents and holes up to roughly the size of a coin. Larger holes need a mesh or rigid patch behind the compound to give it something to hold onto.
How long before I can paint over the patch?
Wait until the compound is fully dry and has changed color, then sand and prime it. Painting too early traps moisture and the patch can crack or shrink later.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
