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Patching and painting drywall


Bad324

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So I've been talked in to finally taking a stab at patching a ton of holes from the previous owner and giving the bedroom a new coat of paint. Problem is I've never patched drywall and I haven't painted in about 10 years.

I need all the hints, tips and tricks I can get!

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How big are the holes? Painting is a piece of cake. Do 3x3 sections, rolling in a criss, cross fashion until the section is covered, starting at the top of the wall working to the bottom.. Once an entire ceiling to floor section is complete roll straight up and down the wall with light pressure on the roller. Over lap the roller on each straight up and down a few inches.

Edited by cmh_sprint
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The hint is it sucks and the trick is to pay someone who knows what they're doing.

 

I pull the painters tape off directly after painting. If you let the paint dry, then pull the tape off, it's a pain and messes things up.

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Get some light weight patch spackle...you'll know it's the right shit because it smells like amonia. Smoosh some into the holes with putty knife. Make sure it sits above the wall surface. Let dry. Sand with gray 3m sanding sponge. Repeat process leaving a larger surface area of mud. Paint.

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if the are all the way through the drywall you can buy a patch kit at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. that has a fiber mesh you put over the hole and fill over. If the holes aren't all the way through just fill with spakle and sand. You may have to fill and sand a couple of times if they are deep holes.

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if the are all the way through the drywall you can buy a patch kit at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. that has a fiber mesh you put over the hole and fill over. If the holes aren't all the way through just fill with spakle and sand. You may have to fill and sand a couple of times if they are deep holes.

Holes are only the size of a quarter, mesh is overkill.

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Get some light weight patch spackle...

 

 

Be careful _not_ to get bathroom style Spackle. Get "Drywall Compound" commonly called mud.

A lot of people use the names interchangeably but they are two very different products.

When painting time rolls around then you will really see the difference.

For small quarter sized holes you can probably just mud over them and sand them down.

Fill part of the hole with mud, let it dry, come back in a few days with another coat. Repeat until it's level with the rest of the wall

Make sure to let it dry all the way before sanding. Read a few days, the results will be worth the wait.

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Maybe, maybe not. My intent was to give someone who asked a question due to lack of experience a range of the possible options and solutions.

Laying mesh over a hole that small is not necessary as the mud will hold itself in and doesn't need the mesh for support. Also laying mesh on a hole that small will create a very noticeable high spot once it's painted.

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Sounds like you got the patching covered.  As for painting, do it just like you were painting your car or your bike.  Two thin coats will give you much better finish and stand up to scrubbing and abuse better than 1 thick coat.  The plus is that the first coat will show the patched areas that still need more filling/sanding/smoothing.  Don't be afraid to over-roll an area, and try to keep moving quickly enough to feather the edges of the painted areas while they're still wet.

 

For patching, get your self a good drag knife, preferably several of different lengths--with one at least 12 in long for effective feathering.  When patching large/deeper holes, realize that drywall compound will shrink significantly during drying process, so multiple applications will be needed.

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For a hole the size of a quarter, you don't need to go full-grade contractor.  

 

get something like this for the holes if you want it easy:

 

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19878166&KPID=15388579&kpid=15388579&pla=pla_15388579

 

You take off the cap, which is a spatula-like spreader, and then twist the bottom and it moves the drywall filler up, like a push-pop, or stick deodorant.

 

Smoosh some in the hole.  Replace cap, spread with spatula, let dry.

 

Sand.

 

Paint.

 

70% of good painting is prep work and sanding, only 30% is the real painting.

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Quarter size hole I'd cut it out and fill it with a new piece of drywall or back the hole with another piece of drywall that will fit thru the hole and screw thru the good drywall to the piece of drywall to secure it. Good luck simply filling a quarter sized hole.

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everyone will have their way of fixing the holes. Honestly its not rocket science and you will figure it out quickly. My only suggestion is get a perfectly flat sanding tool. The sponges are good or a drywall sanding tool depending on the size. Don't push hard when sanding and feather the repair to the rest of the wall. 

 

Thin layers way better than one thick blob. 

 

Finally if you really suck at this consider flat paint LOL

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What kind of chain lube/oil/gun/head lights/brake pads are the best?

Opinions are like assholes and when you have a bunch of assholes you get lots of opinions..or something.

I recommend you tear down the house and start over just to be sure.

 Me too.

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I recommend you tear down the house and start over just to be sure.

Minus the tear down...that's the plan. Get it all nice looking to turn around and find a new one and start over

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This thread is the reason I am fearful of buying an older home. Who know what has been done and how it has been done. I think I'm with bowdog on this one, makes my head hurt too. Such a simple fix yet people make it so complicated. It's easy! Quarter size hole, put a wine cork in it with super glue, drink the wine while the glue is setting, then paint over it. Walah problem solved. (This is not really how to do it, figured I needed to write this so the bashing didn't commence)

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If you're using anything but flat paint for the finish on the walls, you'll want to prime the drywall repairs with a primer (or light colored flat paint). Otherwise the repairs will show through the finish. 

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