Introduction: How to Fix a Hole in the Wall

At some point in our lives, we have all had some sort of mishap that ended up with a hole in the wall. In this instructable, I will explain how to repair a hole in the wall in a cheap and easy way. This is an important skill to have for that accident that is guaranteed to happen at some point in everyone’s life. Completing this task is a very useful life skill for anyone old enough to be reading this instructable. This is not a difficult process but it is something that will take some time to complete because of the time that is required to allow the materials to dry. The working time required to complete the repair of the hole in the wall is about a half an hour to 45 minutes. This will need to be done over the course of a couple days. Once you have completed this task for the first time you will easily be able to repeat it in the future.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Gather your materials. The materials needed to complete this project are listed below

• Sandpaper
• Putty knife
• Drywall patching compound(spackle or plaster)
• Wall hole  patch
• Wet sponge of spray bottle
• Wall hole patch
• Wall texture spray
• Paint
• Paintbrush

Step 2: Prepare the Hole

Remove any loose drywall that may be behind the hole or attached to the edges of the hole. Make sure that there is no drywall attached the edge of the hole behind the wall. Sand the edges of the hole to create a surface for the drywall patching compound to attach.

Step 3: Attach the Wall Hole Patch

Remove the backing paper from the sticky side of the wall patch. Apply the sticky side of the wall hole patch around the edges of the hole, leaving at least a ½” on each side of the hole. Smooth the edges of the patch around the hole.

Tip – If you are having trouble getting the wall patch to stick, try wetting it slightly with a wet sponge or a using a spray bottle filled with water. If this doesn’t work use a little bit of drywall patching compound in the corners to get the wall patch to stick.

Step 4: Apply Drywall Patching Compound to Wall Patch and Wall

Use the putty knife to remove patching compound from container and liberally apply compound around the edge of the wall patch. Start around the edges and work your way out before getting to the middle of the wall patch. Make sure that the all edges of the wall patch are covered by patching compound.

Tip –  It might be a good idea to allow the compound to dry for 15-20 minutes before finishing covering the rest of the hole. This will allow the compound to partially dry so that the wall patch does not move when applying patching compound to the center of the wall patch.

Cover the rest of the wall patch, liberally applying compound until the entire wall patch is covered. Smooth out as much as possible but this doesn’t need to be perfect because the imperfections will sanded out anyway. Allow the compound to dry overnight.

Step 5: Sand the Patching Compound

Sand the patching compound until smooth. Make sure the edges are flush with the rest of the wall.

Note – The compound may be raised slightly from the rest of the wall. This is normal because of the way we are fixing the hole.

After the compound is sanded down smooth, wipe the down the area with a wet cloth or paper towel. Allow the area to dry for 10-15 minutes. There will be some dust from the sanding so make sure to vacuum that up.

Step 6: Spray the Sanded Compound With Wall Texture Spray

Each wall texture spray is different so follow the instructions on the bottle but generally they need to be shaken for about a minute and there is a knob to adjust how thick the texture comes out. Hold the bottle about a foot from the wall and cover lightly until the area is covered. Wait for the texture to area to dry overnight.

Step 7: Paint the Area

The final but potentially messiest step is painting over the texture to get the color to match the rest of the wall.

Note – You can often get paint from your property manager that will match the paint in your apartment or house. If you can’t buy the paint directly from your property manager, your property manager will give you the code for the color paint that you can purchase from your local hardware store.

Warning – It is very easy to drip paint from you brush or knock over the can of paint which is nearly impossible to get of carpet so make sure you cover the floor with plastic or newspaper.

Open the can of paint and carefully place the lid to the side. Apply paint to your paintbrush and spread the paint over the area, making sure all white areas are covered. Replace the lid on the can and clean the paintbrush. Allow the area to dry for 5-6 hours.

Congratulations! You have just restored you once incomplete wall. Your wall probably won’t look exactly like it did before but it will be very close. Most people who walk by the area will never notice the difference.