Patch a Hammer-Sized Drywall Hole: Cut, Tape, Mud and Texture

How do you patch a hole in drywall when there is a stud down the middle and nothing on the sides? A demonstration hole, made with a mallet, shows the method from cutting to paint, spread over two days.

Preparing the opening

The first step is to draw a straight, square outline around the damage with a straight edge. A drywall knife cleans out the area. A utility knife could scrape it too, but it is harder; the drywall knife costs about eight dollars.

Ideally the studs would sit at the edges of the opening so the new drywall could be screwed straight into them. Here they are not close enough, so the patch needs reinforcement.

Cutting and fitting the patch

The patch is 9 1/4 by 10 in. To cut it, lay a straight edge on the sheet and score it with a knife. The score only goes about an eighth of an inch deep. Flip the sheet over, snap it, and trim the back paper with the knife.

Scrap pieces of wood, in this case MDF, are screwed into the corners, since the corners are the most important points to connect. Everything must be flat. The patch is then screwed around its edges, with the screws countersunk a little so they do not interfere with the mud and tape.

First day: tape and mud

Supplies are drywall tape (about two dollars), a 6 in. putty knife and all-purpose pre-mixed mud. A layer of mud goes on where the seams are, the tape is pressed into it with the putty knife, and the squeezed-out mud is put back over the tape. Covering the tape with mud gives better adhesion and avoids dry air pockets that could let it peel. It then dries overnight.

Second day: blending and texture

The compound is thinned to a ketchup consistency, running off the blade. A 10 in. blade blends the tape into the surrounding wall, with enough mud to cover the tape but not so much that it builds another layer.

Two common textures are orange peel and knockdown. For orange peel, use a texture product matched to the coarseness. For knockdown, thinned mud is splattered on with a putty knife, then knocked down lightly. The wider the texture is applied, the less likely anyone will see the transition. After paint, the repair is hard to see.