How To Repair Holes in Drywalls

Drywall is also known as gypsum, gypsum wallboard , and wallboard. The terms are used interchangeably in this article.

Small Holes: You may be able to repair small holes by embedding tape and covering it with joint compound. See Taping and Finishing Drywall.

Large Holes: Larger than a baseball.

Repairing holes in your drywall is slightly different from repairing holes in plaster. Drywall is finished with joint compound and plaster is finished with a plaster paste. Consult our Drywall Repair Tool Guide for the proper tools for the job.

1. Use your framing square to mark a squared or rectangle area. Make the squared or rectangle area larger than the hole. Pencil an outline.
2. Cut out the area you marked with a drywall saw.
3. Measure and cut a piece of drywall to fit the are you cut out in step 2. See Cutting SHEETROCK® for details.
4. With the circular saw or hand saw, cut the 1x4 inch wood into strips at least 6 inches longer than the cutout in step 2.
5. Position the strips vertically inside the wall where the cut is. Keep at least 3 inches inside the wall to attach screws to on both the top and bottom. Next using your power screwdriver secure the strips to the wall by drilling screws into the wall about 1 ½ inches from the edges of the cut out. Sink the screws just below the surface of the drywall. Use at least two screws inside the cutout.
6. Fit the cut piece into the cut out and attach to strips with screws.
   
7. Tape and finish the joints. See How to Tape and Finish Drywall

   Visit our Walls forum and talk to other do-it-yourselfers about repairing holes!