# Drywall repair: Arrrrghhhh **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 28, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194 "2019-04-28T21:39:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/21 "2019-04-29T15:18:03Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Have you considered hanging a mirror or floral print over the area? A nice floral print wallpaper will take care of the issue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/22 "2019-04-29T18:42:37Z")
btw, use primer on the patched area. Then paint. Otherwise you may get issues with peeling later. I use Kliz in a Spray can for small patch areas. Quick & easy way to prime with no clean up. > **[KILZ Original Interior Multi-purpose Oil-based Wall and Ceiling Primer...](https://www.lowes.com/pd/kilz-original-interior-multi-purpose-oil-based-wall-and-ceiling-primer-actual-net-contents-13-oz/3033724?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-google-_-lia-_-117-_-primers-_-3033724-_-0&kpid&store_code=3331&k_clickID=go_625682584_34615001110_111134763790_aud-299487635210:pla-258467105646_m_9025854&gclid=CjwKCAjwwZrmBRA7EiwA4iMzBEx3CfuV69RRuNAzKtDUjWEUfTmsOlBo1-aFZJN8XW64_EP-XgGAYhoCDVsQAvD_BwE)** > > Shop KILZ Original Interior Multi-purpose Oil-based Wall and Ceiling Primer (Aerosol Spray)undefined at Lowe's.com. The fast drying sealer-primer-stain blocker that was originally developed to offer advantages over pigmented shellac sealers. Its... ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/23 "2019-04-29T22:32:14Z")
Y’all are the best, thanks. I’ll have an entire day to mess around with this on Thursday. Maybe I’ll have some new skillz by Friday. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/24 "2019-04-30T01:19:33Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Thanks, **Magiver**. > > It is drywall, not plaster. > > As for the area, picture a single outlet box. If you add about an inch around it - the perimeter - that is the damaged area. > mmm premixed is fine. use a wet towel to wipe the blade each time to swipe it to keep it clean. an inch all the way around is a lot of dead space. You want the mix to have something to stick to. Normally I’d take scrap wood (paint sticks work nice) and screw it in place behind the hole so it spans the hole and the drywall and then screw in a piece of drywall to fit. then you’re just mudding a thin space between the patch and drywall. It’s one of the techniques in the video below. In your case you have electrical wire in the wall so you have to be very careful what you drill into. You don’t want a drywall screw slicing into a live wire. [Here’s a video](https://www.lowes.com/projects/repair-and-maintain/patch-and-repair-drywall/project)that shows all the normal techniques used for drywall repair. You can probably get by using fiberglass tape for your application. Personally, I want it as solid as possible because someone yanking on a cord will flex the box and crack the spackling if it has nothing solid to adhere to. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/25 "2019-04-30T09:41:37Z")
More good info. The gaps are already filled - I used some mesh drywall tape to help with the application - and the box is rock-solid in the wall. It’s even straight. 🙂 I am at the point now where I just need to make the finish look normal. mmm ---
**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/26 "2019-04-30T12:42:08Z")
You haven’t said what it is about the repair that makes it stand out - are there pits or bubbles in the compound? Is the surface wavy? Does the repair not taper smoothly to the surrounding wall, leaving a lip? Does the paint have a different quality on the patched area? Does the repair lack the surface texture that the rest of the wall has? Each of these problems can have a different fix. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/27 "2019-04-30T15:48:47Z")
> [@brossa](#): > > You haven’t said what it is about the repair that makes it stand out - are there pits or bubbles in the compound? Is the surface wavy? Does the repair not taper smoothly to the surrounding wall, leaving a lip? Does the paint have a different quality on the patched area? Does the repair lack the surface texture that the rest of the wall has? Each of these problems can have a different fix. The problem is that you can see a lip where the new patch meets the existing drywall. I’m convinced that I have not built the patch up high enough and have not extended it far enough onto the existing wall. Also, my blade was too narrow. Mmm Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/28 "2019-05-01T02:30:50Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > The problem is that you can see a lip where the new patch meets the existing drywall. > > I’m convinced that I have not built the patch up high enough and have not extended it far enough onto the existing wall. Also, my blade was too narrow. > Mmm > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You figured it out. You’re sanding to the height of the original drywall instead of raising it slightly above that edge and smoothing further out . You want a thin layer of mud that exceeds the edge by enough distance that can be sanded smooth without notice. You are experiencing what everybody goes through when first trying this. The general feeling is that in order for it to appear smooth it must match the same plane as the original drywall. What you want to do is create a patch that is slightly above the edge and tapers out gracefully. Keep in mind that a wall is not a precisely flat surface. That is an allusion. there are minor waves to it because the studs holding it up are not laser straight. You are trying to reproduce that illusion. You would have an easier time of it if you didn’t have an electrical outlet in the middle of your project. It means you have to feather out from the 4 sides instead of smoothing over a hole with a hypothetical center. It means you have to fuss with it in 4 directions with a putty knife instead of taking one giant blade and running it across the whole thing. Thin layers and light sanding until you get it the way you want. The hardest thing is to learn is when to stop fussing with it. Sometimes you get it almost perfect with a single pass. Leave it alone, sand it a bit when it dries and touch up with another coat. Better to touch up a minor imperfection than trying for perfection with the putty knife. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/29 "2019-05-01T02:48:43Z")
One technique not mentioned is to work 2 sides at a time. Either the top and bottom first or side to side first. This creates a parallel surface to work with for the other 2 sides. By finishing the edges opposite each other you create a surface that allows the blade to ride smoothly for the remaining 2 surfaces. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/30 "2019-05-19T01:06:55Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > The problem is that you can see a lip where the new patch meets the existing drywall. > > I’m convinced that I have not built the patch up high enough and have not extended it far enough onto the existing wall. Also, my blade was too narrow. > Mmm Just popping back in to thank all who contributed advice. The wall is repaired and looking good. My post cited above, as it turns out, pretty much explains the problem and its ultimate solution. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194/31 "2019-05-19T20:36:25Z")
I’m re-rocking my entire garage later this year, you wanna come help mud? 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drywall-repair-arrrrghhhh/833194.md?page=1)