This video demonstrates how to repair a large hole in textured drywall in three different ways. The first step is to fill the hole with drywall compound, while the second step is to use a drywall patch for larger holes. Leah from See Jane Drill demonstrates a quick and easy technique for smoothing out a wall.
To repair a hole in textured walls, follow these steps: Apply drywall compound, Smooth texture, and Slap Brush texture. Aerosol spray can be used to fix large areas, and it is easy to use by spraying it halfway into the hole and allowing it to expand. To repair textured drywall, mix 5 parts powdered drywall mix and 30 parts water in a 5-gallon bucket.
There are four ways to get rid of unwanted textured walls: apply a skim coat, replace textured drywall with new drywall, cover the walls, or use orange-peel textures by slightly stippling a coating of wet wallboard compound on an ordinary 3/8-inch nap paint roller. Canned spray texture can be purchased at the hardware store and applied over the leveled patch in a quick fluid motion from one side to another.
In summary, this video provides information on how to repair a textured wall or ceiling quickly and easily. It covers various types of textured walls and offers tips and FAQs for beginners.
📹 How to Repair a Textured Wall in 3 Different Ways
Today I’m going to be showing you how to repair a textured wall in 3 different ways. I have done a lot of videos over the years on …
How do you repair a textured wall?
In order to repair damage to textured drywall, it is necessary to sand the patch area until it is smooth. The compound mixture should then be applied to the wall, and the flicked particles should be lightly flattened. Alternatively, wall texture spray may be used. Finally, the compound must be allowed to dry.
Can you texture over textured walls?
Prior to the application of a new texture, it is imperative to remove the existing texture, as additives can be combined with the majority of oil-based and latex paints.
Can I sand down a textured wall?
In order to remove textured paint from walls, it is essential to utilise the appropriate grit of sandpaper. The use of sandpaper that is either too fine or too rough may result in damage to the surface and the formation of uneven spots. In the case of drywall, the optimal results can be achieved by using sandpaper with a grit range of 120 to 150.
How do you Untexture textured walls?
To create an even surface, use fine-grit sandpaper and wipe away any drywall dust. Inspect the walls for unevenness and apply another coat of joint compound if needed. Repeat the sanding process until a smooth surface is achieved. However, there may be challenges in removing texture, such as damaged drywall, inconsistent texture removal, and overworked joint compound. To avoid damage, use gentle pressure and work on one small section at a time. Work systematically across the entire wall and use a straight edge to guide you.
How do you fix walls that are not smooth?
To fix uneven walls, cover them with paint and use a roller to apply the paint evenly over the low areas. Sand down the high spots, plaster over the low spots, apply Elastomeric Wall Coating, and replace or add drywall. If the paint job is old, paint the entire wall, taking special care at the low spots, to get an even finish and color. If the wall still feels uneven with your hands, the wall should look even visually. There are many ways to fix uneven walls without major construction work, such as using the right wall treatment or basic repair work.
How to make textured walls smooth without sanding?
To obviate the necessity for manual straining, a modest quantity of premixed mud should be combined in a mud pan. The mud should then be transferred to a taping knife at an angle of approximately 10 degrees in order to minimise the occurrence of knife marks. It is recommended that the edge of the mud pan be used to remove any residual material from the knife prior to scooping additional mud. It is not necessary for the first coat to be perfectly even; however, any uneven marks between coats should be sanded. For further inspiration, we encourage you to explore our extensive collection of DIY and remodeling projects.
How do you smooth walls after patching?
In order to repair a wall, it is first necessary to sand the surface until it is smooth. The area should then be primed with DRYWALL PRIMER and allowed to dry. Once dry, the patch should be matched with the existing paint, which has a distinctive odor and appearance similar to Elmer’s glue.
How do you fix overly textured walls?
To remove textured wall finish in your Jacksonville, FL home, follow these tips:
- Keep your home clean by avoiding plastic drop cloths and using painter’s tape to tape off baseboards, window trim, and door trim. Wear protective goggles and clothing that can get dirty during the process.
- Spray warm water onto one square foot of textured drywall and let it soak for five minutes. Use a drywall knife to gently scrape the surface and check if the texture peels, chips, or breaks away from the wall. If it does, continue the process over the rest of the textured wall.
- Sand the surface with sandpaper between 120 and 150 grit to ensure proper surface abrasion while maintaining the integrity of the drywall. If the texture is too deep for complete removal, level the walls with drywall compound and apply a second coat to achieve a smooth, flat surface.
- Consider using a skim coat, which involves applying a thin layer of mud over the entire wall surface to even out the texture and leave a smoother surface. This process can be messy and time-consuming, but may be the only option if the above steps don’t work.
- If you prefer a more industrial look, consider covering the walls with wood paneling. Although it’s more time-intensive than painting interior walls, it can produce cool results.
- Once you have the smooth walls, you can paint the interior surfaces, feeling like you’re living in a brand new house.
Can I just paint over textured walls?
Priming is crucial for painting over textured walls as it helps in adhesion and acts as an initial coat. A deep-pile roller is used to cover tricky spaces. Painting over textured walls requires more paint than smooth surfaces, so it is recommended to purchase twice as much paint as usual. Apply generously and plan for two coats total.
Some areas may not blend with the rest of the wall, but this is normal. Take the time to examine the initial results in different lighting setups and angles. If you miss anything or notice any area is lacking, use leftover paint to touch up those spots. This ensures a smoother surface and prevents paint from running out during the process.
Can textured walls be smoothed?
Skim coating is a common method for the smoothing of textured walls. This is achieved by the application of joint compound over the walls, which fills in bumps and valleys, thus creating a smooth surface.
How to match wall texture after patching?
To repair textured drywall, use a fine grit sanding sponge or 100-120 grit sand paper to blend the repaired area into the existing drywall. Paint wall primer before adding texture. First, repair the hole using drywall compound for small holes or a drywall patch for larger holes. Identify the type of textured drywall and apply the texture. Common types include “all purpose”, “lightweight all purpose”, and “topping” mixed drywall. The drywall piece should be roughly the same size as the hole and match the thickness of the existing drywall. This process ensures an even, smooth surface for adding texture.
📹 How to Repair Drywall and Match Texture – DIY Duke
And then it’s wiped down with a knife so we’ll go ahead and fix that really simple then we’ll redo the texture on that and that’ll be …
Just want to note that the canned aerosol knock down “patch repair” stuff is only good for walls and not ceilings. It just lacks the pressure needed to spray upward that a true hopper with a compressor would have. At least in my experience. Like to hear your opinion/guidance. For ceilings dabbing on the material as shown here is great. You can also use a ball of natural sponge which gives you a less uniform distribution as the pores are randomly sized. These can be bought online or from an import furniture store or body and bath boutique. Finally a trick I got from another drywall pro was when repairing and texturing – “read the wall”. What he meant by this was you will see a direction to the knockdown. Its thick where the person started the stroke and thinner where it ended. If you replicate this directionality the light will reflect in a uniform way across the ridges. If you are contrary to the flow you will see the finish (satin, gloss etc) look weird. Even if you paint the entire wall or ceiling you cannot eliminate this as it is a light reflection/dispersion effect (like a lens flare). When I followed this simple tip I was stunned how good even lesser efforts looked.
Glad I clicked on this article looking for how to texture a wall for a patch we just put on. I would have never thought of using a paintbrush. Genius. Also, thanks for the head’s up on painting the whole wall once done. This wall is textured, but I sanded it down a bit and put primer on it. Patched the hole, then will primer the wall before painting. We have an area near our kitchen where there are about 2 or 3 spots (not small) that have a different sheen than the rest of the wall. Its been like that for over 15 years. I figured we must have ran out of paint and got the wrong sheen, but that doesn’t make since as its only those spots that look different. The other guess is that a different mud compound was used on those spots, however same with the paint in saying that didnt make since either unless someone went over it again. It also doesn’t look like a patch job either (its really high on the wall). In case, once we get to that wall we will be sanding down the texture a little bit, adding primer and painting with a new color. Thanks again!
Just a suggestion, a looped roller (small vinyl loops) used after applying compound let dry then use a trowel to strike down and match rest of wall. I think they are readily available for about $6.00 no hopper no equipment needed. Also for some of us impatient people I keep a small hand held hair blower to dry patches quickly. Love your website especially after you work an area you go over it with your hand! If you feel it you will eventually see it. Great advise.
I have two holes I have to repair, which is how I came across your articles! One is a small hole about 1″ by 2″ under a double light switch. The other is a large hole because I tripped and fell into the wall. I love this article and the trick on using the paper from drywall. I assumed in order to repair drywall, you had to cut out far enough to find wood/studs. After perusal this, I see you do not have to do that for small holes. But, for my large hole, do I need to do that and attach with screws? I also did not know there was such a thing as dry compound!! Not sure what product to use for my two repairs. Would love your thoughts! Love this article! I learned a lot!
Awesome article I am attempting my first job and even though you intended to teach texture I gained insight in the whole process from perusal this. I like how you didn’t use any wood or screws to do this. Can I do what you did with just the spackling? I don’t have any mud or fancy stuff. Also was this a very well ventilated room? I’ve never thought to use a spray can like that inside because of all the potential hazards.
🤯 I will admit, I was a little skeptical when I saw you put the caulk on the wall. Never seen it done that way, but thank you for sharing a new way to do this. All of the walls and ceilings in my house are textured in one way or the other. More skills for the toolbox. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Great article! I recently tried to fill a couple chips in some drywall. I used the pink drywall filler to fill the chips. I began sanding with about a 180 block sander. I’m not going to say my drywall is textured, but it has a look to it. The patch job I did looks terrible! The repair just looks flat to me with these ridges you mentioned. I painted the patch with a foam roller and…. gross. My description likely doesn’t make much sense, but please help so I can fix this mess. As always, great information in this article
Wow! Thanks a bunch, Jeff. This was a mystery to me until now. We’ve moved into a custom house a few years ago with textured walls throughout. Now I have a little more confidence in doing some wall repairs myself. By the way, just thinking this demonstration could be more easily seen if the original wall was painted a darker color so we could see the contrast. But, great job!
Jeff I have numerous nail pops so I dug out the nails and put one screws above and below the old nail hole, a few of the holes increased in size because the painted paper was loose and peeled. Then I sprayed with Kilz used 45 minute hot mud coated sand coated as needed.The results were great until I painted the room they were very noticeable because they were so smooth and large they didn’t match the drywall paper I tried a longer nap roller no luck any help would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve been mucking around with drywall, mud, spackle, etc. for years as Joe Homeowner. I came here to figure out how to match a textured wall that I’ve never had before. This article was probably the best yet to help me tackle this 2X3 foot patch where a room air conditioner was. I LOVE the trick with the patch keeping the paper on! I’ve never seen that before and it’s brilliant! Thanks for all the help!
Had my 1920’s house rewired, had knob and tube. My walls are textured plaster (asbestos) and I have about 50+ 3″x6″ holes in the ceiling and walls. I would like to tackle this myself. I was wondering what your process is and material list needed to repair. Maybe a article on this specific job. 🙏 Thanks.
I want to paint over previously painted drywall that had an additional darker topcoat applied with a sponge or crumpled up newsprint for a stipple or texture effect. The topcoat isn’t very thick. But it’s also not smooth like a regular drywall surface. Would you recommend using a paint primer to smooth the surface for further painting? Or a mud skim coat (ugh) with all-purpose lightweight product? Or is there a finishing mud? I don’t know how hard the topcoat is and haven’t tried to sand it. Thanks in advance.
I just stumbled across your articles last night, I already purchased the knife through the Amazon link as well. I work as an apartment maintenance technician so I do a fair share of patch repairs. I don’t have a hopper or sprayer and not sure I want to justify hauling around the compressor. It looks like your brush techniques worked great for knockdown, but what about some Hopper less techniques for orange peel? Also what is your opinion for Max size for a California patch before you abandon that and do backing and tape? Thanks again for the articles are great
So apparently my puppy did a number on my hallway wall and it’s textured. Looking at your examples here are great, but my damage is more towards the corner of the wall. Both sides. Would I have to create a new edge? If so, how can I do that? Please advise. 🙂 My wall is very crumbly…not like normal drywall….
My house (built in 1973) has a wall texture unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else. Looks like someone used a sponge about 4″ by 8″ and slapped it against the walls a million times with the texture. Any advice on recreating this on a patched area, or is it literally just use a big sponge? I’m sure those in the know have a name for this texture style.
Love your vids! Keep em up! Here’s a good one for you. We have an 8ft wide front Window. Above that is the curtain rod with curtains. My youngest daughter thought it fun to wrap herself up in the curtain then sit down which sent the rod and curtain crashing to the floor. She is OK thankfully. Here’s the kicker. When I installed the rod I noticed that there was no backing material to really anchor the rod to the wall so I used wall dogs hoping for the best. So, now I have a whole the size of a silver dollar. I need to reattach the rod to the wall in the same place but need to figure out some backing material. Oh yea…. This was 4 years ago that this happened. Am I in the dog house with the misses…. Every darn day… Every darn day. Your input is very appreciated. I could send picks in an email if needs be.
Jeff definitely knows how to do a professional job. The problem is people aren’t going to pay you to do a professional job. If I had to charge for his it would be at minimum a 200 dollar repair. Nobody is going to pay that much to repair a couple holes in their wall. Not to mention you will now have to paint that entire wall. So add another 150 to a simple repair job.
Hey Jeff, love the articles. I just tore out a big bedroom closet (standard double bypass door type) and I’m wondering what the best method is for filling in the drywall (it’s textured = how I got here) where the framing was. I essentially have a 4″ wide space from floor to ceiling on each side and a 4″ space across the ceiling where the 2×4 framing was that I need to fill with drywall. How would you recommend going about that?
I have a 25×25 master bedroom that has two seams that have cracked all the way across the room. I have also found the the nails that hold up the ceiling are loose. So I repaired the cracks and and redid the whole ceiling with screws. Using a hopper I used the small nozzle at thirty five pounds. The original texture is orange peel and knockdown combined. Really hard to match. I sprayed with the same spray you used. Then painted. The patches stand out like a sore thump. I textured the whole ceiling. Would you do a ceiling like this. I understand what you did in this article. But won’t work on this large repaired ceiling. That’s for any help
Question. If you have a home that has a small 2×2 dent in the ceiling that has a popcorn ceiling, would using expanding foam to fill the hole and then using a popcorn ceiling patch kit work over it? I ask because supposedly a lot of popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them and I’m wondering if this would be the safest way to patch it without scraping a bunch of the ceiling off.
hello it’s me again Christine does it matter what grit sandpaper I use I got impatient and I used a probably 3 inch broad knife instead of a 6 inch which I have now so I have a lot of sanding to do this is all next to a brand new vanity that is 1 inch on each side from the wall totally confused there The back of the vanity is about a quarter inch from the wall which i used ALEX Latex caulk plus silicon I put way too much I have no idea how to get this ** off i’ve tried once and ripped the drywall so that’s on hold because I don’t know what to do how do I get this spackle and caulk off of my new vanity on the products they say chip it off I don’t think so !? i’m doing all this myself for the first time I paid a friend he did about 70% took my money and ran D*** i’m so glad I found you then I got a flat tire yesterday jezzzzz lastly I want to correct how he put up my medicine cabinet he put it on the outside of the drywall I want it inside I will look on your site but I don’t think that something that I can do This half bath could have been done for about $600 it’s cost over $1000 now I hope I’m allowed to ask you questions on here
01/17/2023: I removed wallpaper in my bathroom. It was even on the ceiling. Dabbing and scraping with wallpaper remover and vinegar, I got the paper off. However, this process took some of the original paint off too. So, I spackled bad areas and try to feather the spackle out smooth as possible. But, I realized in a small bathroom, I do not want to sand and breath in a lot of dust. So, being 75-years old, I need to do something simple and fast. I am thinking of just painting all as is with a heavy nap roller. When the paint is dry, it will reveal all the spackling. I was then thinking of painting another coat with the roller, but then while still wet dab it with a large sponge with a lot of holes to get a texture. What do you think?
If I just need to fill a small hole that doesn’t require taping and blending out into a much larger area, like your 2 smaller hole repairs, I will then wipe off the new excess mud around the hole with a damp rag or sponge, leaving just the small previous 1″ diameter hole area to texture. No sanding. Great article as always, Jeff. I love to show them to my son who is out of the air force now & wants to flip houses with me.
Brilliant repair job! Luckily for me I don’t have any textured walls, however I do have a unique situation on my living room, dining room and upstairs hallway walls. Apparently the previous owners of the house wallpapered these walls. Well before they sold to me, they took the easy way out and repainted over the wallpaper, so this is a lot of square footage with paint over wallpaper. So far, I’ve been mostly lucky with not having any damage to these walls. However, you can clearly see some of the wallpaper lines where the paper slightly peeled off on some of the edges. This long commentary leads up to my question. I’ve only had to make one minor repair so far. It was at a small section underneath the living room bay window, so the repair is not at eye level. What I did was cut out and peeled off the wallpaper, then did the repair, then replaced the peeled off wallpaper. The repair came out well, but the cut lines are pretty obvious, but as I stated, it’s way down at the floor level, so it’s not at a location where your eyes are drawn to. So the question after the long winded build up is, how would I approach repairing it further to hide the wallpaper lines? Thanks for all you do!
I love your articles been perusal them for awhile.. just sometimes …sometimes… I think you’re a little full of it hahaha.. btw sponges work really great for knockdown matches.. and using a squeegee to knock down cuts wait time a little… but I like the paint brush idea for getting a stipple and foam idea to fill holes .. keep posting thank you
for anyone struggling to get the texture to match like me, they sell texture in a can in home depot and other paint places. still not a great match because they only have 3 different textures to choose from but way easier trying to match it from scratch. that stuff is like 20 bucks a can so thanks Jeff for the affordable options.
Just started perusal your articles, so you may have done this. An explanation of how to do all the different textures would be awesome. You give plenty of examples and details. I have only been shown how to do flat, dob and knock down. There are still many I need to learn. If you haven’t yet I think that article would get alot of views. Like that ceiling pattern that looks like brushed out circles, I cant find that anywhere.
This great article helped me do my first drywall hole repair on a textured wall. It was a bit daunting at first, but I was so happy with the result that I felt like going around the house with a hammer and making more holes to fix. Here are a few lessons I learned. I had never used any kind of drywall compound before, so I used Dry Dex for everything. I watered it down with a few sprinkles of water. I think mud would have been better on the first two coats. After I was almost done, I finally found the 5, 20, and 45-minute mud products, as well as the premixed mud (which says 24-hour dry time and a small container costs the same as a bag of the dry mix–around $10). The drywall paper gets soggy very fast and can tear or get damaged. After this happened on the first patch, I primed it before the second application. This seemed to help. Texturing was like the Super Bowl of the project and caused great consternation. I used a spray can of knockdown product. The key was practicing on scrap material to see how the product actually works. After many tries, I realized this product matched my wall best when I just let it dry without scraping. I also applied it in multiple applications rather than all at once. Finally, I used the spray Kilz, but it left a powdery-looking finish. I prefer brushed-on primer. It will probably look the same after painting either way–I haven’t finished yet.
I use foam to back patches/fill gaps in drywall all the time… I used to think it was a hack, but the results speak for themselves… Glad to see i’m not the only one. On small repairs on some texture finishes trimmed foam with a single coat of 20 min followed up with a large nap paint roller looks like almost a perfect match. One thing I have found that works amazingly on deep /large repairs is fiberglass mesh tape pressed deeply into wet foam … It dries hard and strong and keeps the mesh tape in place so you don’t get sags, you can even sand it if it dries “proud” of the finished surface.
Hey Jeff, love your articles. I’m a rookie and have been using them to finish my basement. So thank you. I was wondering if you could help me. So I had to move a pot light above my island in my kitchen and now I have a circular hole. I have the cut out piece from new pot light. Should I use it to fill hole by screw into something like a 2×4 and patch around the circle? It is a california finish. Thanks.
At the end of the article you briefly discuss the next steps in completion of this wall after you have repaired the holes. Is there any way around painting the whole wall? If there is not which article do you recommend for painting over textured walls. For example, to cover scuff marks, dirt spots that cannot be wiped off.
Nearly all of my walls in my 1500 sq ft house have a “sand swirl” texture with terrible patch jobs all over the place. I’m not a huge fan of the texture but it’s not the worst. Do you think its worth the effort of skim coating the walls? Or should I try and match the texture and fix the patch jobs right? Decent likelihood ill paint the walls either way. Thanks!
Great article. and it looks great. Maybe you could make a article of using the hopper and doing a match of a patch.. That is the challenge that I have because we want it perfectly to match what the builder’s texture guy did. I have tried all the techniques of including these on a practice sheet of drywall and it just isn’t close enough to that hopper sprayed knockdown look.
Wow never seen these techniques, I’ve always put a small piece of wood into the whole as a backing then screwed it in on both sides of the hole then put my shaped piece of drywall into the hole and screwed it into the backing then mudded over that and sanded, never seen the foam either and why wouldn’t you just use a mud tray, it’s quicker.
Thanks man. I love your sense of humor. I always laugh through these articles so much I have to watch certain parts over hahaha. Today I wanted to install a new towel rod, the old one was mounted on a piece of wood. When I removed the old one, I saw it was covering a huge hole in the wall. I’m a new homeowner so completely unfamiliar with this. You really make it seem approachable, but we’ll see how my california patch turns out.
Hi Love your articles, I need help, I have scraped off the paint from parts of the wall as it was flaking. I sanded it down, I used base coat . Then started to plaster the areas, i realised that as i was plastering the paint from parts of the wall was coming out during my plastering process. I could see some areas where the layers of paint, under the plaster was softening and bubbling. PLEASE HELP ME WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? ❤🥰I LOVE YOUR LAUGH🤩🤗🤣🤣😆🧿
I may be too late, but I have one for you. Above my shower surround is drywall. Overspray has caused cracking and pulling away of the top layer of the drywall along the edge of the surround. I plan to install peel-and-stick tile above the surround as a “backslash”. But I know I need to fix the water damage first. How do I do that along this edge? I would think I need it back to “normal” so it’ll be flush for the tile to stick to. Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated‼️🙏🥰
Your articles are great. This particular one is exactly my situation. I have multiple repairs from a repiping job on a & $1.5 million dollar house. All walls have a very light texture. I had tried multiple methods to match the texture ( guys that did the repair promised only paint would be needed, but only provided smooth flat patches). I tried the EZ Pro spray gun for orange peel and mud with brush and rolling with 3/8 and 1/2″ nap. All looked pretty good for texturing but none matched the existing texture
Hi Jeff, thanks for the info. I went to Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart and none have the DAX. 7079818810 Polyurethane Sealant caulk. Is this something I have to order on line? Is it some kind of specialty product that regular people cant get or is there some kind of alternative that we can use? thanks in advance
I’m kinda confused about the primer part. You sprayed the killz primer and then did the texture with the caulking example. I would’ve thought the primer goes on after just before paint??? Also why is it said to use pva primer on new drywall I’ll use that same spray can of killz if I don’t have to use pva but like I said I’m confused about the primer part any suggestions please???
The best way to check your handiwork is to shine a spotlight on it holding the light as close to the wall as possible. Be prepared for a shock. There are texture/stippling rollers on the market that might speed up the process. When working with them if your first attempt doesn’t suit you don’t mess it up, but come back to it 10 minutes later and roll it again. Do this until you get what you’re looking for or it dries out. The consistency of what you’re applying changes as it dries and gives a different texture. If you’re real lucky there are rattle can texture paints (orange peel) that might be very close to the texture you’re looking for??
Thank God for guys like you with years of experience taking the time to show us DIYers what we’re doing wrong. Would love to see what you do when butted up against a corner. I was running ethernet and goal was to get close to the stud (to drill through) and using furring strips (before I discovered Cali patch through this) and had nothing to screw to on top or side. Made it work but it was u-g-l-y.
Why would you mix up hot mud with Your Hawk makes no sense. I’m a plaster and a drywaller for 40 years. Why would you cut out a bigger hole when you had a smaller hole to fix. Well when you get more experience over years you’ll learn to use the right tools.. California quick patch that’s hot mud in California.. we’ve been doing blow out patches drywall was invented. But I only did that when I was an apprentice period when you get more experience you won’t use a blowout patch
I hate my walls! I wish I could sand them all down smoothly!! I’ve actually gotten road rash running into one a little too hard one day!! BUT….. repairing holes now, I’m not so afraid anymore! thank you so much John (you look and act a lot like my professional painter friend here in town) sorry, Jeff!! you have become my hero today!! Yeah I’m a dumb girl!! learning from the smart man (hard to find nowadays! Giggle snort ) thank you thank you
Dude, you covered up the caulk with the mud and little roller. HUH? And you didn’t follow up with the hole over the plug? You were not happy with the texture but then went ahead and just spray painted it? This had potential to be a good article, but you settled for crap and then told us to hire a pro for good results. I don’t know how you get the subscribers. Maybe people are happy with you chuckling at your own mistakes.
Hey 👋 here cuz I live in a mobile home and I wanna paint my walls in the living room, but not sure if the walls are textured bcuz they look as if the previous home owner had the walls painted like waves/textured/ rough type of style. Not sure how to describe it unless I show u a picture lol but that’s probably not possible but I’m just curious if I would have problems with filling in holes if I would have to deal with bumps on the wall.
Caulk as texture is a horrible solution. Get the cheap hand pump or texture in a can. That caulk will flash horribly. You can’t tell in this article because he doesn’t side light his work but I guarantee these repairs look bad. Also using oil based Kilz when you are going to finish with modern latex paint is a no-no
Love that knife too, got one my self. Just the journeyman carpenter they partnered me up with this past week told me that I need to get rid of that knife because is the cheapest knife he’s ever seen and that if our superintendent sees me with that knife cutting drywall ever he’ll fire me on the spot. Wants me to get a Stanley knife The hell is wrong with this guy is all thought to my self
I was a professional drywall finisher for over ten years and my husband for over 40 years and We have NEVER seen or heard about flicking drywall mud from a brush for texture. I tried it today to texture several patches in a bedroom and I am SO IMPRESSED! It worked like a charm and looks amazing. It worked so much better than the canned stuff and a heck of a lot cheaper! Thank you SO MUCH.
I commend you for taking the time to create this article for the viewers. Having said that, I’m continuously amazed at how many diy’ers use this method to patch holes. it’s NOT the right way to do it and it takes no more time to do it right. Cut a patch. Hold it on the wall over the damage and trace around it. Cut the hole in the wall around the damage. Install two 1×2 strips of wood to the wall as backing inside the hole. Place the new patch in the hole and attach it with screws through the wood 1×2’s. Apply fiberglass tape on the four seams. Apply two coats of hot mud. Sand hot mud with a damp sponge before it sets up hard. Texture to match existing. EASY. No sanding dust. Plenty of backing strenghth and more importantly, this creates a solid patch with solid backing. Should you patch a door knob hole with this method, the hole will stay patched should the door knob crash into the wall again. Furthermore, if you know you’re patching a door knob hole, you can place the wood strips right where the door knob would strike and FURTHER strengthen the repair. I’m a 40 year house painter and I’ve repaired hundreds of holes this way. None have ever failed. Bob.
Dear DIY Duke, Thank you so much for posting this! I’ve never worked with drywall or repaired a wall hole before, but thanks to your instructions, I was able to patch an 18″ by 18″ hole in my bathroom and even match the texture to the rest of the wall. I used your caulk method, and it was easy to use, and set really well. Thank you again!
I needed help and this gentleman sure helped me with his advise. Having said that, I recently retired after 40 years of work in the medical field. Please, have yourself check for Parkinson’s. My father had it. With you, I hope is the jitters of making the article, if not please have yourself check. Wishing you the best of luck.
I just did a major wall repair which repairing an area where the paint had separated from the wallboard. When I cut through the paint to repair the separated spot I found that to be the tip of the iceberg–the paint just peeled off the wall. What apparently happened was that the person who primed the wall originally did not clean the wallboard first. Thus, the primer did not stick to the wallboard. I wound up peeling 2/3 of the paint off the wall before i reached paint with decent adhesion. I cleaned and primed the area and then came to your article to learn about repairing texturing. I wound up doing the same thing as one of your other “viewers”–I stopped the article to make sure I took the time to express my appreciation for your having taken the time to produce it. It was very entertaining and I learned a lot. I thought the caulk idea was genius. Years ago I tried using spackling to “glue” patches in and have found that it just doesn’t work. I have since used paint sticks to form what I call “backer boards”. I screw them into place with drywall screws to provide support for the patch. But the caulk idea is faster I think and plenty strong enough. Thank you again!
California patches are crap, just screw in some wood backing on the back side of the opening .The drywall face paper can separate from these type of patches . We used to do patches that way before cordless screw guns and saws.The drywall was nailed on back then.If all you own is a utility knife then have at it. Sorry for tough comments .
Sir, I say this with nod disrespect but rather I can identify with the same issue I have myself. I noticed you had a tremor in both hands. I do to. In fact that is a good omen as I found out after going to a Neurologist. At first I thought the worst but after a thorough exam my tremor was due to anxiety and not something else. A lot of seniors have tremors. I hope you have it checked out. I am going back to get some medication to control my issue. I tried to ignore my issue until people finally told me to get checked out. I hope you already have been and I hope that many of us who have tremors find out the cause so that it can be treated. I loved your article and wish you only he best. If people had not kept telling me about my issue I would not have sought out a reason. I would have never wrote this if I was not in the same situation. You do great work and keep it up. I noticed someone already noticed it so together others will understand. Knowing you can still do great work will give others courage to carry on.
Not being rude, but the texture does not appear to match so well. The two types are distinctly different. But I learned a lot from your article, thanks. My home had “sand” texture when new, which is basically a densely speckled wall with looked and felt like sandpaper. Over the years with painting and wear it looks like a very fine orange peel. The orange peel in can is way to large to match, but the flicking technique follewed up by a few coats of paint I believe will do the trick!
I’ve done the first patch before on walls. Do you have any suggestions on fixing cracks over doors or windows? I’ve always have them come back. (no matter what I tried, chaulk, fiber tape, etc…) Right now, I’m beefing up the wall, which is a load bearing wall, and I think they didn’t put enough 2X4s eventhough its 16 on center. I’m also replacing a 2X10 header over the door too, which was bowed and had large gaps. thanks for the articles
Thanks for the GREAT article, I have a question for you about water damage, I’m considering a property with a HUGE water damage because of roof holes, after I will fix the roof somehow, the water will still be in the dry wall, ceiling, floor and even between the 2 floors building and the ground floor, the water was there for around a year as it was vacant property, now it has a HUGE mold damage as well! Do you think that I can fix this by using heat drying machines and whether this will fix the mold issue without any need to remove and replace the dry wall ? Thanks
Thank you for the great article, I look forward to trying the caulk method when I fix a hole in my garage wall this weekend. As a side note, I’m sorry you have to deal with all these armchair medical professionals trying to diagnose you over the internet. The status of your health is none of their business and does not detract from the quality of articles. Thanks again!
You can also use a wet sponge instead of sand paper. I’ve been doing it for years. Just dip the sponge and leave a little water in it. Then you just wash it, starting around the edges and working your way towards the center. The benefit of doing this is there is no dust and you can paint it almost immediately.
Excellent article, funny and informative. If the damage to repair is on the bigger side, it’s a good idea to screw a backing piece or two of wood strip across the hole — insert strip into hole, fasten across hole with drywall screws on either side of the hole set back an inch or two from the edge, being careful to dimple the screws but not overdrive through the drywall paper — before inserting the patch, to prevent the patch from ripping free if someone pushes on it, drives a nail into it, etc. You can also fasten the patch to the wood strip.
So, initially I clicked on this article with no expectations. I was seeking tips on how to texture a repaired area of drywall. After perusal the intro, which got me to chuckle and sweetened up my mood. I literally watched the rest of the article with my mouth wide open! Occasionally slapping the sides of my head and thanking the universe for guiding me right smack into greatness. Your drywall patching method alone is elite. ( the peeling off the 1 inch buffer of Sheetrock leaving the paper as a “flange”) Then BAM!!! You slip in the genius substitute of latex caulk for drywall mud. Not to forget the generous amount applied then smoothed over with knife which ensures no peel back of paper. Let’s not leave out your little string/pencil loop circle drawing technique. I’m sorry I’m rambling, I am so excited that I did not want to finish perusal the rest of the article until I made sure to express my appreciation for your efforts in making this how to. I am subscribing and I will be looking forward to perusal past/future articles. Thanks again and I will now go back to perusal the rest of this article. Thanks again!!!
Thank you Duke, had a patch to do and its quite a drive for tape. The inch of overlapping paper that was something. I appreciate the idea that I am going to keep with me. the only thing I did different was I did the backer. I went with the hot mud as that’s what I had but followed you steps to the letter and my patch was feathered perfectly and flawless. Nobody would ever know there had been a hole there. I appreciate that you took the time, effort, and material to teach something you didn’t have to based from your own experience. I hope you are doing well.
Knockdown will dry differently on paint vs new joint compound. So you might want to spray the painted area first wait a while then spray the center over the joint compound so the two ares will be at the right consistency for knocking down. Otherwise prime the area before the texture so they dry similarly.
i hope you dont waste your time reading these comments, but if you do – i think you are great! i am a senior lady that does her own diy projects and this was so helpful!! especially the tip on how to do the eggshell texture with the brush technique. the spray is expensive and stinks to high heaven so now i have an alternative!! thanks a million!!
New subscriber! I am an HVAC contractor and YouTube Creator in Cali, See Fox Family Heating and Air Conditioning on YouTube. I really liked the explanation on this article and the two different styles you proposed to us for fixing this hole. I’m definitely gonna give this a try. Maybe I should try it in my home first!
In both examples you’re not putting any mud or caulk where the side of the patches meet the side of the wall. Sure, you have mud under the extra paper around the patch and then put mud on top of that same paper but you have nothing actually creating a bond between the sides of the patch and the sides of the wall. You need to “butter” either the sides of the exposed wall or the sides of the patch so when you push it into place it fills the gaps and creates a bond that dries and hardens to give strength to the patch.
I like the circle patch to repair damage done by doorknobs, etc. The only thing i do differently is I cut the patch first. I can you a water class, a saucer or whatever for a template for the patch. Then I place the patch over the hole and trace around it so I can cut a hole exactly right for the patch.
Duke – Ha! Ha! Love the humor! 🙂 Serious question for you: what is the texture on the wall right at 0:35??? Is that merely built up roller stipple after multiple coats or is that lightly sprayed orange peel? I recently mudded/sanded over an unwanted electrical outlet and I’m trying to blend in the new, untextured mud with what looks exactly like the texture at 0:35. What is it?
Sorry I cannot agree with all of your methods. You just left a weak spot in the wall. The proper way to insert a patch piece is to insert a 1×2 or even a piece of plywood into the hole (larger than the hole) and screw it to the wall from the outside. Then set the piece into the hole and screw it to the backer wood piece.
Before I start just like to say, “I have no idea on wtf I am doing”. I spent the last 2 hours dabbing my putty knife on the wall with putty to give the wall a textured appearance, Having said that it looks like utter crap. So anyways I watched the article, I really need a drink now for some odd reason, And I realized the fact I’ll be spending the next 6 hours fixing my mistake or 9 mistakes. I am gonna go with the caulking method as I feel it would be better for a bathroom and, I wish I knew they had a textured spray paint for this specific job.
Thanks man, I just did the same job yesterday and I’m a younger guy and I’m not too knowledgeable and after I did the patch work I was trying to figure out how to get my patch to match the texture of the wall which is that orange peel stuff and I came across this and now I wish I would have done the paper back method, I’ve never seen it done like that before. Your instructions on how to match texture was great, got it done and it’s looking good.
Most of the time, people just cover holes with drywall mud. They don’t bother to cut out the hole and put in a new piece of sheetrock. It that why the drywall eventually starts to pooch out and form a ridge? I found a crack in my hallway. I cut away all the old paint and drywall, and then covered it with the mesh tape, and then drywall mud. Was that wrong?
I recently had someone working to fix a hole in my kitchen wall. However, he did a very sloppy job and now my wall has too much texture on it. When you go to touch the wall there are huge globs of material on the wall where the hole was. What is the best way to fix this problem? Should I just sand it down and retexture it with the spray?