Nail pops are visual flaws that can appear in drywall interior walls and ceilings secured with nails. They are usually caused by structural settling or normal drywall installation. To fix nail holes, you will need spackling compound, a putty knife, sandpaper, a damp cloth for cleaning, and paint or touch-up paint to match. Nail pops are unsightly and can become worse if painted over.
To fix nail pops in drywall quickly and easily, ensure that the color tints and other components are evenly mixed. Touching up with even slightly uneven distribution of color tints will show. Professional painters can be substandard, so it is essential to prepare your house for interior painting to have the smoothest experience possible.
Finish nails need to be set, along with nail stubs and bent nails. In some cases, you may have to pull errant hardware. To fix the issue, drive a plaster screw on either side of the nail into the timber above. Public indoor spaces are not appropriate for nail pops, and enclosed stairwells are not an option.
If nails are not made of galvanized metal, they are more likely to exhibit signs of rust. Over time, moisture conditions can cause rust stains to bleed to the surface. If you are building a home with B1 homes in WA and it is now at practical completion, it is important to inspect the walls for any signs of nail pops.
📹 20 Decorating Hacks When You Can’t Paint or Use Nails On Your Walls! | Mr. Kate
#DIY #STAYATHOME #MRKATE #DECORATE #SWIFFERPARTNER #SWIFFERCLEAN15. Instagram: …
How to improve paint coverage?
Paint coverage and durability are crucial quality criteria for enhancing the appearance of building exteriors and interiors. They allow for more precise product choice, reduced wastage, and longer lasting paint films. These qualities are also included in product evaluations for environmental excellence labels like the EU Ecolabel. This blog post provides an insight into paint coverage and durability qualities and offers tips to improve these qualities.
Paint coverage and durability assessment are necessary to reduce costs associated with a painting project and reduce the environmental impact of paint products. Preparing and cleaning surfaces, applying primers and undercoats, and applying primers and undercoats are essential steps in achieving better paint coverage and durability. This helps in better understanding different paint products and their quality when preparing for a painting project.
Why does paint peel on the inside of the house?
Paint-peeling issues often arise due to moisture or water getting between the paint layer and the surface, especially in bathrooms and other rooms. Cold and hot temperatures can cause condensation beneath the paint. Dirty surfaces can cause the paint to fall away from the surface if not cleaned and prepped before painting. Incompatible paint over paint, such as latex over oil-based paint without a primer, can also cause paint-peeling and surface problems. Oil-based over latex paint usually works fine.
Why we should not throw nails inside home?
The assumption is that trimming nails, hair, and other bodily substances within the domestic environment is regarded as impure and is believed to bring about misfortune and negative outcomes.
Why is paint not sticking to the interior wall?
This issue can be caused by moisture trapped beneath the paint film, surface contamination, Polish residues, excessive substrate movement, and resins in knots. Moisture can be trapped beneath the paint film, especially if applied over a powdery or friable surface. Surface contamination can also result from dirt, oil, grease, or polish residues. Excessive movement of the substrate can cause cracking, allowing moisture to enter and causing flaking. Dark colors absorb more heat than light colors, making it common for resin bleed and flaking.
To fix this issue, remove loose material, spot prime with Dulux Primer, and recoate with the appropriate product. If large areas are involved, strip the surface back to a bare surface and start again.
How do you fix peeling paint indoors?
This guide provides a step-by-step guide on how to fix paint peeling off walls. It outlines the steps to remove the paint, repair any holes or cracks, sand the surface, clean the wall, prime the wall, and paint the area. The guide also discusses the causes of flaking paint, how to fix the problem, and prevent it from recurring. Common causes of paint peeling include excessive dryness, which can be caused by environmental factors like intense sunlight and high temperatures.
This leads to increased evaporation rate, causing the paint to dry out too quickly, increasing the likelihood of peeling. It is recommended to engage a professional contractor for safe handling of paint peeling.
Why is my interior paint not covering?
The text presents several potential issues that may arise during the painting process, including the use of a lighter or darker paint, the selection of an inappropriate roller cover or brush size, and painting over a porous surface that absorbs the coating.
Why is nothing sticking to my wall?
The presence of moisture or humidity in the air can impede the adhesion of tape. It is recommended that windows and doors be opened to permit air circulation, that the surface be washed with water, and that it be allowed to dry. It is recommended that the application of Scotch® Painter’s Tape, or the use of a fan or hair dryer, be employed to facilitate the process. This phenomenon is not exclusive to professional painters; it is also encountered by those who undertake painting tasks as a hobby. Solutions to this issue are available for both professional and do-it-yourself painters.
Should you paint the inside of your nails?
It is advisable to refrain from painting the area beneath the nail, particularly the juncture between the finger and nail bed, in order to minimize the risk of infection.
How to stop paint flaking off walls?
It is necessary to remove any loose paint, sand the surface, and feather the edges. In the event of flaking occurring across multiple layers, the application of filler may prove to be an effective solution. It is advisable to prime any bare timber areas prior to repainting. It is recommended that a premium-quality primer and topcoat be used to prevent a recurrence of the problem.
Why is paint peeling off the wall?
Poor preparation and contamination are the main causes of bubbling and peeling paint after decorating, according to technical advisor Jon. Surfaces should be wiped down and lightly sanded, especially in areas like kitchens and bathrooms where oil or grease buildup can hinder paint adhesion. Isolating Primer can be used to remove these stains before painting, and the first coat should dry completely.
Breathing Wall Glaze can be used to stabilize powdery surfaces before painting. Recently plastered walls should be fully cured and a mist coat of paint diluted with water should be applied first to prevent issues. Regardless of the cause, there is a solution.
Do people paint the underside of their nails?
The practice of painting the underside of nails offers a number of advantages, including the ability to achieve a more even and flawless finish, the maintenance of a precise coffin shape, and the prevention of discoloration and chipping.
📹 How to Repair Nail Pops !
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As a landlord, I have never understood why other landlords put so many restrictions on their tenants. The property is the tenants home not the landlords! If I allow the tenants to decorate as they wish, they are likely to stay longer which is good for me. Any damage caused is protected by the deposit. I hope other landlords read this. Oh, and great article Kate, stay safe 👍
Since we are in quarantine, can you do a series called something like What Would Mr. Kate Do where your fans can send you pictures of their unique/funky spaces that they don’t know what to do with, and you just FaceTime them and give them your advice on what you would do to help them fix their space?
I know that this is your job, but I just feel like you’re SO generous with your advice. Every article is just so well thought out and you take the time to explain everything in so much detail. I’m about to move into a 500 sq ft apartment and I was overwhelmed at the thought of making it my own. This article has relaxed and inspired me! I appreciate you so so much <3
You’ve literally made me cry happy tears. I’m living in my partner’s house that he owns with his family and it’s all the same rules as renting. Have hardly any say in interior or exterior permanent fixtures and I’ve been DYING to get my creative hands on this house. REMOVABLE WALLPAPER? This is life changing and I can’t WAIT to get my hands on some THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
Im doing my sons room over and you inspire me soo much! I just layed the floor, I made a ceiling fibre optic light and im making his closet into a sensory tent. also putting new floors in the hallway and other bedrooms. I love your website and I Love your lil family! I cant get enough of sweet baby Moon. I t makes me want to travel back in time to when my kiddos were little and do it all over again!
I always have to laugh hearing designers tell us to get the furniture off the walls. That’s great for huge open concept houses, but those of us in smaller, traditionally laid out homes, it’s hardly practical. If I floated all my furniture, I could no longer walk around. Not to mention the waste of space that causes. My rooms look far larger with the furniture pushed up against the walls, I guarantee!
Decals just make me think of my childhood bedroom. My parents were big on having a LOT of them, I had barbie and my brother had Dennis the menace. My mum is super artistic though, ended up painting an under water scene for my brothers room, divers and all different fish included! Not renter friendly but just wanted a little boast about my amazing mum 😂
im following you when you didnt even had 1 million and now when i see you guys at 4 million that really shows your hard work especially this article in a summary of your hard work of creative weirdo. I’ve being searching DIY, inspiration, rental tips but seriously this is like the best article ever. i mean so much in detail. keep up with the great work. LOTS OF PRAYERS FOR YOU GUYS ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
My dad has promised me a room make over for my birthday after lockdown! Thanks for the inspiration! I’m painting my room and have a single bed still… but I can’t get a double bed coz I’ve only had my bed a few years ☹️. My room is big enough for a double bed and there’s still lots of space with book shelf, draws and desk!
I was going through my Youtube “Watch Later” article when I saw this one. Thank you really for making this. When I first watched it I made a comprehensive note of things I’d love to change in our own rental space, but I didn’t get the opportunity to do them until last week, although we weren’t allowed to put up wallpapers I must say the transformation was beautiful. Now the place feels more ‘homey’ and personal. I can’t say that the space has been completely cured of wall-i-tis but it is definitely on the road to recovery. Thank you again for showing me the light. I really wish I could like this article multiple times. PS: I just got some more inspiration from this article.
Loving these tips, but how do you fix “Wall-I-tis” in very small rooms, in particular (for example) if a small love seat is against the wall with the tv opposite, and you only have four feet between them? My entire space is small like this in a 2.5 bedroom house with myself and three kids. It’s cluttered and we have no space for our small furniture! We wish you were in Ontario, Canada!
Hey Mr. Kate I was thinking the other day about how during Quarantine you guys can’t really go to others houses and decorate soooooo what if you guys did calls and gave specific decorating tips for creative weirdos out there looking to make their rooms more personalized and more their style. With help from the experts(you guys) If you even see this please consider this I think it would be really cool
I love the look of open shelving, so I took a pair of cabinet doors off of one of my kitchen cabinets and tucked them in a closet. I then took the shelves out and used some double-sided tape to cover the back of the cabinet with a really cute wrapping paper. I put the shelves back in and styled my dishes along with some cookbooks and knick-knacks. It’s a great colorful upgrade to the kitchen and it makes me really happy to look at it.
I have the rainbow fractal window film in my basement suite and just got all my frames up for my gallery wall, so excited to see it all come together! Any tips for small windows that don’t have clearance to the floor? I have ledges that run the length of the walls that contain all my windows are about 2 ft tall and 3 ft wide
My first apartment walls were kind of bland. To bring a little color and make a more defined space that denoted my dining area from my living room, I hung a curtain panel (that had tabs at the top so it sat flat rather than pleated or drape-y). Used a tension rod between a door frame and a corner wall which wasn’t much bigger than the size of a standard window. I thought I was darned clever for thinking outside the box AND this was back in the days when Youtube was barely a thing! Now inspiration is sooo fabulously accessible! Thank you Mr. Kate, Mz Joey and MoonBeam, love your all-around good vibes :}
perfect timing for this as I am about to move! I’ve lived on my own before, but I’m living on my own again post DV so I’m really looking to define my space as my own. Funny story: my new place was redone in the 1970s so there is, no joke, wood paneling in the living room. When I asked about nails in the walls, he said “if you can give us an excuse to take this stuff down sooner rather than later, by all means, do it”
I’m living in a rented house where we can’t do anything to our walls or floor and when I grow up I want to decorate rooms so I have been going crazy trying to find a way to decorate this empty walls, I’m also in re-decorating my room with a small budget so I can’t buy anything I just have to move stuff for more space and stuff and It is soo fun only I can’t buy new stuff or do anything to walls or floor! I love your vids cause It helped me see that this is what I want to do when I grow up!
Love all the ideas…. is our first home so sometimes is not that you can’t is that you can’t afford so this are very awesome ideas also inexpensive 🧡 you should have a segment where we send you a pic of a room/area and you can help us virtually design it. I started my room and cant get passed painting the wall…. just not that creative on how to put it together…. love you guys amazing content all the time 🙂
I have a small tip: Buy furnitures that you love! My family and I live in a rental home and all our friends also do. But we consider our home like its ours so we bought beautiful furnitures and rugs and lights so it looks like a real family home and not something temperery. You can also take all the furnitures to the next home that you will have. Love your website!!
Hi dear.. I just love your work so badly and just learning the little little things from your article as I am not good in interior and color selection.. I just love your work … and I just little suggestion or idea you can share with me for the heater or ac in the bedroom to decorate or to hide as its below the window.. waiting for the reply
Great fun ideas Kate. I pray I come up with lightening my apt. It is circa 1982, hello. I’m talking dark fake wood trimmings around doorways, closet doors and room doors. Oh, and those air conditioning units with cabinetry under window. Horizontal blinds. No ceiling light in living room. What do you do with this.
Mr. Kate!!!! I have a question 🙋♀️ I’m about to move into a new apartment. All the walls are white. The wall behind the TV stand has different sized panels, also white. What might you recommend? My first thought was a symmetrical decal design on the entire wall, but the different size panels worry me that it won’t look cohesive. Please help! 🙏
I’m definitely going to come back and resort to this article when this hot mess of a world goes back to normal. We were supposed to move in about a month, but are currently on hold until then. I definitely like the vertical blinds hack, because I took them down in my current rental and regretted it. Oh and the conversion kits… so many good things to look forward to 😀
we’re not technically on lock down anymore in georgia however, many businesses around our area have chosen to remain closed during this time even though they are allowed to be opened and most in person events and activities outside the home have been cancelled. so, we are still spending a lot of time at home.
This is an awesome article, rly helpful! Mr. Kate, I have a question! Do you have and tipps on how to make pet enclosures like aquariums (not only with fishes but used for hamsters vor mice instead), terrariums or big cages look good? Ofc the needs of the pet have also be met too (size, light etc). I couldn’t find any good tipps in the net, apart from cats and dogs. Which is surprising, coz a lot oft ppl have pets I guess. If you have tipps or even could make a article about it, it would be soooo awesome! <3
You’re so good. You need to come to my appointment and decore for me. Do you make a article about appartment with toddlers, my appointment use to look good but after my baby start climbing everything, I had to move lots of stuff and my home looks unfinished, I will appreciate if u do a article about it. Thanks
I have a question about shelf styling. I want my shelves to look cute, but I have a ton of books that live on my shelves, like no free space anywhere amount of books, I lend them out to people and have a notebook to keep track of who borrowed what, I am basically my own library. Is there a way to have cute shelves and still keep my book collection?
Hi, I am in a rental with cream wall to wall carpets. I put an oriental on top of this to ground the seating area but I keep getting a ripple in one spot. I even rotated the carpet. The ripple settled on one side and came up in the same spot on the other side. I will admit I have a Noguchi coffee table on it, so it heavy. Is there any solution? Thanks!
HELP please!! I’ve tried the removable command strips that leave no marks on the walls, but my picture frames won’t stay due to the textured paint. I came home one day and the paintings were on my bed 🙁 glad they didn’t fall on me in my sleep. I’m trying not to use nails for when I move out. What do you suggest?
I think I suffer from Wallitis 😞 lol my husband and I live in a apartment our bedroom window is facing a walkway at first I felt so uncomfortable like everyone can see into our room even though there’s a curtain from 1800 hundreds that we cannot take off because the landlord We call her ( The Warden) is very strict about everyone having the same curtain 🙄I have Black out blinds but now our room is so dark like we are in a crave and I saw that you used window film i’ve never heard of it before but I feel like if I put it up maybe we can take out the black out blinds so I can still get privacy without feeling like I’m in a cave do you think that will work? Also thank you so much for all the great tips 💚💚💚
Hi! I’ve been perusal mr. kat and we’re coming over for such a long time, and for such a long time I have not figured out what to do with for room ever since my family moved here, I have such a small room and ik this is very much I’m not famous at all but I do have an account on tiktok to let u know who I am but after all of this is done I was wondering if u wanted to help me with my room??
I’m so glad you did this article! I live in a apartment with just my 3 kids. I absolutely hate it but can’t afford to move so I have put a fresh coat of paint and trying to redecorate. Only thing is I’m a single mom of 3 so I’m having to just buy a piece here and there till I have everything. Mainly my kitchen and living room. Unfortunately my living is completely bare. I’m trying to save for a couch now and then go from there.
Must be close to thirty years ago now for this idea. You will need liquid starch and the cotton fabric of you choice. Saturate the fabric in the starch, wring out slightly and apply fabric to wall. You can smooth the fabric out with your fingers, pull a little with your hands. Just set it up as if you were hanging wallpaper. The starch comes off of you hands with soap & water. To remove once dry or you are tired of it, simply peel off. No residue will be left on the walls. This works.
Area rugs should be large enough to go under at the least the front legs of all the pieces of furniture in the grouping. This anchors all the furniture pieces and unites them visually and physically. People often buy a rug that is too small because they are cheaper and they don’t measure how far it is from one piece of furniture in the grouping to the other. Add a foot under each furniture item plus the empty space between them and you will get the proper size. If the larger size is too expensive, go with lesser quality or save your pennies until you can afford the rug you need. Furniture, rugs and lamps are to some extent investments. Things you can switch out more cheaply are throw pillows and afghans. You can often upcycle lamps by painting them and installing new shades. But rugs of good quality and correct size will last and last with frequent vacuuming and then professional cleaning once a year. You can upcycle upholstered furniture with new padding and upholstery. Something that lasts for decades are wood chairs such as rocking chairs or dining chairs. You can use wooden rockers in many rooms from LR to nursery to library to porch. Add a lush sheepskin for padding and you are good to go.
I’d love to know what to do with uuuugly, worn out, rental kitchen counter with tiles on it. I want to do something cuz I hate them and they get dirty so fast and are so hard to wash….!!?!??? The grout is worn out and things get stuck in cracks. I was thinking contact paper but it wouldnt be flat…?? Help please!
I’m so proud of myself…I’ve done a lot to make my little apartment like a home. And I’m very lucky that my landlord lets me paint (but I kept it neutral because I don’t want to have to paint it back LOL) I think the hardest part for me is lighting because in our bedroom the overhead lighting is in the corner (?) and our living room doesn’t have any lighting. My favorite thing to do is RUGs (my apartment is from the 70’s and the carpet does not look great) and being really patient when it comes to finding furniture. I checked the facebook marketplace and thrift stores and craigslist for all of my furniture and now I have a one of a kind teal scallop back couch that was 400 dollars (my pride and joy), a PAIR of green swivel chairs that I got for 20 (for the pair) BENTWOOD dining chairs that I got for 10 dollars (for 4 of them) I reupholstered them for 20 dollars (including the nail gun), a solid wood ART DECO credenza that I painted and is now my TV stand (still haven’t found the right hardware..) and my dresser was a handme-down that I spray painted and added stained wood knobs to. All in all the supplies were about 20 dollars. And I love the idea of wallpapering but my walls are textured and wallpaper can get expensive fast so what I did was I hung a curtain rod the entire length of one of my living room walls and 4 tapestries on amazon of a black/teal banana leaf print, got the curtain rod rings that have clips and put them up! no sewing required and it cost like 50 bucks! I love my home!
You guys are the best! I own my house, but my bedroom is in the basement (I love the nice, cool basement!), and how I would LOVE to have you make over my bedroom and craft area! However, I live in Colorado (too far away from you) and have no extra money (no one should work for free)! LOL! Keep bringing the fabulous ideas that help me figure out some things I can do for myself.
so i watched this article at 1:30 am, realized i have wallitis and decided i HAD to move around all the furniture in my room. so. i will give you a guys a piece of wisdom that can come only from experience: don,t. attempt to move your bed, or your desk, or anything- in the middle of the night. just like.. wait till the morning
This answers almost all my questions… I am finding these everywhere on the front wall of the house I just bought, in the room over the garage etc… Any idea why this would be happening with metal studs? Is it just the warm/cold temperature flux moving the studs? They are supposedly “always straight”
I’m a simpleton on tape and Bed, I’ve watched some articles, but you go above and beyond and explain why, I watched 2 of your articles last night. I taped and bedded my mothers bathroom wall, plumbers left me with 5 squares to fix. It’s not expert, but it looks good . Thank you for your articles and your time.
Thanks for the tips. I once had a friend who told me my mudding jobs/projects were so bad, it looked like I’d stood at the end of the hallway and threw the mud!! I have an older house and I’ve spent a long time working at the screw pops. Only in my case, they’re nail pops. I’ve just been bashing the nails back in and filling the holes. Now I’ll go back and add the two screws. Should I, at the same time, replace the nail with a drywall screw? Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
Great article. Got a question. I got quite a few nail pops in the ceiling and it’s about 20ft high and if i don’t ever repair them will the ceiling eventually fall down? Like some of the nail pops are about a quarter inch sticking out of the ceiling, I’m just unable to reach it yet as i don’t have a tall ladder.
Have been remodeling and building for over 30 years (I used to have my CCL) and I still love perusal and learning what other Trades people can teach me. Your honesty is refreshing and it’s happens to all of us. Most don’t have the integrity to admit it. I use those money to teach my clients that you have to have a big bag of tools, tips and ingenuity in the building trades. Respect the Trades people and pay them for their expertise! Thanks for dealing with my number one hated subject….drywall anything 😂🤣😝😝 I hate all of it but it never fails I am the one who ends up doing any repairs, I can skim coat a ceiling or wall smooth as a baby’s butt. Hate hate hate it though. A good drywall hanger and finisher is worth their weight in gold. I want Level 5 finishes and finding people who can give that quality are hard to find and you better be willing to wait, because they have a waiting list a mile long. These young people need to get back into the Trades and learn craftsmanship and they will make far more than they will with a Degree!! And work for themselves if they have the work ethic. You cracked me up when you said anybody can do it 😂🤣😂 Yea right 🤣😂🤣 You may make it look easy but some of us know better, that’s years of experience showing and I wish you lived down in FL!!!
Installed new drywall.. I added glue on every stud and attached the drywall 6 inches on center… after spraying drywall surfacer and primer, I noticed quite a few screws were concave. To fix this I added more compound, but now the screws are convex. I don’t know what’s going on with the studs. I’m going to try your approach and see if this helps… thanks
I have nail pops all over my walls and ceilings. I’ve added screws the 1 inch above and below. I basically had to reattach most of a ceiling in one room, as I added more screws more popped. So my question is, I just used a nail punch to push the nails in so theres no dimple. Am I just postponing dimples again? I thought the screws would hold the drywall weight and the nails would just be there. Should I cut up the drywall to remove the nails? I haven’t patched with much yet.
Another great article, but I disagree with you, popped nails ARE the enemy! LOL! Builders here in FL are so terrible, almost every project I walk into I see columns of popped nails going up the walls. The builders down here are so greedy, they charge you top dollar while giving you bottom of the barrel quality.
Jeff, another useful tip is removing the original screw and squeezing in a small amount of construction adhesive in the screw hole and then re-inserting the screw. The screw will never loosen again. By introducing new screws above and below, you risk having the same issue during expansion and contraction of the structure and you’re increasing the repair area that you will have to try to blend when repainting.
PLEASE HELP! I’ve a row of screws/nails (about 6 in a row, about an inch or so apart), they seem like they are nail pops but after having a closer look the screws actually like go slightly inwards – like dimples in the ceiling and there’s also a patch of tape showing through on the ceiling. Do I just fill it all with some joint compound? Or do I need to add some screws? Same question with the tape bit please, do I need to take it off or just fill it? Thanks in advance x
Great article! Now what to do with the nail pops I created when I was demoing my bathroom with a sledge hammer? Yeah, that was a learning moment. I hit a stud by accident and created pops on the opposite living room wall that are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter instead of a small pop. Watched your other drywall articles but can’t find a matching scenario. Not sure if to cut around them with a knife and then patch? I suspect that’s a bad idea.
The paint in our new house is the most flawless I’ve ever seen, I.e. No roller marks, little fibers etc. I asked the builder if they sprayed the walls with paint, they said no? Tried to touch up the hall wall with a roller after we moved in and it looks completely different in texture!? Maybe they thinned and strained the paint or something to make it thinner than just using it out of the can??? The way they trimmed in the mouldings, it’s wicked right into the radius of the wall to moulding joint, like they maybe used a pin striping brush or similar? It’s very frustrating, since I’ve got some nail pops now on some wall and ceiling areas. Seems I’d need to repaint the entire wall just to cover the repair? Any ideas?
My favorite (sarcasm) is when you fix a pop….and therefore bring the gyps closer to the wall, but in doing so, create another pop on the other screws or nails along the same stud….I ended up rescrewing a house at least 70% of the fixed points. At first it was 1 or two screws at a time, well a few days in and a little less hair on my head, I just started screwing everything.
Hello Jeff, Thank you for thorough instructions on fixing the nail pops. We recently had tons of them popped due to the heavy winds from tornado. So we have to fix them throughout all the walls in the house. And then repaint all the walls. After fixing all the nail pops, Should we strip the paint by sanding? Also, we have certain nail pops right by the edge of wall and ceiling. What should we do about that ? Thank you in advance.
ive done this many times. However, Ive had one reoccurring problem……………after using mudd to fix the holes and painting the whole wall, in certain lighting, I can see the configuration of the taping knife on the wall. The wall actually shows the areas in which I either filled a small picture hole or a nail/screw pop. The way I found to really reduce the image that comes thru the paint is to use a wet sponge to eliminate the surrounding compound that is not removed by merely sanding. Your thoughts?????????????
My daughter was in a full body cast for 4 years. We took her home on the weekend and one time the cast broke. I used patching plaster to fix the crack. When it was time to remove the tech came out and asked “What did you use on the cast? He had gone through 3 blades! I told him “Patching plaster what else!” That was when I found out they use plaster of Paris for a cast. I love your website! Great explanations, clear examples, and you cover everything, except patching a cast.
I absolutely love using the roller without a cage. It’s a great example of the ingenuity contractors use every day. Sure, we all have fancy tools and it’s not often we forget the impact wrench or hammer. But it’s inevitable that some obscure tool is sitting on it’s shelf in the shop and not the jobsite. That’s when the inner magyver emerges!
I’ve used a 2 part auto body filler with a lot of hardening cream, you can fill a screw pop and sand it 1min later and paint it another minute later. I’ve used a product called icing bondo, it’s an auto body filler that sands easier. I only use this method if I’ve got only a few patches where dry time is a big issue
Great vids 👍 Question: I have nail pops that have been previously, incorrectly repaired and painted (too much mud and not feathered out properly). The result is a series of evenly spaced big bumps (4-6″) down the hallway. Furthermore, they don’t have any roller texture, and when the light catches them just right, they’re all smooth and visible and “pop” out. Any suggestions on repairing these? I am tempted to mud and feather all round them even more. What I’d really like to do is rip down the wall and re-do it, but that seems excessive. Any suggestions would be great!
Hi Jeff, Thanks for another great article ! Don’t know if this will be useful to anyone, but this a tip I remembered when you talked about « country water » that contains minerals that quicken the setup time of drywall mud. I used to do this when I wanted the plaster I was mixing to pour into an impression to harden very quickly. You have to take already harden plaster powder and mix it in with the un-set plaster powder and water. The « cristals » of the already set plaster activate the reaction (I took that « set powder » from the plaster model trimmer). So I guess you could take the dust created by sanding drywall mud and use it to speed up the hardening. But be careful, it can go REALLY fast ! When I say fast, it’s fast : if you add to much set powder, sometimes the plaster starts to harden before you finish pouring your plaster it into your impression, like after 2 minutes !!!
I’m wondering if you can do a article on how to over cut drywall around outlets? Our electrician ruined all the drywall around ours and it’s too wide to put covers over it. Also in some parts the drywall touches the basement the floor and other sides it’s about an inch above the floor. Will this be a problem installing floor later?
Thank you Jeff. Another well presented competent nugget of efficiency. I was at Lowe’s, they only sold large bags of the 45 (big for a homeowner just doing a few patches). Then I went to the “Consumer Aisle” where they have tiny kits of other compounds at high prices. Even trowels were something like 30% higher over in the paint section vs Contractor section of the store. The 45 bag is cheapest.
great article, I definitely have a handful of nail pops to fix around the house… do you have a article, or can you do a article about how to fix the long cracks created by the metal wall brackets around frameless doorways or openings. I dont know if I’m describing this correctly. cracks created by the metal corner beams.
New subscriber here, Been enjoying your articles lately. Thought I’d find a way to eliminate nail pops like I have all over my house, but all I saw was how to fix screw pops. My house was built in 1960 with actual nails holding the drywall- in pairs. It’s a lot more difficult to get a nail out of the drywall.
1 – OMG I am so grateful to you for all of your articles. Just cant thank you enough. 2. It was awesome that you explained how and why nail pops show up after painting (I will stop poking pins into the Vudo doll I made of my painter after I saw all the nail pops I thought he just ignored). 3. Did you manage to get mud and paint the exact same color? genius! 4. Im going to follow your Amazon link to order my very one drywall mud hawk. Im really excited about a project that I usually HATE. Thanks again.
Great article. Just finished couple weeks ago around the house ( many of them as it’s fairly new 3 years old house), wish I could see this before as what I patch it’s clearly visible bump . Glad havenot painted yet so will have more sanding to do and use your technical to make it perfect next time. Subscribed your website and wishing best luck . Thanks for amazing info My next project is : remove cold cellar plywood ceiling from concrete which builder left it which he supposed to remove it. Got confirmation from that builder that it’s not structural & it’s only to cure concrete . So let’s see if I can find good article on that 😊
Thank You for being you …I have decided if I am to ever get involved with another man, he will be like you, a knowledgeable fixer-upper fella …I’m a fixer-upper gal …laughs* although you may starve in my house, you won’t notice because you’ll be having, way to much fun with the power tools …Winks*
Hello Sir, we really like your articles. Always helpful and always a “go to” for information and solutions. Here is a question dealing with drywall repair. Or maybe you have a article out there we have missed. Airvent at ceiling. We scrapped the stippled ceiling (rose/sunflower pattern) throughout the house, re-muded etc. and the Airvents for AC/Heating are literally held up by the mud. Screws for the Vents go through into “emptiness” with no hold. The vents are hold up by wishful thinking. How can we address this?
Purchased a new house, built from the ground up. I’ve noticed a few of these nail pops. Dude, you’ve made this task too easy for me not to procrastinate. I have a one in my master bedroom ceiling near the corner; I’ve noticed a few in my guest bedroom on the wall which I’ll work on first. Time to put my DeWalt drill to use finally! Thanks!
Hi Jeff! I have close to zero experience drilling nails into walls but I decided to give it a go in order to hang a few things up on the wall. And now the dilemma… I drilled the wrong nail straight into the drywall and upon trying to reverse the drill, I just pushed it in further. Any tips/ tricks for this getting the nail out??
So here’s pro DYIer “nail pop” story: I’m currently working on a bathroom reno (I’m almost done thankfully). I needed to take all the tile up off our very small MB floor so I didn’t invest in a power tool to do it because it wold have been overkill (or so I thought). Well, the mortar bed was so well set that scraping or chiseling it off the sub floor would have taken the better part of a day so in frustration I just whacked the floor with my mini sledge hammer and to my surprise the mortar just came right up like butter! So I continued to remove the tile and mortar in this fashion. It went super quick and the floor was as smooth as could be. I was super proud of myself. Finished for the day I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a beer. I looked on the floor and there were white pieces of something on the floor. For a few minutes I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out until I looked up to see all the nails had popped out due to my (sledge) hammering of the mortar. I showed my Wife and luckily she didn’t freak out (she was just happy I was redoing the bathroom). Luckily I’m able to patch it up, repaint and make it invisible. The moral of the story is: A) Either have your MBS on the first floor so you won’t mess up the ceiling below or B) Take the time to scrape the mortar up by hand or C) Purchase a hammer drill ( I thought I had one but I didn’t) Years ago I learned a sanding “trick” by a pro drywaller: Use a slightly damp sponge to feather edges. Now you can’t always use this technique for heavy areas but for the smaller ones it works like a charm and without the dust!
I bought my home brand new in 2014.. and I started noticing screw pops here and there. Decided to wait a few years to really go after it because over time I noticed more and more.. 6 years after the fact I’m now attacking it all, hundreds of screw pops, tape lines showing like they never added the second layer of mud, but joints that moved and pushed tape out.. I I have bad taping on my ceiling peak in my split level ceiling.. its knockdown so I can’t just touch it up an make it look good. I feel like I have to rip it all apart and redo this sheetrock work it’s absolutely horrible.
Just found your articles and enjoying very much. Read through comments and did not see this question: My nail pops are at top of studs where drywall meets ceiling so there is nowhere to put extra screws. Ceiling is fancy plaster so I have to be careful not to damage it. Would I just drive nails back in and hope they don’t pop out again, or do I need to do something else? Cheers!
Yet another problem caused by inept tradesmen who do a shit job and then are never seen again. I’m a decorator who has learnt how to do carpentry, tiling, plastering and brickwork, just so that I can point out to these tradesmen when they’re doing a shit job that will impact my work. It’s taken me 25 years but I now have a competent team of people who all work TOGETHER to do an amazing job. Currently booked up until July 2021
Any tips for pops that reoccurred in the same spot, after being professionally repaired using this method? (10 yr old home, pops were fixed under warranty at 1yr mark.) Hoping it was only due to inadequate vent fans in our bathroom, which we have since upgraded. Have to now fix the pops, as well as replace the drywall tape in a couple spots. (And take the rust spots off of our light fixtures, a/c vent, and door hinges. 😶
Well.. that’s not a Nail popup, this is Screw pop up. My house is 1980 and they use nails to install drywalls. House wasn’t properly insulated (crawlspace leaked a lot humidity) and now nails start rusting a bit and I’ve got pops ups everywhere, walls, ceiling.. It is not as easy to take Nails out without destroying surrounding area as you can do with screws. On top of it there is drywall paper joints start “peaking “out, i guess for a same humidity reasons.. I fixed the humidity issues by insulating crawlspace with close cell foam, but I’m afraid only way to get rid of Nail popups and joint peaks is to replace all drywall, and i can’t afford it..
Awesome article. Was the compound that you used sheet rock? If your patching a hole no more than let’s say 4″ do you need to spray it with texture and primer and then paint? Also, is it recommended to paint the entire section of the wall. I was told if you do not the fresh paint will be visible to the eye. Any suggestions?
Just had a loft conversion done 8 months ago and there is nail pops every foot apart around the whole ceiling, and several on the walls especially coming up the stairs. I’m a bit concerned about the amount we have in a short space of time. They aren’t just bulges either there is chunks of plaster dropped out from them, some as much as 2 inch diameter.
Sounds to me from your description of the cause that these pops indicate fasteners that are failing or even placed incorrectly in the first place. I had a crack in my wall and was going to repatch and repaint. But I started digging and realized that the cause was the wall joint that cracked was in mid-air, ie, they had joined two wallboards without a stud under them, and of course eventually it cracked.
What am I doing wrong? How do I remedy this problem? The nail pops are an inch from the ceiling. I tried to drive a drywall screw below it, stopped going in about an 1/8″ from the wall. I used an impact driver to drive the screw on the side, it also would not go in all the way. The drill, impact driver & screws heated up. Are there any tips for me to do this or do I need to hire a man for his upper body strength to drive the screws in? Edie 🙁
I must ask, are you at the top or near a stairway in this article? As a 25 year old board-man who tries to achieve perfection I’ve noticed on many basement jobs I get where I’m walking down a finished stairway (new or old like you said) that’s where screw pops are most popular (at least to my eye). I thought that maybe because the wall is over 8′ from the top of the house to the bottom of the basement floor that maybe the weight of the drywall sheets above are pushing the sheets below and causing the pops. So I put an extra screw in the field on every stairway I drywall. As I almost never see the finished product of my work I don’t know if its helping or not, what are your thoughts? cheers
I did a bad job trying to repair a crack line in the ceiling. The ceiling drywall moves if you pushed on either side. I used mesh tape and it filled it with compound came back sanded and looks good and then painted. The crack came back and now I have a bulge. Should I remove the underlying mesh tape and sand everything down?
What would you do if the drywall screws were sticking out in side by side pairs from the ceiling down and white dust was all over the painted wall? It’s been a long time since the place was painted and we never noticed all this when we moved in. I don’t know if this needs all the drywall taken off or what.
I work with a fella who hammers drywall screws for fun, could this eventually become a pop screw? Also i sometimes use drywall nails when I hang sheets, I use an appropriate hammer made for it. Is using a framing hammer bad because it smashes the gypsum and could cause popped fastners later, or is that off base?
I am repairing a leak along my ceiling and corner walls and I have a nail popped. The ceiling corner is not secure and I don’t know where to place the additional screws or if I remove the nail. It is very tight and I may just hammer it in deeper. Also, it is a mess to fill. Is there a way I can send in a short article to show you what I have going on? This is my third time repairing it as I thought I had the roof repaired. You are correct in that this is very frustrating. Thanks if you can assist.
I have nail pops in my ceiling that are caused by nails and not screws. Should I remove the nails and then re-insert them like you did with the screw in the article or simply hammer the nail into the ceiling to make it flush with the ceiling and then add the two screw technique like you did in the article? Thanks!
I have the same issue however it’s because they use nails back in the day. So I had to do the two screws and I just banged the nail in more . Next time I’m going to try to take the nail out and put a screw in that hole and do what you did cuz I did the one on top and one on bottom like you did with the screw but I never took the nail out
Hey Jeff, I’ve been chewing through your articles as I’m taking posession of my first home in a couple of days, and I’ll be jumping straight into renos… I was wondering if you’ve ever used Schluter Bekotec to do in-floor radiant heating. Mostly, I’m curious if you have any tips about how to properly screed the concrete to the correct depth. I’m planning on doing LVT on top, so the floor needs to be pretty smooth and level. Thanks!
Hi Jeff, my home was built about 20 years ago, and ALL of the drywall is hung with nails instead of screws. As a result, they’re starting to pop out (especially after a big rain). Is there any way to keep them from popping out? Prefer to not have to add three new screws for every nail in the walls. Thanks!
Hey Jeff! Love all your articles, so much great info! One thing I notice about most of your painting and finishing articles is that the majority of the walls you work on don’t have much texture at all other than what the paint roller leaves. Im my area all most walls have what looks like a spay on texture, or I guess they call it orange peel. How do you effectively use a putty knife and a sander when there is a ton of texture all around the damaged spot? I’ve found it hard to repair dents and scrapes without damaging the texture around the original spot. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Love this website! First time homebuyer (Disabled combat veteran) QUESTION: How to keep cold air blowing in the house though light switch panel. Replace the box to the new code? My house is 51 years old. I know some insulation and maybe some sealant? Plus some of the new light switches come with the green ground. I have in the past just put the green grounding wire to the box IF metal conduit was used. Just at a little lost with this one. You could write a book just from all my questions. Thank you for any and all help. I REALLY want a bathroom remodel just like you guys did when you put in that no step shower and got rid of that false ceiling and you used those of set hinges and awesome pull bars. I have no help with this kinda stuff it is scary for me and I don’t feel safe. Oh and the Moodle ceramic floor tiles have a tendency to come up when your feet are wet. I really luv you guys and gals…….. I just want a safe home for my Service Dog and I. Oh, same bathroom someone just cut a hole in the floor to use it as a laundry chute. How do I fix that? I really don’t want my little nieces it or nephew to fall through the hole onto the cement basement floor. Below.
We just had a bunch of friends over to help paint the entire interior of the house. Spent a week prepping the space a couple hours at a time and we were good to go. We hadn’t considered that the pressure from the rollers would cause the wall the flex and bam, nail pops. We didn’t notice until a few days after everything dried. 3 walls in the house had some pretty bad ones. I just re-attached the walls to the studs today with your method and discovered they’d used nails instead of screws to attach all the dry wall. The result of fixing one pop is that the REST of the nails popped too! Frustrating, but i didn’t get too frustrated because I knew filling 20 more holes with mud and painting it would only take nominal amount of time since we already had to do the first one. Thank you for showing this so succinctly! I am worries about the rest of the house popping now though, since they used nails instead of screws. 1981 construction, and that made me think I could have purchased something very shoddily constructed. In addition we discovered in another room that instead of taping the joints, they simply caulked the corner joints of the sheets. That’s a project for another day, oi vey.