Repairing Drywall....made easy

Repairing drywall....made easy. Yes, you can do this. Repairing drywall isn't like rocket science but there are a few things you need to "know" . Repairing your drywall can be easy & turn out great or it can be your worst nightmare. Here's what you need to "know" :

* When repairing drywall, it's important to take your time & do it right. Make sure you carefully cut out the damaged sheetrock/drywall repair area. Take note that you may not be able to see everything inside the existing wall before repairing the drywall & removing the damaged drywall......like existing wiring, plumbing pipes, telephone lines, etc..

* When starting your repairing drywall project, can you imagine if you cut an existing electrical wire or a water line? Your little repairing drywall project now becomes something bigger than you could've ever imagined....especially if you don't "know" anything about repairing electrical wiring or have to call in a plumbing professional to clean up your "mess" you may have just caused yourself, not to mention the water damage, etc., etc..

* Even if you do "know" how to complete electrical & plumbing repairs, that wasn't part of the repairing drywall project, now was it? This was suppose to be a quick easy job that you could complete in a very swift turn-around. It wasn't suppose to cause "major surgery"! This was a repairing drywall project...nothing more....nothing less.

* This is why some do-it-yourselfers are gun shy when it comes to repairing drywall. Yes, there are horror stories out there but they are out there for you to learn from, not add to! It's not a race when you are removing the sheetrock. Take your time. It will "save" you time in the long run...in more ways than one....$$$.

* There's a "knack" to repairing drywall. Slowly cut the damaged drywall to be removed. Take out a square area of sheetrock & shine a light inside the wall, to see what's inside, before cutting anymore drywall. This process takes a little longer than making all of your cuts at the same time then pulling the drywall down, but you'll be glad you did.

* Using a dull sheetrock saw, when repairing drywall, is also a good idea, in case you nick an electrical wire, etc.. You may not go all the way through the outside sheathing of the romex wiring before "feeling it" with a dull sheetrock saw. Do not saw too fast & try to let your hands "feel" for the unforseen. You are now a "ninja".

* You also will want to be very careful when repairing drywall, if you are using an electric sawzall, as it is difficult to know if you are cutting any unwanted "creatures" in the wall.....especially if you are cutting down next to an existing wood stud in the wall....as you can easily cut anything in the way since there is no "give" in electrical wires or plumbing lines. You can cut through these like "butter" without even knowing it.

* When repairing drywall, if you are needing to install wood backing in the existing wall, make sure you measure the existing wood studs. A "new" standard wood 2x4 stud is normally 3 1/2" wide (sometimes just a hair larger than this) when purchased, as most new 2x4 studs are still wet & have not cured yet. All of this moisture in the new studs give the new "wood" a tendency to expand just a bit than when the studs are dry & cured, since they have a tendency to shrink.

* Depending on how old your existing 2x4 studs are, will determine their actual size at the time of repairing your drywall. I've seen some wood studs as small as 3 5/16" overall. Most of the average size studs I've seen, have been a little less than 3 1/2" & sometimes 3 3/8". Do you see where I'm going with this?

* If you are not watching it, you may unknowingly "cram" a new 3 1/2" wood stud in an existing wall cavity that is 3 3/8" maybe smaller (depending on how old the home is). If you do this, when repairing the drywall, your new wood stud backing may have a tendency to stick out thereby making your same size drywall poke out further than the existing drywall. Now you have a bump in the wall....literally. If it doesn't bump out, you may have just cracked the other side of your wall or popped some nails...what do you think about that?

* Before repairing the drywall, it may be necessary to "shave" the new wood stud backing down, so it will fit in the wall. See what I mean? This may take a little bit of work, as you need to "rip" down the side of the new wood backing with a skilsaw, but this separates the men from the boys!

**News Flash** Here's the crux of the "story" right here. Pay attention now:

* Spending extra time on repairing your drywall patch, should be foremost in your mind, as what you are trying to achieve is to match the existing conditions so you can't see the patch when you get done. Once you have achieved this "thought process", the rest falls into place. This is what alot of do-it-yourselfers forget yet "this" (thought process) is the most important part of the project!

* When repairing drywall, make sure you use the proper sheetrock size for your replacement "patch". Once you cut & remove the damaged drywall, it can sometimes be difficult to tell what the actual size of the drywall is. Sometimes 1/2" sheetrock looks & measures out to be 5/8" sheetrock if you are measuring the side where you have just cut & removed from...but if you carefully press down the cut area, you may see that the actual size is different than what you "thought" you "were" going to use.

* Now......double check your measurement so you purchase & install the proper size drywall to your repairing area as your new drywall patch area does not want to extend out further than the existing surrounding wall area. Measure twice.....buy & install the right material once!

That's it for this time. Read this post a few times & get it "lodged" into your head before tackling your repairing drywall project. You'll be glad you did. Now you "know" .

Here's some great tips for painting your drywall repair area

Patch On!

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