Patching Drywall....you can do it!

Patching Drywall....you CAN do it! Patching drywall is easy....once you know the steps. Patching your drywall also requires using the proper materials....that is, if you're patching the drywall area the same day. Do you have 3 days for patching your drywall? Neither do I! That's why it's important to use the right materials.

I recommend using webbing tape for patching your drywall. This tape has an adhesive on the back of it so it will stick to the wall without using sheetrock mud first....cool! Use the webbing tape over the open seams or hole areas. Apply it, wipe it down, & you're ready to install the sheetrock mud. That's it.

Patching drywall requires using the right sheetrock mud (for a one day turn-a-round). The product to use is called "quickset" because it sets up "quick". It's a non-shrinking material when it dries so this makes patching drywall a snap because you can do your entire patch "the same day".

The quickset doesn't take very long to dry so you can apply the next coat soon after the first coat dries. You can purchase the quickset in different "minute" increments at the store. I would suggest you use something like 30 minute mud. It comes in a dry form so look for the bags of product at the store. If you have any questions, talk to your local hardware associate.

Apply 2 coats of quickset to your patching drywall area. The first coat will only take a few minutes to harden up enough to then put on the next coat. You don't have to wait (between coats) a full 30 minutes....just until the material is hard enough that you can scrape off the excess ridges before applying your next coat. 30 minutes (if you use the "30 Easy Sand Material") is how long the material will dry 100% but you can go over it before 30 minutes, as explained.

You can use 20 minute, 45 minute, 90 minute, or even 5 minute quickset if you want. I was just suggesting 30 minute for a happy medium is all. They're all good & patching drywall can still be accomplished in a day (just a bit of a time difference depending on what minute material you decide to use).

Once you have applied the 2 coats of quickset to your patching drywall area, you will now use a different mud to complete your project. Yes, you now have to apply one more coat of material. A third coat as it were. You will use a premixed wet mud material. You can either use "all purpose" or "topping" material you'll find at your local hardware store. This will be used for your 3rd coat (better known as the skim coat).

Apply a thin layer of this material over your patching drywall area. Skim over the area making the overall patching drywall area larger so you can bridge this material further over into your existing wall area.

You need to use this product over your quickset so the paint will cover properly, at your patching drywall area, or your patch will stand out & it will look like you didn't know what you were doing. Quickset material is very pourous & will not take paint very good (meaning....your patch will show!) Now you know better don't you?

You have now completed your patching drywall lesson, other than sanding, & you can do that just before you paint your patching drywall area. Don't be afraid to use quickset as it's easy to use. It takes just a bit longer since you have to mix it up with water but it's not a problem. Plus the remaining quickset you don't use, will store forever....pretty much, since it's in the dry form. Next time you need it, whip it out, mix it up, & you're ready to go. A little bit goes a long way.

Patching drywall yourself just takes a little knack & you'll just keep getting better & better the more patches you do. You'll always learn more the next time you do a patch on your drywall so get started. It will give you a sense of accomplishment plus you will save some money too, since you won't have to call in the pros. A who couldn't use some extra cash right about now?

Patching drywall is a fun project. You can do it. Step in & get your feet wet!

Click here for some great tips on painting your sheetrock patch

Patch On!

VideoJoeKnows

Drywall patch.....what material do I use?

Drywall patch....what material do I use? Good question. When I patch drywall, I use a material product called "quickset". The actual drywall patch material is not called that at the store though.

The reason why you would want to use this drywall patch product (quickset), rather than regular wet style drywall mud, is because wet drywall mud will shrink between coats & the shrinking process lasts all the way through the necessary drying time between coats & it usually takes a day (between coats) for this type of mud to properly dry between coats so you cannot complete your drywall patch project in 1 day (depending on how large your patch is).

The drywall patch material is located near the sheetrock/drywall area & you will see white bags of dry material with different numbers on them ie. 5, 20, 30, 45, & 90. You're looking at the right drywall patch bags. This drywall patch material is a fast drying non-shrinking drywall patch material thus its better known name of "quickset".

The associated number on the bag will tell you how long it will take for the drywall patch material to harden so you can then apply another coat of drywall patch material over it. These numbers mean minutes, so the 5 will mean that is how many minutes (5 minutes) it will take before you can apply another coat,etc..

If you have a smallish drywall patch/hole to cover, I would recommend something like the 30 minute or 45 minute quickset (if this is the first time you will be using the drywall patch product). I myself would generally use the 20 minute drywall patch material/quickset but I've used the product alot & know how it will respond,etc..

This drywall patch material comes in a dry form as you will need to mix the patch material in water before applying it to your wall. Mix the drywall patch material in a drywall pan with a 3" drywall putty knife. Start out with only putting a little of the drywall patch material in your pan to start off with (you don't want to mix up too much the first couple of times until you get use to this drywall patch material & how it goes on the wall,etc.).

It's also important to realize that if you get the drywall patch material that says 30 on it (for example), that doesn't mean you have 30 minutes to apply the drywall patch material to your wall. You will only have a certain amount of time to apply this drywall patch material to your wall patch. Mix up a little & you will see what I mean.

I would say you have maybe 6 or 7 minutes to apply the product to your wall (this is apprx. as the time may differ from batch to batch you mix up depending on how much water you put in). It also depends on how much you mix up in your pan & how big your drywall patch areas are. The quicker you put it on the wall, the better.

Use this drywall patch material for your taping & first coat of topping only. You do not want to apply your skin/skim coat (last coat) with this drywall patch product. I would recommend you using the regular mud, all purpose or topping sheetrock mud for your skim coat.

You want to apply a thin layer (skim coat) of "all purpose" or "topping" mud over your drywall patch material at your drywall patch on the wall. Your all purpose &/or topping mud are the "wet" drywall mud products you will find at the hardware store near the sheetrock/drywall materials area.

It's important to realize that no matter how smooth you apply the drywall patch material (quickset), you do NOT want to paint over it. If that's the only thing you remember from this article/post, you can put a gold star by your name. The reason is this:

The drywall patch material (quickset) is a very pourous material & when it dries, it will never accept paint the same as everything else on your wall. You will see the drywall patch & it will stick out like a sore thumb, no matter how smooth of a job you did.

That's why you have to apply the "all purpose" or "topping" drywall material (better known as mud) over the drywall patch material (quickset) in order for your paint to blend in to the rest of the paint on your wall(s). You call this last coat the skim coat because it's a very thin layer applied over the topping layer.

So let's review: You will use three layers of mud to your drywall patch. The first layer is the tape layer...that is the first coat of drywall patch material you will be using for your patch (to put your tape on with). Then you will apply a topping coat using the drywall patch material for this coat....this is the overall 2nd coat. You then will apply a skim coat (last of 3 coats) using wet all purpose or topping mud. So you will have 3 coats of mud ie. tape, top, & skim for a total of 3.

Try this drywall patch material & I think you will find it easier to patch your drywall patches!

Click here to get some free video painting tips for your drywall patch

Patch On!

VideoJoeKnows