How To Repair Drywall Hole In Ceiling

Download Commodity

Download Article

Holes in the ceiling can be caused by many things, including leaks, lighting or fixture installation, and unproblematic accidents. Patch small and medium-sized holes with a mesh drywall patch or make a foursquare patch out of a new piece of drywall to make full in larger holes. Either manner, cover the patch upward with 2 coats of spackling, sanding after each coat, then prime the patch with a water-based primer before painting over it. Soon enough, you'll accept a hole-gratuitous ceiling once more!

one
Put on rubber goggles and a dust mask. You'll exist working underneath the hole, and so information technology'south important to protect your eyes and mouth from falling drywall grit and debris. Safety goggles are ameliorate than safe glasses because they fully wrap around your optics and don't let anything in.^[1]
- Drywall grit can cause respiratory issues if inhaled, so always clothing a dust mask when cutting and repairing drywall.
- Make sure you have a sturdy pace ladder to piece of work with as well then you can achieve the ceiling.
2
Employ a utility knife to cutting away any loose droppings around the edges of the hole. Carefully slice away whatever loose pieces of drywall and paper effectually the edges of the pigsty to neaten it upwards and become rid of any jagged edges. Try to make clean the hole upward enough that a drywall repair patch will be able to sit down flush against the ceiling.^[2]
- This method will piece of work for holes in drywall ceilings that are upward to 6 in (15 cm) in bore.
Tip: For holes that are less than 0.5 in (i.3 cm) in diameter, you don't need to employ a patch. You can but fill them in with a little scrap of spackle.

Advertizement
3
Cut a drywall patch so it is i in (2.5 cm) bigger than the hole. ^[3] Cut a foursquare drywall repair patch with precipitous scissors then it is one in (two.5 cm) taller and one in (two.5 cm) wider than the pigsty you desire to patch. This will give information technology 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of actress length and width on each side so it can attach to the ceiling around the hole.^[four]
- Drywall repair patches are fabricated of a type of closely-woven mesh. They come in squares in unlike sizes up to about 8 in (20 cm) in bore. Y'all can purchase a drywall repair patch at a home comeback center, hardware store, or online.
4
Remove the bankroll from the patch and place the patch over the hole. Peel the protective backing off of the adhesive side of the drywall patch. Center the patch over the hole, then press information technology firmly against the ceiling around all the sides to make it attach.^[5]
- The adhesive will cure right away, and then yous can get ahead and start covering the patch with spackle.
- You at present need to spackle and sand the patch to finish fixing the hole.
Advertizement

1
Protect your optics and rima oris with condom goggles and a dust mask. This will keep drywall dust and droppings from the hole from getting in your optics or mouth. Always article of clothing this kind of protective gear when repairing holes in drywall and cutting drywall.^[6]
- Prophylactic goggles that fully wrap around your optics are preferable to safety glasses that have open up sides. Y'all will be working right under a hole and debris and dust will exist falling straight down, and so more protection is better.
- You'll need a sturdy step ladder as well so you tin stand on it to reach the ceiling.
2
Cutting a drywall square that is 2 in (5.1 cm) bigger than the hole. ^[vii] Utilize a drywall saw or utility knife to cut a square patch out of a new piece of drywall. Make it 2 in (5.1 cm) wider and ii in (5.1 cm) taller than the hole in the ceiling and then you can cut the hole square to fit the patch.^[8]
- You can get pocket-sized pieces of drywall for making patches that are about two ft (0.61 k) past ii ft (0.61 m). Purchase a slice at a home improvement center to cut the patch from if y'all don't have whatsoever spare drywall lying around.
- This method works for holes that are bigger than 6 in (15 cm) in diameter.
iii
Trace the outline of the patch onto the ceiling around the hole. Center the square patch over the hole and hold information technology against the ceiling. Trace around the edges with a pencil to draw the outline of the patch on the ceiling and so yous tin can cutting a square pigsty.^[9]
- Get someone to assistance you concord the patch against the ceiling while you lot trace it if it is too big and awkward to practise yourself.
iv
Use a drywall saw to cut the square outline around the pigsty out. Cut from the center of the hole diagonally out towards each corner of the outline y'all traced. Plunge the tip of the saw into a corner, then saw along the line at the side of the outline, removing the section of jagged drywall when you reach the other corner. Echo this forth each side of the outline until you have cutting information technology all out.^[10]
- You can test-fit the patch at this signal to make sure it fits in the hole easily. If you lot need to brand whatsoever adjustments, yous tin can cut along the edges of the hole using a utility knife to remove small amounts of material.
5
Cut ii furring lath strips half dozen in (15 cm) longer than the width of the hole. Furring boards are 1 in (2.v cm)-thick, ii in (5.i cm)-wide pieces of soft woods lumber used for various carpentry purposes. Cutting 2 strips of furring board that are vi in (fifteen cm) longer than the width of the foursquare hole to be attached inside the hole and hold the patch in identify.^[xi]
- You can buy furring strip board at a home improvement middle or lumber supply shop. They normally come in 8 ft (ii.iv g) sections, just y'all might be able to detect smaller scrap pieces.
- You can employ a mitt saw or whatever kind of power saw you accept available to cut the strips. Don't worry too much about making the cuts perfectly direct equally they will be hidden inside the ceiling.
half dozen
Adhere the furring board strips within the pigsty using drywall screws. Insert the strips at each side of the hole so the ceiling overlaps about 1/four of the furring boards at the sides and the furring boards have 3 in (7.6 cm) of length confronting the inside of the ceiling at each end. Use an electric drill to insert a drywall spiral through the ceiling and overlapping furring board at each cease.^[12]
- Brand sure to hold the furring board strips firmly in place while y'all drive the screws through the ceiling into them to avert leaving any gaps between the ceiling and the woods. If the furring board strips aren't affluent confronting the within of the ceiling, the patch won't sit down affluent with the ceiling.
7
Screw the drywall patch to the furring board strips. Place the foursquare drywall patch into the hole and hold it firmly against the furring board strips. Insert a drywall screw through the patch into the boards every three–4 in (7.half dozen–x.2 cm) or so.^[13]
- Get someone to hold the patch firmly in place while you put the screws in if information technology'due south too hard to do yourself.
- Annotation that y'all need to spackle and sand the patch to terminate the job.
Advertisement

ane
Put on a grit mask and safety goggles. This is particularly important while sanding. The dust mask and goggles will ensure you don't inhale grit from drywall or spackle or get it in your eyes.^[14]
- Make certain y'all use goggles rather than regular safety spectacles. Since yous'll be looking straight up at the ceiling while you sand, information technology's better to accept protection that wraps completely around your eyes.
- Use a sturdy step ladder to reach the ceiling while you are sanding and spackling.
two
Use a putty knife to utilise a sparse layer of spackle over the patch. Scoop upwardly some spackle on the edge of a putty knife. Drag it across the patch to cover it, overlapping the spackle onto the surrounding wall by about 2 in (5.i cm). Scoop more spackle onto your putty knife as needed and keep applying information technology until you have covered the patch evenly.^[15]
- Brand sure you lot printing spackle downward into all the holes in a mesh drywall patch or into the seams between a drywall patch and the ceiling around information technology.
Tip: If you prefer, you can utilize articulation chemical compound, also known as drywall mud, instead of spackle. The advantage of spackle is that it dries faster and shrinks less, making it ideal for filling in and patching holes.
iii
Let the beginning coat of spackle dry out overnight. Spackle is typically dry subsequently 2-4 hours, but drying times vary depending on conditions. Leave the first coat to dry overnight to exist certain it is completely cured earlier you proceed to sand it and add another coat.^[sixteen]
- If you lot don't let the spackle dry completely before proceeding with the procedure, wet can become trapped inside and crusade the patch to fall apart over time.
four
Sand the patch with 120-grit sandpaper to polish information technology out. Put a slice of 120-dust sandpaper on a sanding block or merely sand by hand. Sand the entire patch down lightly until it is evenly shine. Sand very lightly around the edges where the patch overlaps with the surrounding ceiling to blend the spackle in with the residual of the ceiling.^[17]
- Run your mitt over the patch as yous get to feel for any rough spots and then sand those areas further until the whole patch is smooth.
- Don't sand as well aggressively or you might end up removing the first layer of spackle, just endeavor to make it uniformly smooth and alloy it in with the texture of the ceiling.
5
Wipe the patch with a dampened rag to remove dust. Moisture a clean cloth and wring out the backlog water. Wipe down the patch after sanding to get rid of any spackle dust.
- This volition help the 2d coat of spackle adhere better.
- You lot could too use a tack textile or microfiber fabric if yous have ane handy.
6
Employ and sand a second coat of spackle using the same technique. Use your putty knife to spread another thin glaze of spackle over the patch, dragging the knife across information technology to spread information technology out and alloy the edges into the ceiling. Permit it dry overnight, and so sand information technology shine with 120-grit sandpaper and wipe it downward with a damp cloth.^[18]
- If your ceiling is textured and you want to make the spackle friction match, you can dab it with a sponge while information technology is yet wet and skip the sanding. You could besides curl on a final coat of watered-downwardly spackle with a textured paint roller.
vii
Prime the patch with a water-based primer. ^[19] Use a paintbrush or small paint roller to utilize one coat of h2o-based primer to the patch to cover the spackle. Permit the primer to dry for iii hours earlier proceeding to paint over it.^[xx]
- Most water-based primers will actually dry in xxx minutes to 1 hour, but allow it dry for at least three just to brand certain it is 100% dry before you pigment over it.
8
Paint over the patch to make information technology friction match the residuum of the ceiling. Paint over the patch with paint that is the same color as the residuum of the ceiling to brand it blend in if y'all take some of the right pigment color. Give the whole ceiling a new coat of paint if you lot don't accept paint of the aforementioned color to use on the patch.^[21]
- For instance, if the ceiling is white, it would exist fairly piece of cake to but utilize a white glaze of paint to the patch and not repaint the whole ceiling. However, if the ceiling is a different color and y'all don't have whatever leftover paint that matches it lying around, you're probably better off repainting the whole thing.
Advertisement

Enquire a Question

200 characters left

Include your e-mail address to become a bulletin when this question is answered.

Submit

Vesture goggles and a dust mask to protect yourself from drywall dust and droppings while fixing holes in a drywall ceiling.
Employ a sturdy stride ladder to assist you reach the ceiling.
Be very conscientious whenever operating a saw.

Things You'll Need

Prophylactic goggles
Dust mask
Utility knife
Drywall patch
Scissors

Safety goggles
Dust mask
Utility knife
Drywall saw
Piece of drywall
Drywall screws
Furring board strips
Saw
Electrical drill
Pencil

Safety goggles
Grit mask
Putty knife
Spackle
120-grit sandpaper
Sanding block
Water-based primer
Paintbrush or roller

About This Article

Article Summary X

If yous accept a small hole in your ceiling, yous tin easily ready information technology with a mesh drywall patch y'all tin can become from a home improvement shop. Cut the patch so it'due south one inch bigger than the hole, remove the adhesive backing, and stick the patch over the pigsty. For larger holes, yous'll need to cut out a drywall square 2 inches bigger than the pigsty, trace the foursquare onto the ceiling effectually the hole, and cut the square of ceiling out. Then, you tin can screw a couple of furring board strips inside the hole using drywall screws, and screw your foursquare drywall patch to the board strips. For more tips, including how to sand and pigment your ceiling patch, read on!

Did this summary aid you?

Cheers to all authors for creating a folio that has been read 216,442 times.