How to Fix a Crack in the Drywall Under Your Window

Fix drywall cracks under a window with a patching compound sold in cans with resealable lids at hardware and home improvement stores. Unlike holes in the wall, such as caused by a doorknob banging against the interior wall of a room, cracks in the wall beneath a window can typically be repaired by a single application of compound. Get a small can of touch-up paint to match the room color. Allow 24 hours for completion of this repair, including the time it will take the patching material to dry.

Drop cloth
Patching compound
Putty knife
Old cloth
Sandpaper
Paint
Brush

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a drop cloth on the floor below the wall area to be repaired.
- 2
  Scoop a tablespoon of the patching compound from the can with the putty knife. Apply the premixed material directly to the crack, working the putty knife along the length of the crack rather than side to side. This movement works the patching material into the crack.
- 3
  Smooth the repaired surface with the putty knife, removing excess patching material with a towel. Let the repair dry overnight.
- 4
  Rub sandpaper over the repaired wall until the dried patching compound is smooth with the surrounding wall surface. Use increasingly finer grades of paper; the higher the number marked on the package, the finer the grade of sandpaper.
- 5
  Paint over the repaired wall with the touch-up paint, using broad brush strokes to blend in with the existing wall paint.

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