Drywall Spackling Techniques

Filling Cracks

• One of the most important parts of filling cracks in drywall is ensuring that the spackle has enough surface area to adhere to. For this reason, widening narrow cracks is often necessary. Widen a narrow crack with an awl or small standard screwdriver, and brush away the loose drywall dust. Apply spackle along the entire length of the crack with your finger, and press the spackle into the crack, smoothing it with a putty knife to match the surface of the drywall. Prime and paint over the spackle after the spackle dries.

Filling Small Dents

• Filling a small dent is perhaps the most straightforward spackle job as the surface does not have to be prepared. If the surface is painted, you can apply spackle directly over the old paint. Spread the spackle across the dented area with a putty knife, applying the spackle to an area slightly larger than the dent. Let the spackle dry, and sand it down until the drywall is smooth.

Filling Small Holes

• As with filling cracks, properly filling small dents requires a solid foundation for the spackle to adhere to. Brush away as much drywall dust from the dent as reasonably possible. Peel-and-stick repair patches are specifically designed to cover small holes in drywall. The patch is essentially a metal screen that you cut and stick over the hole. Concealing the patch calls for two coats of spackle. The first application is only a thin layer applied with a putty knife. The second layer is applied once the first layer is almost dry, then smoothed down with a damp sponge. Allow the spackle to dry completely.

Filling Large Holes

• As you may have suspected, filling large holes in drywall is perhaps the more complex and intimidating drywall repair job. You must cut the damaged portion of drywall out of the wall with a wallboard saw or jigsaw. Draw a box around the damaged area with a pencil and a straightedge to serve as a guide when cutting the drywall. Wood braces are necessary to give the patch piece a backing. Plywood is commonly used for this purpose and can be attached to the interior of the wall with screws. The drywall patch must be measured carefully to ensure that it fits within the repair area. As with the braces, secure the patch to the braces with screws. Cover the patch seams with drywall tape, then apply the two-stage spackle process used to repair small holes.