Damaged Drywall Repair

Safety Concerns

• Be careful when moving drywall since drywall can be very heavy. Lift with your knees and avoid twisting when carrying the drywall, since you can cause injuries. You might want a dust mask when working with drywall, since the drywall will create dust that can irritate the respiratory tract. However, the dust will not cause any long-term respiratory damage. Once you've finished your work, clean up the dust with a damp washcloth and vacuum the floor.

Drywall Compounds

• When drywall loses part of the surface, creating indentations in the wall, you can fill them in with a drywall compound. Then you apply sand, primer and paint to restore the wall to its original appearance. You can apply the compound in thin, individual layers and keep applying until you have completely filled in the bumps. Use a level to check for evenness.

Fixing Holes

• You can quickly repair holes caused by damage such as doorknobs by placing a peel and stick patch over the hole and then applying a drywall compound over the patch. Apply three coats total. If you have a corner that frequently catches doors or other objects, causing damage, hacksaw off the corner and hammer in a corner bead that can catch the door.

Covering Over

• If your drywall suffers severe damage and you'd like to change your wall anyway and add tile, you can rip out all of the drywall and replace it with cement backer boards or lightweight tile backer boards and apply the tile over the boards.

Replacing Drywall

• Water damage can make drywall look terrible. Rip out the damaged pieces of drywall or cut the drywall out using a utility knife. Run the utility knife along the edges of the damaged material. Create an identical patch of drywall, using the old piece to trace out the new piece. Add a piece of plywood and studs for support and then attach the pieces of drywall on to the studs. Fill in the gaps between the old drywall and the new drywall with a joint compound and remove the excess compound with a putty knife. Once you're finished, let everything dry overnight.

Sanding Drywall

• You might need to touch up damaged drywall. Sanders can smooth out bumpy or uneven drywall. You can then apply sand, primer and paint to make the drywall look like normal. Cracks can develop by windows and in very dry homes. You can sand out the crack, apply a layer of joint compound over the crack, sand the joint and apply another layer. Sand again and spray elastic crack coating over the area.