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Drywall definitely isn’t the sturdiest of materials and can be damaged with little pressure on the surface. We will assume you have a fair sized hole in a partition wall to repair such as a door handle has gone through the wall?
You will need another spare piece of drywall larger, but not thicker, than the hole you are about to create, some drywall screws, screwdriver, a filling knife, a sharp cutting knife, (or pad saw) possibly a surf form, joint tape, joint compound, length of 2” X 1” wood, and fine sandpaper. Always keep a look out for electrical cables and plumbing before commencing as you may have to do some cutting in this area so be careful. If in any doubt you should employ a professional.
The best approach is to carefully study the damage and see if a stud partition is visible behind the cavity. Chances are it isn’t because it would be unlikely this section of the drywall would break here as this is the strongest point where it is attached to the partition behind.
If it is, you could use this as your anchor point to fix a new piece. What you should do is carefully cut a square or rectangular area around the damaged area. From the spare drywall you will have to cut a piece the same size as the hole, trimming off as much as you need until it’s a snug fit. Push it into the hole until it’s tight to the partition behind and screw it in.
It may be likely that the damage will have a cavity behind it. If this is the case, cut a hole as described in the last paragraph and shape a new piece to take its place. You will now need to cut a piece of wood a few inches longer either side of the hole. What you need to do is attach this piece of wood to the inside of your partition. While using one hand to keep the wood in place and being especially careful not to drop it inside the wall, screw through the drywall and into the wood until it is held firmly, and then repeat the same process for the other side. What you should now see is your custom hole you created around the damage with a strap of wood bridging the gap behind the wall. You can now screw your piece of new drywall onto this. For a small hole, a minimum of 3 screws would do the trick but you will need more for larger areas.
Apply tapes to the damaged area making sure all the new joins are covered. It may take 2 or 3 coats of joint compound to get it level. When this dries you will need to sand your work flush with the surrounding area, and then paint to match the surrounding wall or ceiling.
Alex Paterson
