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Get Cracking

How To Make Damaged Walls Smooth Again

October 01, 1993|By Jim Sulski. Special to the Tribune.

Mix the plaster to a thick consistency and apply it to the mesh. Apply a scratch coat, and after it hardens, snip the wire and remove the brace. Mist the scratch coat and apply a second and possibly third coat of plaster. Follow that with a coating of wallboard compound and sand and finish.

If the laths are damaged and the studs are exposed, you can also attach a piece of wallboard to the studs to serve as a backing for new plaster.

Apply the plaster to the wallboard patch as you would to the mesh in the steps described above.

Large holes: Large holes in a plaster wall are the trickiest to repair.

"My advice would be to clear the old plaster out and staple wire mesh over the existing laths to create a backing," says Gozdan. "The consistency of the plaster mix is also very important. You want to keep it as stiff as possible."

"With large holes, you're going to be spending a lot of time trying to smooth out the plaster, which can be very frustrating work," says Morek. "An alternative to that is to patch the hole with a piece of drywall."

The problem is getting the piece of drywall flush with the existing plaster. That may require placing shims behind replacement drywall where it attaches to the studs.

"You would then tape the seams around the replacement drywall and feather the wallboard compound as best you can to match the drywall to the plaster," says Morek.

If a large portion of the wall is damaged, you might want to consider covering the entire plaster wall with new wallboard, says Morek.

Wallboard repair

As mentioned above, wallboard usually is easier to repair than plaster because you can use solid replacement pieces. In using replacement pieces, it's important that they be the same thickness as the existing walls'.

"Wallboard usually is 5/8-inch thick or 1/2-inch thick," notes Morek.

Cracks: As with plaster walls, drywall cracks are fairly easy to patch. Remove any loose pieces and cover the crack with a drywall compound, feathering the edges to blend in with the existing wall.

Small holes: Holes less than the size of a golf ball are a little more complicated to repair. First, clean out the hole and remove any loose debris. Then, spread a thin layer of wallboard compound around the opening.

Place several pieces of wallboard tape over the hole in a criss-cross pattern, anchoring the tape in the compound. Then cover the tape with additional compound, feathering the edges of the patch.

The joint compound will probably shrink when it dries, so you'll need to apply a second coat. Sand and seal after the second coat hardens.

Medium-size holes. These are a bit trickier to repair.

The first option is to enlarge the hole to a square or rectangle, creating an even opening. Then trace the opening on a piece of paper and cut a piece of drywall to match the hole.

Insert a small screw in the drywall patch to serve as a handle. Then, spread compound around the edges of the patch and insert the patch into the hole.

When the compound dries, remove the screw and add more compound around the patch. After the compound is thoroughly dry, sand and finish the spot.

Another method of repairing a medium-size hole is to attach a support bracket to the existing wallboard, similar to the brace used for the plaster hole. (See accompanying graphic.)

Again, recut the hole to a square or rectangular shape and cut a matching piece of drywall. Then cut a piece of 1 x 2 brace about four inches wider than the hole.

Apply adhesive to the ends of the 1 x 2 and insert it into the hole, pulling back on the brace so that it spans the hole and adheres to the inside of the wall. Drive two screws into the wall to catch the ends of the brace and hold it firmly in place.

Once that adhesive is dry, apply adhesive to the drywall patch and the brace. Insert the drywall into the hole and hold it in place until the adhesive dries. Then apply compound around the patch and over the screw heads. Once the compound dries, sand and finish.

Large holes. Large holes in wallboard can be repaired in a couple of ways. "The best bet is to locate the studs on both sides of the hole," says Morek.

Cut a rectangular area around the hole, opening up the hole to the edges of the studs. (See accompanying graphic.) Cut two pieces of 1 x 2 that are slightly longer than the hole and attach them parallel to the side of the studs, so that the braces protrude into the hole.

Then cut a patch the size of the hole and, using drywall screws, attach it to the braces. Apply wallboard compound around the patch. Drywall tape around the seam of the patch will give it a more finished look.

If you can't locate the studs, there's a second patching method for large holes that's similar to the brace method described above. Again, cut the hole into a square or rectangular shape. Using a piece of plywood, fabricate a brace slightly larger than the hole. Drill a hole in the center of the brace to create a fingergrip for handling.