How To Repair Nail Holes In Wall

gettyimages-117217184 — Covering up unsightly holes and marks on your wall is easier than you might think.
Getty Images

Are y'all renting an apartment and trying to set those nail holes in the drywall to get your deposit back? Did someone in your home accidentally put a hole in the wall? Any the example may be, whether yous're renting an apartment or own a house, drywall damage is common.

Luckily, repairing typical impairment to your drywall, like smaller holes and nail pops, is like shooting fish in a barrel.

What you'll demand to get started

Earlier you begin, here's what y'all'll need:

Drywall spackle (The DAB DryDex is a personal favorite)
Flexible putty knife to spread the spackle or scrape off any loose edges of paint
Fine or medium piece of sandpaper
Hammer or screwdriver for fixing nail pops
Paint to cover the area after the spackle dries
A paint brush or a roller castor to utilize the paint

Fixing minor holes or dings

First, when dealing with small holes or dings, you'll desire to brush off any loose pieces of drywall or paint then y'all can apply the drywall spackle evenly and efficiently. You can do this with the putty knife or the sandpaper to scratch off whatsoever loose pieces.

Don't get rid of those paint pieces but however, though. Y'all might need them. If you're renting and don't take access to the exact paint color, you tin take one of the chipped pieces of paint to a hardware store or a pigment specialty store to get information technology color matched.

Now to embrace upward the pigsty, apply the spackle with the putty knife and attempt to fill up it in as evenly as possible. It's OK if information technology'south not perfect. You can ever add another layer or two to go the area even. Next, yous'll desire to wait a few hours for the spackle to dry. Over again, the DAB DryDex spackle is great because it dries from pink to white, and then it takes the guesswork out of the drying time.

Now, we expect...

Later a few hours, audit the spackled area. If the drywall area still seems uneven, y'all can add another coat the same style -- again, use the putty knife and spread the spackle over the surface area and allow it dry for a few hours. You tin can echo this as many times equally necessary until you get a flush layer to the rest of the wall.

Once you've finished applying the spackle and information technology'southward dried, you lot can utilise the sandpaper to smooth out any bumps in the drywall before yous pigment over it.

Now that the area is smoothed out, y'all tin go over information technology with the pigment. Using a paint castor or a paint roller, cover the surface area evenly with one coat of paint. Expect a few hours for the paint to dry, so add another glaze. To ensure that the drywall spackle is completely covered and blends into the rest of the wall, y'all'll want to do at least two coats of paint.

This process also works for erstwhile nail holes, or small-scale cracks or openings in your drywall.

gettyimages-1214186855 — Does this look familiar? Follow these tips to make your wall look similar new once again.
Getty Images

Let'southward talk nearly 'boom pops'

These are areas where, over time, either a nail or screw starts to jut out of the drywall, just isn't necessarily a hole. It's more like a paint-colored bump in your wall.

First, you lot'll want to make up one's mind if it's a smash or a spiral popping out.

You tin can employ the putty knife to scratch off the surface area to expose the nail or screw. If information technology's a nail, use a hammer to push the nail back into the drywall so that it's flush with the wall. If it'south a spiral, use the appropriate screwdriver to push the screw back into the drywall.

Now that the nail or spiral is pushed back into the drywall, you can use the drywall spackle over the spot to make full in the gaps.

Again, await a few hours for the spackle to dry out, and then employ the sandpaper to even out any bumps. Go over the surface area with a couple of layers of paint -- and that's information technology.

Final thoughts

Damage to your drywall can be an eyesore or a nuisance, but it doesn't have to be. Now, the next time a hole or a ding in your drywall happens, you lot don't take to break a sweat. Follow the steps above to accomplish a make clean, even surface on your wall. And, if you lot're interested in more piece of cake home fixes, try our guide on how to clean your oven with ingredients you lot already take in your kitchen.