Repair Drywall or Plasterboard 

How to Repair Drywall Or Plasterboard Walls

Drywall Water Damage Repairs

How to Fix Holes In Drywall





How to Repair Drywall Or Plasterboard Walls
By Steven A Robinson

Drywall is the most common wall lining of the the modern home. The drywall is glued and nailed/screwed to the timber frame of the house and then the joins are then plastered and sander. During the life of any home damage to the drywall will take place often when the moving furniture or playing indoors. There are two ways to repair this damage - ring a professional and pay them to repair it or learn how to repair it yourself. Most repairs are quick and easy to do with a few tools to do the job

Plaster Types

The first thing you need to know is the types of plaster that are used to do the Job. There are three main types:

- Base Coat - A powder that is mixed with clean water to make a paste and used in joints and filling holes - sets hard and is hard to sand.

- Cornice Cement - A powder that is mixed with water to make a paste to glue on cornice - smooth tacky paste that set very hard and is hard to sand.

- Finishing Compound - This is premixed in buckets and is ready to use directly from the bucket - dries (does not set) and is very easy to sand.

- Glass fiber tape - This tape is self adhesive and gives strength to the filling plaster or base coat - only needed on larger holes

To repair a hole of damage to a wall you Will only need base coat and finishing compound.

Tools:

There a few tools that you will need to buy to do the job however these are simple and inexpensive -

- One broad knife 250mm (10inch) wide (looks like a wide paint scarper) , one 100mm ( 4inch) broad knife , one 100mm (4inch) x 250mm (10inch) towel.

You will also need to mix the base coat for larger holes so an electric drill and paint mixing attachment is best. However the base coat can be mixed by hand but this is slow.

For Example: A hole about the size of a tennis ball was made while moving furniture.

Step one: Make sure the hole in the drywall is clean (no protruding drywall or paint) mix your base coat power with clean tap water to a paste similar to toothpaste. Note: if the base coat is too wet the base coat will fall out of the hole. If you find the base coat continually falls into the wall cavity fill the behind the hole with newspaper to support the base coat while it sets. Fill the hole using the smaller broad knife making sure the hole is filled and the base coat is flush with the drywall.

Step two: When the first coat of base coat is set, Cut a small amount of glass fiber tape to just cover the hole and carefully put into place. Mix up a small amount of base coat and spread over the tape making sure that you spread the base coat beyond the tape. The smoother and flatter the second coat is the better the result will be. Let it set from 45 - 60 Min's.

Step three: Spread a thin coat of finishing compound with the large broad knife and let this dry. The finishing compound must be spread a minimum of 100mm (4inches) beyond the base coat.

Step four: Sand your work with 180 grit sand paper making sure you feather or blend the edges with the existing painted wall so that the repair will not be seen when painted. The aim is to sand the repair as flat as you can and blend in the edges . Then your repair is finished and ready to paint.

Tip:

Remember to wash you tools off with clean water between steps so the plaster does not set on your tools.

By Steven Robinson - Renovation Robot

Want to know more and see repairs in action then visit the Renovation Robot web site for free advise and tips!

Click here ----> http://www.renovationrobot.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_A_Robinson http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Repair-Drywall-Or-Plasterboard-Walls&id=2001092