Drywall nail holes are probably the most common type of damage to drywall. It’s often necessary to put holes in your drywall to install things like curtains, blinds, or shelves. We all love wall art, posters, tapestries, and family photos.
But what do you do when you move those pieces to a new spot or decide on new décor? Puncture holes in your drywall can be anything from the size of a push tack to a narrow strip left over from a wall anchor. They’re an eyesore.
Fortunately, these are pretty straightforward fixes, as long as you follow the instructions below.
Necessary Tools & Materials
- Spackle
- 2 or 4” Drywall (Putty) Knife
- 150 Grit Sandpaper
- Primer
Before you get started, make sure you have all the tools and materials listed above, plus a small supply of paint that matches your wall color.
If you’re planning to patch a bunch of spots on the same wall, it’s probably best to prime and repaint the whole wall when you’re done. That way, you won’t end up with some areas that look newer than the rest of the wall. As with everything else, paint fades a little over time and can be discolored by dust, smoke, or dirt.
Just a heads-up: If you’re only repainting one patch on the wall, it might still look a bit different after you’re done. If this happens, we suggest repainting the whole wall.
Step One – Preparing the Drywall Nail Hole
Take a closer look at the nail hole(s). Gently remove any broken paper around the entrance to the drywall nail hole with a razor knife.
Step Two – Fill the Hole
Just scoop up a little spackling with your putty knife and press it into the dent. For the first pass, hold the knife at about a 45-degree angle to fill in the hole. Then, come back over the top with the knife almost vertical and scrape away most of the excess spackle.
Let the spackle dry for the recommended amount of time (check the packaging to see how long it takes to dry). Once it’s dry, just run your hand across the surface of the spackle. If the spackle is even or just a little higher than the drywall, you’re ready to move on to Step Three.
Sometimes spackling shrinks during the drying process. If your spackling patch has shrunk or cratered below the surface of the drywall, apply a second coat of spackling and let it dry before moving on to Step Three.
Step Three – Sanding the Patch
Now that you’ve fixed your drywall nail holes with spackle, you just need to give the whole area a quick sanding with 150-grit sandpaper. Just make sure you sand down any lumps or bumps in the spackle so it’s all even with the rest of the wall.
Just run your hand over the sanded patch to make sure it’s all even. It should feel completely smooth.
Step Four – Priming the Patch
Before you repaint the patch to match the rest of your wall, you’ll need to spot prime the patched area with a drywall primer. If you don’t prime the spackled area, it’ll show up as a shinier spot on your wall.
You can go ahead and repaint the area now. As we said earlier, sometimes the repainted spot in the middle of the wall can be noticeable, especially if the paint on the wall is old and has faded. In these cases, the best thing to do is repaint the whole wall.