Sizing Up The Hole

Accidents happen. One of the most common ones is a nice sized object slamming into your drywall

and leaving not a dent, but an actual void. When drywall is hit with enough force (and especially by a smaller object like a fist, broom stick, or childs head) in between studs, you'll be left with a nice size hole that can't just be 'patched'.

Nail holes are fine for 'spackling' and some smaller holes can be fixed with some of the other hard setting products, but if you've got a bonafide hole that's an inch or more, you're gonna have to actually do a real repair.

Making The Hole Bigger

To make fixing your hole easier, you'll actually have to make it bigger.
Basically, you want to straighten the edges as much as possible and turn it into more of a square or rectangle.

In this example, I didn't actually make it into a rectangle, I cut at an angle (it was my creative side that prompted this behavior). The hole just needs to be clean, as in no jagged edges. The repair works best when the gaps between the existing drywall and the new piece you put in, are kept at a minimum.

You can use a basic drywall saw, or in some cases a utility knife or multi-tool (only if you are good at sharpening blades). In this image, I'm using my Leatherman. Those tools are great and every DIYer should have one.



Now for a backer piece to support the patch.