Fixing a Hole in a Plasterboard (Drywall) Wall

Plasterboard (Drywall) walls are far more susceptible to damage than their solid equivalents.  The bumps and scrapes of everyday life such as repetitive knocks from door handles lead to dents and even holes in the plasterboard.  With a little knowledge, most of us can repair this damage with no sign it ever happened!

You may think the obvious solution to a hole in a plasterboard wall is to insert filler, but this often gives a poor finish, such as the paper surface of the plasterboard appearing through the filler, or the filler will simply fall out soon after you finish the job.  A far more reliable approach is to give the filler something to stick to:

• Take a little time to prepare the area first.  Remove the loose material and clean the edge of the hole with a sharp knife, ensuring there’s no loose paper around the hole.
• Once the hole is clean, cut a ‘base’.  This is a piece of plasterboard or thin ply board that is slightly larger than the hole. Drill the centre of the base and thread a piece of string through it.  Tie a small piece of wood (toggle) at one end to stop the string pulling back through. 
• Place the base on the floor, with the toggle on the underside, and apply No Nails or a similar adhesive around the edge of the base.
• Push the base through the hole in the wall and, using the string, pull the base against the plasterboard. Wind the remainder of the string around a piece of wood and jamb something between this and the plasterboard wall to keep tension on the string while the adhesive dries.
• When dry, remove the string (allowing the toggle to drop inside the wall) and coat the exposed plaster (sandwiched between the plasterboard’s external sheets of paper) with diluted PVA or water to stop it sucking the moisture out of the filler.  Doing this will give you a good bond and prevent cracks.
• Finally, apply the filler. It is best to do apply two or three layers of filler, allowing each to dry before the next is applied. Complete the job by sanding the surface to a smooth finish.