The majority of people have at one time, or another, decided to repaint a room in their house that had drywall on the walls. Before you can repaint, you have to remove all of the decorations, window treatments, and fasteners that were placed on the wall to hold those window treatments and decorations in place. Once the fasteners are removed from the wall, there is usually a hole left in the drywall. You need to repair those holes before you prime and paint so that your project comes out looking professional.
Small holes like the ones left by the fasteners that hold up shades, window curtain rods, or pictures, are very easily repaired. You can buy drywall compound at all stores that sell building materials, and at several paint supply stores. The drywall compound can be purchased in small containers for these types of projects or in large boxes for larger projects. You will need a small container and a drywall knife, or trowel.
You prepare the section of wall that has the hole by taking the trowel and scraping away any loose particles that might be on the edges of the hole. Then take a dry cloth and wipe away any dirt, or debris that might be around the hole. Open the drywall compound, and in the small containers you will more than likely not have to stir the mixture before you use it. Dip the corner of the trowel into the drywall compound and then fill the hole in with the drywall compound.
Holding the trowel with the flat edge pressed firmly against the surface of the wall drag the trowel over the wet compound to smooth it out evenly. You need to allow this compound plenty of time to dry before you will be able to paint it.
Once the drywall compound is dry you might notice that around the edges is not smooth. All you have to do is get a small piece of sandpaper and sand the edges until they are smooth. Drywall is a very forgiving wall covering and if you sand away too much of your compound, you can always put more in. The best way to stop yourself from sanding the space too heavily is to sand lightly for a few strokes and then run your hand over the area to make certain it feels smooth. If you still feel bumps sand a little more, but as soon as it feels smooth you should stop.
You will need to wipe away the dust created while you were standing before you can prime or paint the wall because the dust particles will interfere with your paint finish. Simply use a clean dry cloth to dust the area that was sanded.
If you have a large hole that needs repaired, like where a doorknob has struck the drywall, or where an anchor bolt has been pulled free, you should wad up sheets of newspaper and stuff them in the hole. Then you can place a piece of drywall tape over the hole using drywall compound to make it stick, and then follow the instructions for repairing a small hole.
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