Drywall Repair - My New Skill

We did so good with getting all the old insulation out before our new insulation was going to be put in. We spent ten days balancing on rafters and made it without an accident… until we were finished and wanted to check on the space over the back porch.

That corner was the most intimidating corner to me. It looked so full. 

But it cleaned up so well.

Mr. JCrew lugged the shop vac over to that area. I then heard a slip and a yelp. I asked the usual, “Are you okay?” No response. I ask again; no response. I said, “Please say something” as I started to walk towards him.

It was dark in that corner and he was down. I saw something dark, getting larger underneath him. I thought something had busted. I asked him if he was bleeding. Nope. There was a pipe close by and I thought I was seeing oil.

Then Mr. JCrew pulled his leg up out of a HOLE!!!

Yep, the kitchen cabinets broke his fall.

He was so lucky he wasn’t hurt; just sore from his leg doing something only flexible people can do.

That night, I watched YouTube videos on how to repair drywall. I woke up and headed to Lowes the minute it opened. We had to repair this hole in 24 hours before the new attic insulation was to be installed. We were lucky we had cleaned out the old insulation. Otherwise, we'd be cleaning insulation out of our kitchen!

I cut out the broken pieces and drew myself a rectangle.

Tip #1: A rectangle/square is the easiest shape to repair. Make sure you have each end screwed into a truss. That way there is no sagging later on.

I had to make my rectangle four inches longer than the damage, so that I could screw the sheetrock into the truss above.

It’s best to use one piece, but I have a small SUV and asked to Lowes guy to cut my boards so they’d fit in the car. I was one inch too shy!

I screwed the drywall into the trusses.

Then I used self-adhesive tape on the joints.

Then a joint compound over the tape.

I was told to do three layers. After two layers, I was nervous about my skills. It didn’t look too hot. Total amateur!

The third layer was so much prettier! Whew!

I then used a sanding sponge, dipped in water and lightly sanded the joints.

I then applied more compound to make things totally smooth and sanded again.

Next up, paint it to match the rest of the ceiling.

I went out and bought a new can of ceiling paint. While I was doing drywall repairs, I went around the house and patched popped screw holes in the ceiling. I would need more than the touch-up paint I had for the kitchen ceiling.

Not too bad for my first time! I can now add that to my resume. My dad is one proud papa!