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Painting creates a new palette
Besides cleaning, painting is one of the least expensive, major fix-up jobs you can do to improve the appearance of your house. If your walls haven’t been painted in the last 2 years, your house will benefit from a new paint job.
A new faucet is better than trying to fix an old one
Kitchens and bathrooms are 2 very important rooms when it comes to selling your house. Even if the budget won't allow you to update these rooms completely, sometimes a new faucet may be just the trick to give that tired kitchen or bath a bit of a lift..
Joint Compounds
The two most common drywall compounds are lightweight and all-purpose. Both are easy to work with, and have a shelf life at room temperature of about nine months. If you have an entire house to repair, buy a 4.5-gal. bucket of the material ($11 to $15) and keep using it until the project is done. For small repairs, buy a 1-gal. container, but be advised that you might pay nearly as much for that as you will for the 4.5-gal. size, depending on where you shop. For a few minor repairs, buy a quart (about $5). The differences between the two are that the lightweight product weighs about a third less than all-purpose, it dries faster and takes less force to sand.
There are 2 kinds of joint compound: Taping compound is used for the tape coat. It is stronger and courser than the compounds used for the finishing process.
Topping compound is thinner and finer. It's used for the fill and finish coats, and for texturing.
Joint compound comes in quart size containers up to 5 gallon containers. For patching interior drywall and plaster surfaces. For finishing drywall joints. Easy to use. Ready mixed good for taping and topping. These products typically require a day between applications. Requires sanding between coats.
When using joint compound in drywall repair applications, there are typically 3 coats of joint compound applied over a joint tape. Each coat is applied wider than the previous coat and gets feathered at the edges so the repair blends in with the existing wall. Light sanding is required between coats, and a final sanding. Product must be absolutely dry before sanding.
Before painting with the final color, patched area should be primed with a latex primer to create a good seal for the final color paint.
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Fixing drywall holes and fixing plaster
Spackling compound: a good friend for fixing minor defects
Repairing damaged walls falls into 2 categories: large and small. Small holes, dents can easily be repaired with a product called spackling compound. This is a fast drying product with minimal shrinkage. It can be applied with a putty knife, dries usually within an hour depending on the quantity being applied and can be painted the same day.
For small areas (nail holes, dings, etc.) just apply the spackling into the hole, then scrape across the area with a putty knife.
Repairing small damaged areas
For holes up to about 1", take a small piece of window screen and cut it about 1/2" - 1" larger than the hole. Apply some joint compound to the wall and while the compound is still wet, press the screen into the compound.
Take a putty knife a lightly slide it across the screen to make sure the screen is completely embeded. Allow this to dry overnight. Once dry, apply 2 more additional coats of joint compount over the screen. Each coat should be slightly larger than the previous coat.
Fixing larger damaged areas
Larger damaged areas usually requires replacing the damaged section of the drywall with a new piece of drywall. Once the new piece has been fitted in place and secured to the wall, it must be taped, and mudded in place with joint compound.
Depending on the location of the damaged area (either between wall studs or spaning a wall stud) you'll want to cut out the damaged area. If the the damaged area is between studs, locate the studs and make your cuts over top of the studs. If the damaged area is over a stud, cut inbetween the suds on each side of the stud. The idea is to expose the edge of a stud so you can securely fasten the replacement piece of drywall.
Once the damaged area has been removed, you can varify the thickness of the drywall (typically, most modern drywall installations use 1/2" thick drywall. However, there are also 5/8" and 3/4" thick drywall which may have been used depending on the particular situation.
Cut a replacement piece of drywall matching the existing thickness and with the same dimensions as the hole.
Then follow these directions:
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| Mark where you want to cut using a straight edge and pencil. | Using a drywall saw, cut over to the stud. |
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| Then cut out the remaining drywall using a sharp utility knife. | You can provide additional backing support by cutting a scrap piece of wood, about 4" larger than the hole, and then gluing it in place with wood good and clamps. Once it has been clamped and glue and while the glue is still wet, drive in a couple drywall screens through the existing drywall and into the scrap wood on both sides. |
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| Fit the new drywall into the hole and screw it into place with drywall screws into the scrap wood or the existing studs. Using a sticky fiberglass joint tape, tape the edges. | Next apply the first coat of joint compound and allow to dry. Once dry, lightly sand any high points and put a 2nd joint compound over the first, expanding it slightly. Repeat this process again. Put the final coat of joint compound on, and make sure the outer edges are feathered (tapered down to the existing drywall level) so there is no abrupt change from the existing wall board and the new piece. |
NOTE: Drywall can be cut with a utiliity knife by repeatedly scribing the area. Use a straight edge to keep the cut line straight.
Joint compound requires longer periods of time and will require 3 different coats (usually 1 coat per day) with each coat spreading out wider than the previous coat.
Additional fix-up info
Small patch spackling products
The following items are typical for repairing small holes in either drywall or plaster walls. Spackling compounds are easy to apply and fast drying meaning they can be painted over the same day.
Not recommended for large patching jobs that require taping.
A superior lightweight, one-step spackling for repairing walls, ceilings, and woodwork in one fill. Delivers superior durability and performance. No sanding required. Dries quickly. Interior/exterior use.
Heavy-duty all purpose formula that is perfect for household repairs and professional jobs. Resists cracking, sands easily and spreads smoothly. Interior/Exterior.
Quick and easy spackling stick, conveniently sized for filling nail holes and small dents or cracks in interior surfaces. Dries in minutes, does not require sanding. Won't shrink. Comes complete with finishing tool.