How to Manage Drywall Corner Repair
There’s no escaping it: parts of your drywall will take a beating over time. Fortunately, drywall is often easy to repair, especially when the damage occurs on the wall’s face. Things get a bit trickier when the corners of your drywall get scraped, chipped, dented, or otherwise damaged. Still, the same basic drywall repair principles apply when it comes to fixing these corners – the main difference here has to do with the presence of corner beads, attachments that reinforce drywall at every corner (often made from metal, vinyl, or PVC). Here’s how to best manage drywall corner repair when your walls require some restoration.
How to Best Repair Drywall Corner Damage
Gather the Right Tools
First, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the right tools on hand. Generally speaking, all drywall repairs warrant the use of the following:
Putty knife
Razor knife
Joint compound
Drywall patch kit
Tape measure
Pencil
Sandpaper (80 and 120 grit)
Drywall tape
Drywall screws/nails
High-quality interior paint
When preparing to repair a drywall corner, you’ll also want to have these tools at the ready:
Drywall saw/hacksaw
Electronic stud finder
Pry bar
Metal snips
Drill/driver
Carpenter’s square
Drywall corner beads
And to ensure your safety, make sure you wear protective gloves, eye protection, and a mask to prevent inhaling dust particles.
Learn the Basics of Drywall Repair
You might already be familiar with how to fix drywall, but here’s a refresher course just in case. First, you want to assess the damage. Smaller dents and holes are easily patched. Simply clean out the damaged area, fill it with spackle, smooth the material so it’s flush with the rest of the wall, and let it dry. After that, sand down any excess material and do some interior painting to conceal the repair. For larger holes (about 3 inches in diameter), break out a drywall patch kit and affix the patch over the hole. Then, spread joint compound over the patch and follow the rest of the steps laid out above. More severe drywall damage might warrant a replacement job wherein you cut away the damaged section and install new drywall in its place – for this, you’ll need to use your various measuring and cutting tools as well as your fasteners (e.g., screws and nails), furring strips, and fresh drywall.
For Light Drywall Corner Damage
When it’s time to repair a drywall corner, all of the steps previously listed apply. Minor corner damage (i.e., corner damage that only affects the paint and joint compound) only requires scraping away the loosened, damaged material, applying fresh joint compound to the area, letting it dry, sanding it down, and finally painting it.
For Deeper Corner Damage
In some cases, you might find that the corner bead underneath the joint compound and paint is itself damaged or dented. If this is the case, you’ll need to take a more invasive approach to repair the corner. First, use your saw to cut through the bead both above and below the damaged area, making sure to not cut into the wall too far so as to not create more work for yourself (corner beads are typically about ⅛ of an inch thick). Then, score along the sides of your cuts with a knife so you can easily pry away the corner piece. From there, scrape away any loose compound. Measure the height of the removed section and cut out a fresh piece of corner bead with metal snips to fit the slot. Apply your joint compound before installing the new corner bead (the wet mud will allow the bead to adhere). Apply additional compound over the repair and let it dry. Sand, paint, and the corner repair is complete.
When in Doubt, Hire the Pros
Though most drywall repairs are simple enough to carry out with the right tools, certain repairs are more complicated than others – this is certainly the case for corner repairs. If you’re not confident in your drywall repair abilities, hire drywall carpentry experts to get the job done right. Anderson Painting is more than just an interior and exterior painting company serving Raleigh, NC. We also offer drywall repair, carpentry, popcorn ceiling removal, flooring, deck staining, and more services. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
