How to Patch Screw Holes in Drywall: Easiest Way

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“How to patch screw holes?”, has become something of rocket science to many. But it’s nothing more than a walk in the park for a carpenter. And neither will it be for you. Many people go with cheap remedies by using many types of household items like toothpaste, glue, etc. for patching screw holes in drywall. It may get their work done. But, if you want a more lasting solution then, you must avoid cheap remedies.

In this post we'll cover:

Patching Screw Holes in Drywall with Spackling Paste
FAQ
Conclusion

Patching Screw Holes in Drywall with Spackling Paste

What I am about to describe is by far the easiest and most popular way of hiding the holes left by the drywall screw gun. Neither does this require much time nor any previous skills related to carpentry?

Necessary Tools

You will be needing the following items. Spackling Paste Spackling paste is a putty type patching compound. It is used to fill small holes, cracks in wood or drywall. Generally, spackle can be purchased in powder form. The user must mix the powder with water to form the paste type putty.

Putty Knife Scraper We will use the putty knife or paint scraper to apply the patching compound to the surface. The user can use it as a scraper to remove debris from the screw hole. You can find putty knife scrapers in various sizes, but for patching screw holes, a small one should work fine.

Sandpaper We can use it for smoothing the wall surface before we apply the spackling paste. After the putty has dried, we will use it again to get rid of excess dried spackle and to make the surface smooth.

Paint and Paintbrush The paint will be applied after smoothing the surface to cover up the patched surface with the help of a paintbrush. Keep in mind that the paint you choose must match the color of the wall or at least similar enough that the difference isn’t easily distinguishable. Use a small and inexpensive paintbrush for painting.

Gloves Spackling paste is easily washable with water. But there is no need to ruin your hand during this process. Gloves can protect your hand from the spackling paste. You may use any type of disposable gloves to ensure the protection from them.

Scraping

Scrape away loose debris from the hole with the putty knife scraper and make the surface smooth with sandpaper. Make sure the wall surface is clean, smooth, and free from debris properly. Else, the spackling paste won’t be smooth and will dry improperly.

Filling

Cover the hole with spackling paste with the putty knife scraper. The amount of spackling paste will vary depending on the hole size. For patching a screw hole, a very small amount is required. If you apply too much, it will take too long to dry.

Drying

Use the putty knife scraper to smoothen the paste surface. Let the spackling paste dry. You should allow the time recommended by the manufacturers for it to dry before going to the next step.

Smoothing and Cleaning

Now, use the sandpaper over the patched surface to get rid of excess putty and make the surface smooth. Keep smoothing the putty surface until it matches your wall surface. To remove the sand dust of sandpaper, clear the surface with a damp cloth or use your shop dust extractor.

Painting

Apply paint to the patched surface. Make sure your paint color matches the wall color. Otherwise, anyone can spot the patched surface on your wall no matter how much effort it took. Use a paintbrush to get smooth paint finishing.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.

How Do You Repair Screw Holes in Drywall?

Tiny nail and screw holes are the easiest to fix. Use a putty knife to fill them with spackling or wall joint compound. Allow the area to dry, then sand lightly. Anything larger must be covered with a bridging material for strength before patching compound can be applied.

How Do You Repair Screw Holes?

Can You Reuse Screw Holes in Drywall?

It depends on what it’s filled with, but regular drywall filler probably won’t be as strong. … Then patch it with the larger drywall piece you cut out (if you cut it out carefully). Now your “new” drilled hole will be just as strong as the wood behind it is held, probably 4x a single screw in drywall.

How Do You Fill Deep Screw Holes in a Wall?

How Do You Fix a Small Hole in Drywall Without a Patch?

Simple paper joint tape and a small amount of drywall compound—known in the building trades as mud—is all it takes to repair most small holes in drywall surfaces. Paper joint tape is not self-adhesive, but it does easily adhere with a light application of joint compound with a drywall knife.

How Do You Fix a Hole in Drywall Without Studs?

How Do You Fix a Stripped Screw Hole in Plastic?

If you stripped a hole, you’d cut a length of the tree off, drill a bigger hole, glue or epoxy it in, drill new screw hole. It worked very well because you were using the same plastic the part was made from.

How Do You Fix a Screw Hole That Is Too Big?

Fill the hole with any liquid glue that can be used on wood (like Elmer’s). Jam in several wood toothpicks until they’re very snug and entirely fill the hole. Allow to dry completely, then snap off toothpick ends so they’re flush with surface. Drive your screw through the repaired hole!

Can I Screw Into Wood Filler?

Yes, you can screw into Bondo wood filler. It’s a decent wood filler for appearances sake; you can paint over it, sand it, and it can even take on stain.

Can You Put a Screw in Spackle?

Moreover, can you screw into drywall spackle? Tiny nail and screw holes are easiest: Use a putty knife to fill them with spackling or wall joint compound. Allow the area to dry, then sand lightly. … Yes you can put a screw/anchor into a repaired hole, especially if the repair is a superficial one as you describe.

Conclusion

“How to patch screw holes in drywall?”, the perfection of this process depends on how accurately you work. Please follow the manufacturer’s instructions at the time of mixing spackle powder with water. You have to be careful at the time of applying spackle. Make sure the wall surface is free from debris. You should allow 24 hours for it to dry if the hole is larger or the layer of spackling paste applied is thicker. Make sure you have smoothened the patched surface properly before painting. Clean the surface again, else the paint will mix up with the dried spackle dust or sand dust of sandpaper.

I'm Joost Nusselder, the founder of Tools Doctor, content marketer, and dad. I love trying out new equipment, and together with my team I've been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with tools & crafting tips.