Learning New Tricks

Apologies for our recent radio silence, summertime in our house is always a little crazy.  Add in the launch of Phil's project at work and the fact that I (as a teacher on summer break) have the attention span of a toddler who has consumed 20 pixie sticks...well, you get the idea.  Oh, and don't forget my two little mermen who can't be away from the swimming pool for more than 10 hours at a time.  Chaos. Beautiful glorious chaos.

Progress has been slower than we had originally planned and we have pushed back our "completion" date.  When we started the project, we knew that we would get contractors to do some of the work, and that we would do most ourselves.  Why?  We know how, and that my friends is how you build sweat equity.  By literally SWEATING.

One of the places that has thrown a definite kink in our timeline has been drywall.  There is a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of drywall work at our house.  We got a few quotes for someone to come do the work. OUCH!!!  They were pretty expensive and (because it is summer) we would be looking at a few weeks wait before they could get us on their schedule.  So, yeah, we are doing it ourselves.  We have done it before and to save a few THOUSAND dollars I will do it again.

While fixing holes with my dad I learned a new trick.  You know those holes that are caused by doorknobs, like the one below?

You can go to a home improvement store and buy a patch kit to fix these, but each kit will run you about $8.  Not a big deal if you only have one to patch. We have about 15-20 small holes like this around the condo.  That's over $100 to fix!!!  You can save time and money by using leftover materials you have on hand.

First, square up your hole with a box knife.  Grab a scrap of drywall and mark the edges of your hole and then cut the back paper on your patch.  Once you have scored the back, you can snap off the sides leaving the square in the middle.  During this step DO NOT remove the front paper.

Next, spread all-purpose joint compound around the hole and onto the back side of your patch.  After this, place the patch in the hole and use a putty knife to spread the joint compound.  Check for bubbles and wrinkles and be sure that your patch is as level with the wall as possible.  This is very similar to icing a cake, you want to make it smooth, but don't overwork it.

When you have completed the step above your patch should look similar to the one above.  This spot will need two or three more coats of joint compound and a good sanding to "float" the area and help it blend seamlessly with the rest of the wall.

Voila!  A free(ish) drywall patch.  Enjoy!  As a friend said recently, "You can learn to drywall in 10 minutes, but it takes 10 years to learn to do it well."  What are you waiting for?  Start practicing!!!