Don’t let dry wall holes pose a problem
Tuesday, Apr. 8, 2008 @ 1:56 am
With materials and some time, students can earn back deposit despite damage
“That’s coming out of your deposit.” It’s a phrase bound to sink hearts and lighten summer spending habits as students prepare to end their leases this school year.
Leaving them unfixed can lead to costly deductions from your deposit. Outside contractors charge anywhere from $15 to $25 an hour, plus materials, for the smallest holes, Rob Kraus, a department manager at Home Depot, said.
But for the cost of materials, and a bit of your own time, you can leave your walls whole and earn back your whole deposit.
Small hole (about nail-sized):
What you’ll need (all prices from Home Depot):
- Nail hole patch spackling ($2.27)
- Quart of paint ($12)
- Sand paper ( about $3)
1. Follow the directions on the tube. Squeeze it into the opening and smooth away any excess. Let it dry for about an hour.
2. Sand down the spackling until it is flush with the background. Touch up with more spackling if necessary and let dry. Repeat.
3. Paint over the spackling so it matches the background.
Medium hole (about fist-sized):
What you’ll need:
- 4-inch wall repair patch ($2.98)
- 16 ounce Spackle tub ($3.67)
- Sand paper (about $3)
- Spackle knives ($1.97)
- Quart of paint ($12)
1. Clear away excess debris from the hole and lay on the patch smoothly so the metal center covers the hole.
2. Use the Spackle knives to spread the spackling over the patch. Cover the patch completely and as smoothly as you can. Let dry about an hour.
3. Sand down the dried spackling so it blends with the wall better.
4. Paint.
Large hole (bowling ball sized):
What you’ll need:
- 2-feet-by-2-feet Sheetrock ($3.38)
- 1-inch-by-1-inch wood ($1.39 per eight-foot length)
- Drywall knife ($1.19)
- Small pack of drywall screws ($4.47)
- 16 ounce Spackle tub ($3.67)
- Sand paper (about $3)
- Spackle knives ($1.97)
1. This is the most time consuming job. Cut the Sheetrock to the general shape of the hole.
2. Hold the Sheetrock to the wall. Cut around the Sheetrock so it fits in flush.
3. Screw in a piece of the wood into the existing wall frame. The Sheetrock will be mounted on this.
4. Using the drywall screws, secure the Sheetrock to the wood mounts.
5. Fill in the cracks between the Sheetrock and the wall with spackling. Smooth out with Spackle knife. Let dry about an hour.
6. Sand down the spackling. Reapply if necessary, let dry and repeat.
7. Paint.
For more home repair tips, Home Depot sells do-it-yourself home repair books for $14.95.
Source: Rob Kraus, paint department manager at Home Depot
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