Repairing hole in plasterboard

[Stones]

Small job to do, repairing a hole in plasterboard, the size of a 50p piece. @Crofter mentioned in one of his posts how easy he had found it repairing a skimmed plaster wall to a seamless finish, something he had never been able to achieve when repairing painted plasterboard because of the paper finish.  And that's the issue I have, in a taped and filled rather than skimmed house (how I wish there were plasterers up here!) achieving a repair to plasterboard that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb is a challenge.  Any suggestions from type make of filler, grit of sandpaper or any other trick or tip to get a finish that has the plasterboard paper like texture, which I would then paint?

[ProDave]

Gyproc Joint filler.  Unfortunately you only seem able to buy it in large tubs.  It takes ages to dry if you put it on too thick, so think several small layers with time to dry.  When dry it sands beautifully to get a nice finish. Must be sanded dry with a very fine paper.

 

Take a sharp stanley knife and go round the hole to cut the paper and taper the hole inwards (think countersinking it) so you don't have flappy paper edges to worry about,

 

I have a large tub at present. If you bring a suitable air tight vessel you are welcome to a few scoops of that when I see you shortly.

[Nickfromwales]

Paint is your friend here. 

Get a small piece of batten, try and get it bonded in behind the hole. If that’s not possible then fill with foam first and cut a 50p sized piece of Pb and bond that in 3-4mm shy of the face. 

Leave 48hrs min to cure. 

Mix pva and water 50/50 and apply with a small brush, coating app 100mm around the hole, and make sure you saturate the open grain of the Pb. Apply a good few coats until you know the dusty ? is all sealed up. 

Get some Toupret filler, and mix it like pâté ramming it intonthe gaps. Smooth it off once with a debit card / similar, once north then east / s & w and leave to dry. Beware trying to feck about with it at this stage as you’ll start the paper peeling. 

Once dry ( toupret can be dried with a hairdryer without shrinking or grinning ) sand the filler not the paper and then reassess to see if any more filler is required and reapply as necessary. 

Youre looking to get the filler flush as possible with the face and then back to my opening statement. 

Buy a thick chalky paint like Leyland High Opacity and brush a thick coat over the repair epicentre. Leave to dry. Do the same each morning and evening until you’ve gone to a patch of paint around 400mm diameter with the centre being thick as you can muster. 

Leave for a few days to go bone dry. 

Then start sanding back with 240 grit wrapped around a piece of 3x2 ( no sharp corners, rough those up with a bit of scrap wood first before going near the wall ) and block sand the paint over the repair. When you get to the point it’s looking ready to re-paint use a 400 grit paper to sand the periphery to a similar standard. 

Leave alone at that stage and repaint the whole wall with the same chalky paint as if you were painting from scratch. Build up a couple of layers and assess. 

The shine of the fresh paint as it’s filleted on will give you a ‘reflection’ which will show if any stage needs repeating. 

Dont use any tape etc or you’ll be doomed......doomed I tells ya !

When happy, chuck the colour coat back over and vow never to make holes in paper walls ever again. 

?

[Onoff]

I'd drill a hole in the wall centred over the damage with a Starrett cutter through a bit of scrap board.

 

I'd then take the next size Starrett up where the ID matches the OD of the first Starret & hole in the wall.

 

Drill a "plug" from a scrap bit of pb with the slightly bigger Starrett. You want the bit in the middle so ideally do in a pillar drill with the hole saw pilot drill removed. You end up with a perfect fitting "plug". Remove from the hole saw and lightly sand or craft knife the wispy, tufts off. Tidy up the hole in the wall the same way paying particular attention to the rear. 

 

Cut two matching small battens slightly longer than the hole is wide. Place one on top of the other and drill a hole through the centre of both. Put a dab of pva on the ends of one bit of batten.Then fit in the hole sandwiching the wall pb. Leave the plug to one side for now. Use a pb screw to keep the two bits of batten together. When the glue is dry undo the screw and remove the outer batten. Stick plug in hole. Near invisible repair.

 

Alternatively pick a nice painting and hang over the hole!

 

 

[ProDave]

3 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Alternatively pick a nice painting and hang over the hole!

 

 

Or cut out a socket box and fit an additional socket

 

All depends where the hole is.