4 tips for patching walls yourself

There are lots of joint compounds and other wall-repair materials out there. For a lasting repair, it's important to use the right stuff. Here's a rundown of how to choose the right patching materials for the job.

1. Fill small holes in drywall or plaster with spackling compound. Drywall joint compound, designed for finishing new drywall joints, also works fine, but it dries more slowly and shrinks more, so you may need more coats than with spackling compound. Also, joint compound comes only in four litre (one gallon) and 19 litre (five gallon) buckets, so it is not a good option unless you have some around already.
2. Get a drywall repair kit if the hole is bigger than about 2.5 centimetres (one inch) across. A typical kit contains a piece of drywall you can cut to fit the hole, powdered patching compound, a combination tool for cutting the drywall and spreading the compound, drywall screws, a mixing tray and stick, and a sanding pad. The compound is quick-setting and easy to sand.
3. Repair hairline cracks in plaster by embedding fibreglass mesh joint tape in a layer of drywall compound. Then go over it with a second layer. Be aware, though, that plaster cracks are caused by movement such as the house settling. Unless you correct the cause of the movement, the crack will return.
4. For large holes in plaster walls, spritz the lath with water so it doesn't suck all the moisture out of your patching compound. Then fill the hole with a premixed gypsum-base coat plaster with perlite — it comes in bags that you mix with water. Apply a couple of coats, filling the hole partway with the first and letting it dry before adding the second. Then give it a third finish coat; this can be joint compound, but if you really want to match the texture of plaster, mix up some plaster of Paris.