How to repair a hole in drywall: A step-by-step guide

Whether you’re prepping your apartment for a landlord walk-through or you’re just tired of looking at that piece of artwork you’ve had in the kitchen for too long, the prospect of repairing drywall can be intimidating.

It’s fragile, crumbly, and all you knew about it growing up was that if you put a hole in it, fixing it was a big deal.

But that’s not true! Once you understand the basic concepts of filling and patching small drywall holes, you’ll see that repairing them yourself is simple and easy.

Here’s how to repair a hole in drywall:

1. Buy all the tools you need (listed below).
2. Prep the hole by clearing debris and smoothing the edges.
3. If it’s a small hole, fill it with spackle and let it dry.
4. If it’s a large hole, measure and cut a piece of repair patch or mesh tape to cover the hole. Then, completely cover the patch with spackle and let it dry.
5. Sand the area until it’s flat and smooth.
6. Paint over the area you just repaired so it looks like nothing ever happened.