3ft x 3ft hole in plasterboard wall how do i mend

caroline, March 2004

Take a 4 foot level and hold the middle of it at the highest point of it on all four side get the level plumb on sides and level on top and bottom draw a line until you make a square then cut a peice of drywall about a inch and a half bigger than the square. If there is nothing to nail to on the sides draw the top and bottom lines to center of a stud on each side of hole or you can uses two peices of 1x4 to brace the new peice of new peice of drywall on the sides.Hold them on each side of hole and screw to back of drywall .After you put in new peice put fiberglass tape on rhe 4 sides. Then apply drywall mud starting with a 6" blade then a 8 after the first coat dries and a 10" blade for the last coat . Sand down ridges between each coat.Then prime and the paint.

Robert, August 2004

Cut a new piece of plasterboard about 1 inch larger all round than the hole. Punch small holes near each corner of this piece,say 3 inches in diagonally from each corner and thread string through. Wiggle the new piece through the hole,it should go through on a slant,apply some fairly quick drying adhesive around the border of the new piece then position it and pull it with the strings so it sticks in position to fill the hole. When dry, since it is a large area (3 x 3) perhaps you could stick a second piece roughly the size of the hole to get the level correct then finish off with filler in the remaining crack.

Mark Atherton. UK, March 2004

Get another piece of plasterboard which is larger than the hole.....square up the hole and measure it. Transfer those measurements to the larger piece and cut/break away all the drywall on the new piece leaving the backing. Then after a tight fit, fill the backing on the new piece with wall joint compound, slap it in and let it dry before sanding. On a hole that large, there should also be enough wall studs to be able to drive a few drywall screws in.

Raoul Henri, March 2004