How to Repair Walls With a Joint Compound
- 1). Scrape the edges of the crack with a putty knife to remove any dust or crumbling material. Vacuum out the crack to remove further dust particles.
- 2). Pour a generous amount of joint compound into a mud pan, available from most hardware stores.
- 3). Lift some joint compound onto a 6-inch taping knife and smear the compound into the crack. Make a thin layer of compound.
- 4). Place drywall tape over the crack and the compound. Smooth the tape, moving from one end to the other to prevent bubbling. Press the tape into the compound on the wall with the tape knife.
- 5). Apply another layer of joint compound over the tape using the 6-inch putty knife. Feather the compound out away from the crack to prevent large cakes of joint compound. Let the compound dry.
- 6). Repeat the compound application process two more times, feathering out the compound.
- 7). Sand the patch smooth with a sanding block. Clear away the sanding dust with a rag.
- 8). Paint over the patch with a primer, then paint over the primer with a paint that matches the color of the surrounding wall.
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