What a mess! I’ve been putting off decorating my teenage sons bedroom because the drywall was in such bad shape. It was even worse than I expected when we started removing the chair rail. The previous owners had painted it to the wall, not once but several times. It really did a number to the drywall paper. The image below only shows a portion of the damage, it actually goes around the whole room. Luckily I’m married to a general contractor who has dealt with issues like this and worse.
Last Saturday, my darling husband decided to school me on how to repair all kinds of drywall damage. I think his motive was to teach me so he didn’t have to do it. His plan didn’t work though (Bahaha). Being the conduit that I am, I decided to photo document him teaching me the repairs so that I could pass them on to you. It was actually to difficult for me to do the repairs with a camera in my hands.
Last week I shared a couple of easy repairs, repairing small holes and nail bubbles. This time it’s a little more involved but it’s easy when you know how. .
Torn Drywall Paper
Step 1
Using a utility knife, cut away any turned up or loose edges.
Step 2
Carefully peel away any loose paper.
Step 3
If there are any raised surfaces, push them into the drywall using the butt end of a putty knife. Push hard enough to create a small divot. (see small holes)
Step 4
Fill the gap with setting compound (mud).
Step 5
Drag a wide knockdown knife over the mud, smoothing the edges flat against the drywall. Let it dry and then apply a second coat slightly wider than the first coat.
Step 6
Lightly sand and wipe with a damp sponge.
See fixing torn drywall paper isn’t that hard, especially when you have someone else doing it for you.
I love the 'especially when you have someone else doing it', nice to have a talented DH.
Joy
Brittney Davis
I would go with paint of paper but this a great article about repairing paper. Thank you for sharing.
I was told that if you don’t primer the paper area it will bubble and be ruined. Is this true?
You were told correctly. You always want to put a coat of primer on new, unpainted drywall.
I think you misunderstood what Stephanie was asking…
Many sites are suggesting it’s necessary to primer over the brown exposed paper you exposed in your instructions, before filling. Your picture story does not show you used primer first.
You can prime it first, but it is not necessary. This information comes directly from a contractor who’s been in the business for over 30 years.