When someone puts their fist through your wall or causes damage in some way that needs to be repaired, the hardest part can often be matching the existing texture with the new once the repair is complete. There are many aspects of the project that need to be considered so that you don’t see that there was damage there after completely the repair. Ciarlanti Painting is here to offer some tips to help you successfully match the texture during a drywall repair.

Use the Right Drywall Thickness

If you aren’t familiar with drywall, you can purchase it in sheets that are not the same thickness. It is vital that the drywall you purchase to repair any drywall is the same thickness to create a seamless result. If you have ½ inch thick drywall, or 5/8 thick drywall, that needs to be what you are purchasing for the repair. The difficult part of this is the fact that sheetrock isn’t always exactly ½ inch thick even though that is what it may say it is. You may have to use shimming to create the seamless surface that is needed.

Tape & Mud Coat Process

When you are installing the new drywall to repair a problem, you will have to tape and coat it to blend in with the existing drywall. This will mean that the coat of mud will most likely make its way onto the original texture. When you do this step, it is important that you get as little mud on the original texture as possible. Don’t take the mud too far into the original drywall texture as this will make it more difficult to blend and match later.

Fix Drywall Seams

When you are initially installing drywall, during the tape and coat process, you can feather the mud on the edges to get rid of any lines that would otherwise be there. That is nearly impossible when you are patching because of the texture that is on the original drywall. After you have taped and coated, you need to remove the lines that are found in the cracks of the texture. You can do this with a drywall knife or a damp soft bristle brush. It can be tedious, but it is necessary.

Match Existing Texture

There are many methods that are often used when texturing walls. You need to make sure you are using the same method when doing a repair. This could mean doing a splatter knockdown, orange peel texture, popcorn texture, hawk and trowel or more. This step is key in the end result.

Drywall Repair & More in San Marcos, Vista, Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad & Escondido, California

Using the same mud consistency is probably the most difficult step to do on your own. The viscosity of mud used to create texture has a big impact on the final look. Even following each of the steps above to a T and then failing to get the right mud consistency can break the entire project. Because this is so difficult, you may want to rely on the experts at Ciarlanti Painting to complete any drywall repairs that need to be made in your home or business. Call us today!