When you're staging a home to sell, you will probably come across many minor or major repairs that need immediate attention such as a leaky faucet, loose door hinges or holes in walls. Wall patching can be considered one of the most common home repairs. Home owners are notorious for hanging wall art and in turn creating holes. Moving furniture will also damage your walls. Whatever the reason, it is a must do-it-yourself repair anyone can do with the right steps. The following home staging tips will help you patch a hole in any room of your home.



What you will need:

- You will need the following items to begin your hole patching job: drywall, drywall screws, spackle, putty knife, drywall tape, water, texture spray, rough/fine sandpaper, studs, touch up paint, gloves and painter's clothes.

Step 1

Locate the hole(s) or dent. By using a knife or narrow saw blade, cut the drywall around the damaged area until you have a close to perfect square. If the hole isn't big enough to expose some stud for patch support, you may need to use the stud you bought to build with the existing studs for patch support.

Step 2

Cut a piece of the spare drywall as close to the size of the square opening as possible. Use a knife or saw to gently remove any pieces around the edges a little at a time until you have a perfect fit.

Step 3

Press drywall into place and secure it with the drywall screws into the studs. Be sure that the screws are no more than half an inch from the crack between the wall and the patch.

Step 4

After you have installed the patch, you'll need to patch the cracks and blend the wall together. Using some rough grit sandpaper, sand the wall around the patch to remove the texture, if there is any.

Step 5

Using your putty knife or scraper, spread a little putty around the patch, filling in the crack. Before it dries, spackle a thin coat that covers the wall and patch (this should also cover the screws).

Step 6

Next, cut a long piece of drywall tape and soak it in water for a few seconds. Then, using your fingers pinch the tape and slide it through to remove excess water. Align a piece of the tape along the four cracks, being sure that it covers a little of the wall and a little of the patch, while at the same time covering the screw (this is why the screw shouldn't be too far from the crack). If you did this before the paper dried it should stick to the spackle. Make sure the drywall tape is all the way against the wall so that there are no bubbles. After it has dried, you may spread a couple more thin coats of spackle to cover the drywall tape.

Step 7

After the drywall tape has been covered with the thin layers of spackle and has dried completely (best over night), use the fine grit sand paper and sand the spackle until the patch and the wall blend smoothly. Do this cautiously so you don't overdo it.

Step 8

Use a damp cloth and carefully remove any sanded powder from the wall and allow it to dry.

Step 9

Following the directions on your spray can of texture (match that of your walls) then spray, allow it to dry completely over the course described on the directions before painting.

Step 10

Now the wall is ready for paint. If the paint matched the color of your repair, then you know you did the job properly and there will be no sign of a repair job. Apply a couple coats and let dry.

Presto! You just patched a hole in the wall. With the easy do-it-yourself tips above, patching a hole will be no problem. Make sure you tackle the small repairs your home will need before you begin your creative home staging task. The end result will surely be a masterpiece!