Found an old trick for patching drywall that saved me a whole weekend

I was fixing a hole in my living room wall last month, about the size of a softball from a doorknob punch. Old way was to cut out a square, screw in backer boards, cut a new piece, mud, tape, sand, repeat. That took me like 3 days on a smaller patch last year. This time I tried the California patch where you cut the new drywall slightly bigger than the hole, score the paper on the back, peel the gypsum off the edges, and glue the paper flap right to the wall. No backer boards needed, just some hot mud to embed the paper and fill the center. It set up in one coat and I was sanding by the next afternoon. Has anyone else tried this method and had it hold up long term or am I going to see cracks down the road?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_cooper3d ago

My dad taught me that trick decades ago, and it's never given me a crack.

amyh122d agoMost Upvoted

It's funny how the stuff our parents taught us always ends up being the best advice, even for random stuff like drywall repair.

miles_robinson203d ago

Yeah I feel you on that, the old method is such a pain and takes forever. The California patch sounds like a real time saver, I might have to try that next time I mess up a wall. It's good to hear from someone else that it holds up long term without cracking.