My basement drywall fix went sideways until I tried the California patch trick

I had a hole about the size of a basketball in my basement wall from when I moved a heavy shelf and it punched through. My neighbor Joe who runs a construction crew told me to stop messing with backer boards and try the California patch method instead. You basically cut a piece of drywall bigger than the hole, score the paper on one side, and snap it so the paper stays attached as the backing. Then you mud right over the paper after you stick it in place with the drywall compound. I did it in my house in Cincinnati about 3 weeks ago and it saved me from having to cut out studs or mess with mesh tape. The trick is you gotta really soak the paper so it blends smooth, I used too much mud at first and had to sand half of it off. Anyone else tried this for bigger holes, or do you still stick with the old backer board method?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan9h ago

You patching drywall like it's brain surgery when spackle and a prayer works just fine.

jakewhite9h ago

Man I spent three hours picking the wrong shade of white once!