Popped Drywall Nails
By: Amanda Campbell
Updated: August 30, 2010
If your house was built within the last 35 years your walls are most likely made up of drywall rather than plaster. Drywall is cheaper and easier to work with. Unfortunately it is also easier to damage than plaster.
When your drywall gets older, nails that were used to fasten it tend to pop back out. This is caused by evaporation of moisture from the studs and settling which together squeeze the nails out.
Here’s a quick tip that will keep your wallboard on your wall.
Re-anchor the drywall with a drywall screw directly above or below the existing nail. It must be inline with the original nail so that you are sure to hit the wall stud. Once the dry wall is re anchored to the stud, drive the nails, including the popped nail, into the stud until a recessed dimple shows around the head, but do not break the paper face. Be sure you hold the plasterboard tight to the stud.
Then smooth over the nail and screw head with joint compound with a wide putty knife. Let it dry, and if the patch shrinks re- apply the compound.
When the patch is completely dry, sand the area with fine sandpaper and paint. And you won’t have to worry about your walls tumbling down.
Here is some more information on repairing your drywall:
Spackling compound comes in two types—vinyl and lite. The lite type spackling compounds do not shrink as much as vinyl and are very easy to apply. Lite spackling can be painted almost immediately after the application. The vinyl spackling will shrink slightly and must dry several hours before painting.
If your wall has a hole through it that measures an inch or more, you can repair it using lite spackling. But you will need to make up a backing material for the patching compound. You can do this by taking a paint paddle and cutting it to a two-inch length. In the middle of the paddle insert a drywall screw and leave it extended by at least an inch. Apply some construction adhesive to each end of the paddle. Insert the paddle into the hole in the drywall and pull on the drywall screw until it adheres to the back of the drywall. This will now give you some substance with which to apply the patch. Apply the lite spackling to the area after allowing the construction adhesive to dry. The drywall screw can now be backed out and the finishing touches made to your patch.
With the right steps taken, you no longer have to worry about your dry wall coming down. You can also use compound, sandpaper and paint to fill in smaller holes left by nails used to hang pictures.
When your drywall gets older, nails that were used to fasten it tend to pop back out. This is caused by evaporation of moisture from the studs and settling which together squeeze the nails out.
Here’s a quick tip that will keep your wallboard on your wall.
Re-anchor the drywall with a drywall screw directly above or below the existing nail. It must be inline with the original nail so that you are sure to hit the wall stud. Once the dry wall is re anchored to the stud, drive the nails, including the popped nail, into the stud until a recessed dimple shows around the head, but do not break the paper face. Be sure you hold the plasterboard tight to the stud.
Then smooth over the nail and screw head with joint compound with a wide putty knife. Let it dry, and if the patch shrinks re- apply the compound.
When the patch is completely dry, sand the area with fine sandpaper and paint. And you won’t have to worry about your walls tumbling down.
Here is some more information on repairing your drywall:
Spackling compound comes in two types—vinyl and lite. The lite type spackling compounds do not shrink as much as vinyl and are very easy to apply. Lite spackling can be painted almost immediately after the application. The vinyl spackling will shrink slightly and must dry several hours before painting.
If your wall has a hole through it that measures an inch or more, you can repair it using lite spackling. But you will need to make up a backing material for the patching compound. You can do this by taking a paint paddle and cutting it to a two-inch length. In the middle of the paddle insert a drywall screw and leave it extended by at least an inch. Apply some construction adhesive to each end of the paddle. Insert the paddle into the hole in the drywall and pull on the drywall screw until it adheres to the back of the drywall. This will now give you some substance with which to apply the patch. Apply the lite spackling to the area after allowing the construction adhesive to dry. The drywall screw can now be backed out and the finishing touches made to your patch.
With the right steps taken, you no longer have to worry about your dry wall coming down. You can also use compound, sandpaper and paint to fill in smaller holes left by nails used to hang pictures.
