In a Duluth home, patch it yourself when the damage is a nail hole, a dent or a hole smaller than your palm: spackling, a putty knife, a mesh patch kit and 150-grit sandpaper handle those. Hire a pro for water damage, big holes, recurring cracks and old plaster, where matching thickness and texture is the hard part.
What tools and supplies you need for drywall repair
The kit for most small repairs is short: a 2-inch putty knife for filling, a 6-inch knife for feathering, a tub of spackling or joint compound, self-adhesive mesh tape or a patch, a sanding sponge or 150-grit paper, a utility knife, primer and matching paint. Larger holes add a drywall saw, drywall screws and a scrap of drywall the same thickness as the wall, plus a 10-inch knife to spread the final coats wide. Here's what each kind of damage takes:
| Damage | Materials | Tools | DIY? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nail holes and small dents | Lightweight spackling | Small putty knife, fine sandpaper | Yes |
| Hole through the drywall, smaller than your palm | Self-adhesive mesh patch with spackling or joint compound | 4- to 6-inch knife, sanding sponge | Yes, with patience |
| Larger hole or a cut-out | A new drywall piece screwed to backing, tape, joint compound | Drywall saw, screws, 6- and 10-inch knives | Doable; the finishing takes practice |
| Cracks at seams, corners or doorways | Mesh or paper tape and joint compound | 6-inch knife, inside-corner tool | Yes, if it doesn't come back |
| Water-stained, soft or sagging ceiling | Fix the leak, cut out wet board, replace, tape, match texture | The full kit plus a helper overhead | Usually a pro |
| Cracked or loose plaster | Plaster washers, setting compound, mesh tape | Drill, screws, wide knives | Usually a pro |
Two local notes. Many older homes in Duluth and Superior have plaster rather than drywall in at least some rooms, and plaster is thicker, harder and repaired differently; our plaster versus drywall repair guide explains how to tell. And if the holes came from old anchors, our guide to hanging shelves and TVs on plaster walls covers remounting so it doesn't happen again.
Spackle, joint compound and drywall repair kits
Spackling and joint compound aren't interchangeable. DAP, which makes both, says spackling dries faster and shrinks less than joint compound, which makes it ideal for holes and dents, while joint compound suits taping seams and skim coating (DAP). DAP pairs lightweight spackling with nail holes, heavyweight spackling with medium holes, and a mesh patch with any hole that goes all the way through. For a deep fill or a quick second coat, setting-type compound, the powder you mix with water, hardens by chemical reaction rather than drying, so it shrinks less and can be recoated the same day.
What is the best drywall repair kit? For a doorknob hole, a kit with a stiff self-adhesive patch, a small tub of spackling and a plastic knife covers it. Kits have limits: the patch sits on the surface, so the fill has to be feathered several inches past its edges or the bump shows. For anything larger than the patch, cut a clean square and screw in a piece of new drywall instead.
Sanding and finishing so the patch disappears
Most failed patches fail at the finish, not the fill. Build it in thin coats, letting each dry, and make each coat wider than the last. USG, which makes Sheetrock compound, recommends 150-grit sandpaper or a 220-grit sanding screen for its all-purpose compound (USG). DAP describes the same idea: a medium grit to flatten the patch, then a fine grit for smoothness. Coarse paper leaves scratches that show through paint, and sanding too hard fuzzes the drywall's paper face around the patch.
Check your work with a flashlight held flat against the wall; side light shows every ridge. Wipe off the dust, then prime the patch. DAP notes priming is recommended even with spackling that accepts paint, and on a flat wall, unprimed compound shows as a dull spot. Textured walls need the texture matched before primer, which is where many DIY patches go wrong.
Plaster needs one more caution. In a home built before 1978, the paint on old plaster may contain lead. The EPA requires anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces there to be lead-safe certified; homeowners doing their own work are generally exempt, but the EPA recommends lead-safe practices either way (EPA). Sand the new compound, not the old painted plaster around it.
Ceiling cracks, bigger damage and when to hire a pro
A ceiling crack repair kit is usually mesh tape and a lightweight compound, and it works on a crack from one-time settling. Cracks that reopen are movement. In newer trussed houses, a crack where the ceiling meets an interior wall that opens every winter is often truss uplift, and taping it again won't hold. In old plaster ceilings, press gently beside the crack: if the plaster gives, it has let go of the lath and needs reattaching, not taping.
Call a pro when the damage is water-related, overhead and large, in plaster, or in a room where the patch has to disappear under raking light. Size changes the paperwork too: Duluth requires a building permit once the work affects more than half a sheet of drywall (City of Duluth), and Superior exempts drywall and plaster repair under 100 square feet that isn't part of a required fire separation. Our planning ranges are $125–$300 for a small patch and $300–$900 for a water-damaged ceiling section; see our cost guide, and your flat written quote is the real number.
Can you use spackle to repair drywall?
Yes, for small damage. Spackling is made for nail holes, dents and small holes in drywall or plaster; it dries faster and shrinks less than joint compound. For a hole that goes all the way through, back it with a mesh patch first.
For taping seams, fixing cracks or skim-coating a large area, use joint compound instead, because it spreads further and feathers out wider.
What grit sandpaper should I use for drywall repair?
Use 150-grit sandpaper or a 220-grit sanding screen on the compound. That's USG's recommendation for its all-purpose joint compound, and anything coarser tends to leave scratches that show through paint. A fine-grit sanding sponge works well on small patches. Sand lightly, stop when the edges feel flush to your fingertips, and avoid scuffing the paper face of the surrounding drywall.
Do drywall repair kits actually work?
Yes, for holes the patch covers, such as a doorknob hole or a hole from a removed anchor. The self-adhesive patch bridges the gap and the spackling hides it. The catch is the finish: the patch adds thickness, so the fill has to be feathered well past its edges, sanded and primed, or a bump shows.
For larger holes, a new piece of drywall works better.
What grit sandpaper is best for plaster repair?
Sand the patching compound, not the plaster. Hard plaster barely sands, so a plaster repair is built with setting compound, smoothed with the knife, then sanded lightly with about 150-grit paper, the same grit USG recommends for its all-purpose compound.
In a pre-1978 home, don't sand old painted plaster at all until the paint is tested for lead, because sanding turns lead paint into dust.
Patch outgrew the weekend? See drywall and plaster repair, then call or text (715) 919-7956 with a close-up and a wide photo of the damage, or send your project. You'll get a written quote before work starts.
Next steps. If you want help with this, start with the drywall, wall and ceiling repair page or How Much Does Drywall Repair Cost in Duluth, MN? Serving Duluth, Superior and beyond.
Keep reading: Wallpaper Removal in Duluth Homes: Scoring and Steamers and Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Siding or Fence in MN?.