DIY Repairing Torn Drywall Paper
Also see:
Drywall paper can be damaged when a wall is gouged while moving furniture or other common household activities. Water can also damage drywall paper causing the surface to pucker and ripple. This can happen when removing wallpaper with a liquid stripper.
The most important part of repairing drywall paper is sealing it so it doesn't absorb any moisture from the repair compound. If you don't seal it, the repair process will cause the top layers of paper to bubble and ripple and no amount of sanding will fix the problem. Use the following procedure for a trouble free repair of damaged drywall paper.
Cut Away Damaged Paper
Cut all damaged paper away from the gypsum core. If only the first few paper layers are damaged, cut down to the first undamaged layer. Cut cleanly around the perimeter of the damage with a sharp drywall knife or razor blade. Tilt the blade out a little to cut at a slight angle thru the paper. Gently peel the rough fringes of loose paper free, leaving a solid layer of paper behind.
Seal the Exposed Fibers
Coat the exposed paper fibers, edges and surrounding wall with primer–sealer. Stir the paint or shake the can first to be sure the sealer is mixed well and apply two, thick coats with a brush. Let the primer dry for about an hour between coats and let the final coat dry completely before proceeding.
Flatten the Paper Fibers
When the second coat of sealer is dry, use a joint knife to smooth out the raised paper fibers. Go over the fibers once or twice with the blade in a downward stroke to flatten them out.
Repair the Drywall
Mix some setting–type joint compound or you can use ready–mixed compound if you have time to wait several hours to complete the repair. Apply a couple of skim coats over the damaged area, holding the joint knife at an angle to "butter" the surface with back and forth strokes. Leave about 1|8in. of mud over the damage area and the surrounding drywall.
Immediately skim the excess mud from the surface to leave a thin coat over the damage. Hold the knife at a 30° angle and press down hard -but not hard enough to dig into the surface- as you skim from one side to the other without stopping. Scrape the collected mud from the knife onto the rim of a mud pan and skim off the remaining mud in parallel strokes cleaning the knife after each stroke.
Ignore any ridges left between the rows by the edges of the knife blade. Around the perimeter of the patch, skim the mud as thin as possible to help blend it into the surrounding wall. Let the mud set for about 30 minutes. Ready–mixed should dry until the mud gets hard.
When the mud is dry, scrape off any ridges using the joint knife to cut them off with upward strokes. Use medium grit sandpaper to lightly sand the whole patch if necessary to smooth out any other bumps or protrusions. At the edges of the patch, sand to feather it with the surrounding surface.
Wipe the dust off with a damp rag and apply a second coat of mud, skimming in the opposite direction from the first coat. If you skimmed the first coat vertically, apply the next with horizontal strokes. This will help to level out an irregular surface.
Let the mud dry and if necessary, apply another coat to build up a patch that hides the damage and smoothes out the wall. As before, scrape off any ridges first and sand if necessary before skimming the patch again. Stroke with the knife in the opposite direction from the previous application.
Sand and Touch Up
Let the final coat on the patch dry well and then sand it using light pressure, in wide back and forth strokes, to smooth and blend the surfaces. Along the edges, sand harder to help feather the patch into the surrounding surface. Wipe the sanding dust away with a damp rag or sponge. Be careful not to dig into the new joint compound.
Let the moisture from the rag dry and prime the patch. If you are using flat latex finish paint, it will be self–priming. If you are using semi–gloss or other shiny paint, prime with flat latex paint or a latex primer first before touching up the wall paint.
