Welcome back to our D.I.Y. column, where we tackle home improvement projects, from basic repairs to simple restorations, which you can do in just a few hours. In our first installment last month, we showed you how to hang anything on your walls. In other words, we made some holes. Cosmic balance demands that we now learn how to patch them.
This is a skill that almost anyone can put to use. If you’re a renter, you can repair the wear-and-tear you’ve caused and get your security deposit back. If you’re a homeowner, you probably don’t want to call a contractor every time you move the art around. Either way, you can fix holes or remove unwanted wall fixtures knowing that you’ll be able to make the evidence disappear. A properly patched wall, with a little paint, looks brand-new.
But this isn’t just about patching walls. It’s about getting comfortable with an intimidating reality of many DIY projects: In order to make something look better, you first have to make it look worse. Fixing a wobbly chair can mean taking it fully apart. Refinishing a table can involve stripping its paint or varnish. And patching holes in walls requires covering them with layers of plaster-like spackle, then sanding the spackle away to leave a smooth surface.
It’s a messy process — but it’s also a forgiving one. If you accidentally use too much spackle, you just have to spend a bit more time sanding it down. If you use too little, you just have to add another layer. You won’t ruin anything if your work isn’t perfect on the first try. Eventually, you’ll achieve that ideal smooth surface, and then a few minutes of repainting will make all your work disappear.
Let’s meet the tools. All of them will be available at any hardware store.
1. All-purpose spackling paste is more forgiving than lightweight and quick-drying formulations, with a cream-cheese consistency and ample working time before it hardens.
