Being one of the most common material for most mobile homes interior walls, the drywall is a soft material that easily gets damaged but it can also be easily repaired and often times if the mobile home owner is a real DIY guy then no repair contractor is needed. As much as you would want to put up a new drywall for your mobile home, often times the problem just requires a simple repair job. A good repair job will have an end result that is nothing less than that fresh modern look for your mobile home. The drywall of your mobile home will exhibit its need for repair when you notice large or small holes, cracks, mold or mildew as a result of water damage, peeled or faded paint, dents and so on.
Purchase The Drywall Repair Supplies
This is the first thing to do before beginning the drywall repair job. Buy a joint compound and choose the lightweight one because it dries quicker compared to its all-purpose counterpart. It also requires less sanding which will save you a lot of time. Also buy compound applicators and sanders and in this case consider a joint knife and a metal straightedge which will give you a more professional-looking end result. Remember the sanding sponge to help even the surface when the joint compound dries.
Get patching supplies such as a piece of drywall to cover the holes if they are large, backing boards to hold the drywall in place and a drywall tape. Lastly buy paint and primer, remember to get the same ones used previously on the drywall in order to achieve that uniform look.
There are several mobile home drywall repair options that will enable you to learn various ways that you could carry out repairs such as how to patch holes, fill dents and carry out other repair procedures for your mobile home dry wall. Outlined below are some of them.
1. Drywall Crack Repair
The cracks in the drywall can be repaired in two ways depending on the size of the crack. If it is a small crack you will only need spackling putty for filling the crack. However, when the crack is large or if it has the potential to widen simply tape it using a drywall tape and then apply joint compound sand and paint for uniformity purposes.
2. Filling A dent
Sand off the loose particles around the dent edges by using a sanding sponge. Apply the joint compound after running the sanding sponge over the dent to create a rough surface for it to hold effectively. Use a knife to smooth the joint compound and remove any excess compound. After the compound dries sand and prime it, then lastly paint it.
3. Patching a Nail Hole
First remove the loose edges by gently scraping them off or pushing them into the hole. Next fill the hole using the joint compound then sand the patch using fine-grit sandpaper after the compound has dried. Wipe away the sanding dust with a damp cloth after you are through and you will see a smooth surface where the nail hole was. Lastly prime and paint the area as a finishing touch.
4. Patching a larger hole
Measure and draw a rectangle around the hole then cut it out using a drywall saw or a utility knife. Next add backer boards that are at least 4 inches longer than the hole’s height by screwing them in place. Install a drywall patch and make sure it fits neatly into the hole then screw it. Tape the joints using a joint compound and sand the area after the joint compound completely dries and add another coat of the compound. Keep adding a new coat and sanding after the compound dries until the surface is smooth and even. Paint and prime the area after that to create that uniform look.
The Drywall Repair Costs
Repairing a drywall has an average cost of about $ 248.50 per patch. This figure comes about after calculating the average material cost, unit labor rate and national average labor wages per hour. Hire only after establishing that the contractor will do a quality job, by checking out their previous repair project. However the best way to get a good price is by getting several bids from various professional contractors.
With the above drywall repair options your repair job should go smoothly.