Patching Cracks in a Wall

Whether you have recently moved into a new home or you have lived in your home for years, your walls may be calling out for a little tender, loving care. Walls can be damaged from extreme weather, pin holes, drilling mistakes or from a few too many incidents with the kids. Patching cracked walls is an easy fix and will only require a few tools and a little time.

The first thing you need to do in order to fix any crack in your wall is take a trip to your local hardware store. Speak to a sales associate about the best prices on wall putty (sometimes referred to as mud) and scrapers.

You may also want to purchase paint, paint brushes and some cotton swabs. If you need to purchase paint, remember to test the color on a small, hidden area prior to performing your paint job. If you or your contractor happened to have thought ahead you may have an old paint can that was used when initially painting your walls. Remember that paint chips (which are free!) can always be used to try and properly match colors. Keep in mind that if your wall has not been painted in several years, color will probably have faded or become dirtied. You may want to repaint the entire room for the best results.

Before taking on the crack or hole in your wall you will want to carefully clean the exposed area. Using a little water or isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush or cotton swab, gently clean the area. If you leave dirt, debris or dust in the crack it may make your fix-up slightly less aesthetically appealing.

It is now time to whip out your wall putty. Using a putty tool (or even your fingers), fill in the hole. When filling the crack or hole with putty, do not worry too much about how it appears with the paint or how well it blends with paint. Once you have completely filled the crack or hole, use a scraper to smooth and remove putty from the surface of the wall. Your putty should not be thicker than your paint. Let the putty dry properly and get ready to do a small paint job. Gently paint over the puttied area; you may need to do two layers to properly cover and blend paint.