You have a nice looking wall and realise that you have a small hole. It’s too small to get a plasterer but you don’t have a clue what to do with it? Were here to help – we’ll show you how to fill a hole in the wall
This is a simple task and trust me, anyone can do it! There are so many decent materials out there that do the job with ease. So lets get to it.
Heres what tools you will need:
- A small scraper/ filling knife
- A small brush
- Bucket
- Bucket trowel (if your using powder mix0
Now there are 2 types of repairs. You have the cracks in plaster walls and the small holes. The other scenario is for bigger holes down to the foundations (20mm thickness.)
We will cover both scenarios.
How to fill a hole in the wall
This is easy. I recommend you get a pre mixed general purpose interior filler for this job. Polycell make a decent pre mix – to be fair all DIY shops sell this type of product.
If you get the powder form its a bit more work and you have to mix it to the right consistency. For that reason I’d just stick to the pre mix.
Here’s how to fill a hole in the wall:
- Rake any loose plaster from the hole in the wall and the surroundings.
- Brush any dust from the damaged area. You have to make sure the hole is cleaned from residue because the filler needs to be able to stick to its background. Failing to do this could cause the filler/ plaster to fall out.
- Wet the surface down. Apply a little bit of water to the worked area. This will help the filler bond to its background and it also prevents shrinkage.
- Push the filler into the hole. Apply lots of pressure and make sure you fill all the hole.
- Smooth off with your scraper. Try and trowel the filler so its flush with the wall – if you can’t manage this leave it proud so you can return when dried.
- If needed sand down to give a smooth finish.
- Wash your tools and store your filler.
Its that easy. If you return when its dried and it looks like it needs little more filler then simply add another coat on top of the previous. Its very easy and anyone can do it so don’t be cautious. Give it a go and improve your home!
This next option can be trickier:
How to fix big hole’s in your plaster
Ok so lets say you have a big, deep area of damaged plaster. This can be a harder task to resolve. If its a large area back to brick/ lathe then your general purpose filler won’t cut it. You may need to buy deep-repair filler which is a ready-mixed lightweight filler for holes up to 20mm deep.
If its a workable size then use the Deep repair filler (with the same prep as above),to build the area and follow the steps above to finish the job.
Anything bigger wanders into the realm of plastering rather than general filling. Plastering is a trade that anyone can learn but it just takes a bit more time. If you want to start then follow this link which shows you the tools you’ll need to start plastering.
So thats that! You’ve learnt How to fill a hole in the wall – get involved and get your home ready for improvement. For more information on plastering for beginners have a look around our website and let me know what you think.