Fixing a Hole in the Wall with Cardboard

Lead Image for Fixing a Hole in the Wall with Cardboard
  • 1-2 hours
  • Beginner
  • 80-100
What You'll Need
Drywall Mud
Drywall Tape
Cardboard,
String
Trowel
Mud Trough
What You'll Need
Drywall Mud
Drywall Tape
Cardboard,
String
Trowel
Mud Trough

A hole in a wall can happen rather quickly and innocently. You could just be entering your home with some groceries and the door gets away from you. Next thing you know the doorknob has punched a hole in the wall. You could be walking down the hallway and trip over the family pet. The wall is easy enough to brace yourself against but drywall, despite being very sturdy, can easily break with enough pressure. Trying to patch a hole in the wall with drywall is something that is costly and complicated. You can use cardboard to patch a small hole in the wall. This article will share with you some things you should know before using cardboard to seal a hole in the wall.

Choose the right Cardboard

There are many types of cardboard out there and the kind you choose will determine how well the final patch will appear. Construction paper and card stock you find in any art supply store is a form of cardboard but is not suited to fix a hole in the wall. You also do not want to use flimsy packing cardboard from the big shipping chains. Good cardboard to use for fixing a hole in your wall will be thick, smooth, and hard to rip. Some cardboard boxes fit this description. You also want to avoid cardboard with any type of glossy paper attached to it. It needs to be able to accept tape and mud.

Same Tools but Different Material

When fixing a hole in the wall doesn't look at cardboard as anything other than drywall. If you treat it like cardboard you'll wind up with a less than perfect job. Do not be afraid to abuse it. You will have to take extra care when working with it because it is not as dense as drywall but that is the only real caveat. You will seal the seams with adhesive tape and cover them up with drywall mud.

Always Square

A hole in a wall can take many shapes. The only shape you need to worry about is square. The piece of cardboard you use will be cut so that it is square. It also needs to be slightly larger on all 4 sides than the actual hole. The hole in the wall can be round, triangle, or oblong but your cardboard should always be square.

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Clean it Up

Patching drywall with cardboard can be a pain. To make things easier on yourself you should use a utility knife to trim the edges of the hole. You want them to be as smooth as possible. This will help you to patch the hole in the wall as well as to fit the cardboard.

Cardboard Sandwich

Cut the first piece of cardboard and apply mud to it. Place it behind the wall and pull it flush with a string attached to two holes in the cardboard. Let it sit until the mud dries. Place another piece inside the hole as even as possible. Tape the edges, apply the mud, and fill it until it's flat.