Tried to patch a hole in drywall, 6 hours later I'm still staring at a mess

I had this tiny hole in my living room wall from moving furniture, maybe the size of a quarter. Figured I'd just slap some spackle on it and be done in 20 minutes. 6 hours later I had a saggy mess of compound, sanded through the paper twice, and now there's a crater bigger than my fist. Watched like 4 YouTube videos and every one made it look so easy. I ended up buying a patch kit from Home Depot but that made it even worse somehow. How do you guys get a smooth finish without going insane? I'm about to just hang a picture over it and call it a day.

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.william1mo ago

That "less is more" thing Fiona mentioned is dead on but it took me about three walls to actually believe it. Every time I think I need more compound to fill a hole I end up making a bigger mess that takes forever to sand down. The other thing nobody tells you is that you gotta feather the edges way out past the hole itself, like a foot in every direction. And yeah, hanging a picture over a bad patch is basically a rite of passage in home ownership, I've got three of those shame covers in my house right now.

fiona7371mo ago

My buddy tried the same thing and ended up covering the disaster with a massive "Live Laugh Love" sign just to hide his shame lol. He said the trick he eventually learned was to use less compound than you think you need and let it dry fully between coats. Honestly though, sometimes a framed photo is the real MVP of home repair.