The Bones of Your Walls
Drywall is the skin of your house. It is made of chalky gypsum rock pressed between two thick sheets of paper. Builders screw large panels of it directly to your wooden wall studs. They cover the seams between the panels with paper tape and a wet paste called joint compound. Once it dries, they sand it smooth so the wall looks like one solid piece.
Drywall is cheap and easy to fix. But it is also soft. It dents when you bump it with a couch. It crumbles if it gets wet. Most of the cosmetic work you do inside your house will involve fixing small drywall bumps and bruises.
Common Wall Problems
Houses move. Wood dries out and shrinks. Because of this, your drywall will eventually show some wear and tear.
Nail pops are very common. This happens when a drywall screw or nail backs out of the wood stud. It pushes a small, round bump of paint out of the wall. To fix it, you drive a new screw into the wall right next to the old one. Then you pull the old fastener out and patch the hole.
Hairline cracks often show up above doors and windows. This happens because the framing shifts slightly. You can scrape the loose paint away, apply new drywall tape, and cover it with joint compound. If cracks keep coming back or get wider than a pencil, your house might be settling. You can read more about what causes this in our Foundation & Structure guide.
For small nail holes from hanging pictures, you just need a tiny dab of spackle. Spackle dries fast and does not shrink much. For holes larger than a golf ball, you need a sticky mesh patch. You put the patch over the hole and spread joint compound over it. The mesh gives the wet mud something to hold onto.
Prepping to Paint
Painting is 80 percent prep work and 20 percent actually painting. If you rush the prep, your walls will look terrible.
First, wash the walls. Paint will not stick to greasy fingerprints or thick dust. A damp sponge with a little dish soap works fine. Next, fill all your nail holes and sand them smooth. Run your hand over the wall. If you feel a bump, you will see it through the new paint.
Finally, tape off your baseboards, window frames, and door frames. Use high quality painter tape. Press the edge of the tape down hard with a putty knife so paint cannot bleed underneath it. Drop a canvas tarp on the floor to catch drips.
Choosing the Right Paint
Walk into any hardware store and you will see hundreds of paint cans. The most important choice you make is not the color. It is the sheen. Sheen means how shiny the paint dries.
Shiny paint reflects light and is very easy to wipe clean. But because it reflects light, it highlights every single dent and flaw in your wall. Flat paint absorbs light. It hides terrible drywall work beautifully, but it is very hard to clean. If you scrub flat paint with a wet rag, the paint might rub right off.
| Paint Sheen | Best Room or Surface | Durability and Cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Flat or Matte | Ceilings, low traffic bedrooms | Low. Hard to clean. Hides wall damage well. |
| Eggshell | Living rooms, dining rooms | Medium. Wipes clean easily with a damp cloth. |
| Satin | Kitchens, bathrooms, hallways | High. Resists moisture and takes light scrubbing. |
| Semi-Gloss | Trim, doors, baseboards, cabinets | Very High. Highly scrubbable but shows every dent. |
You also need to think about primer. Primer is a base coat. It sticks to bare drywall better than paint does. It also blocks old stains from showing through. If your walls smell like old cigarette smoke, a regular coat of paint will not fix it. You need a special stain blocking primer. Check out our Smells & Odors guide for more details on trapping bad smells.
Trim and Molding
Trim covers the ugly gaps where different materials meet. Baseboards cover the gap between the wall and the floor. Casing covers the gap between the wall and a door frame. Crown molding sits up high between the wall and the ceiling.
Trim takes a lot of abuse. Vacuum cleaners smash into baseboards. Dogs scratch window casings. Upgrading your trim is a fast way to make an old room look modern. If you just put in new floors, you will probably need to remove and replace your baseboards anyway. Read our Flooring guide to see how floors and trim fit together.
When you install or repair trim, you need two different fillers. You need wood filler for the nail holes in the wood itself. Wood filler dries hard and you can sand it smooth. You need caulk for the long gap between the trim and the drywall. Caulk is flexible. It stretches when the house moves so the gap stays hidden.
Water Damage and Stains
Water is the enemy of drywall. If a pipe leaks behind your wall, the drywall turns to mush. Even after it dries out, it leaves a dark yellow or brown ring on your ceiling or wall.
If the drywall is soft to the touch, or if it crumbles when you poke it with a screwdriver, it is dead. You cannot save it. You have to cut the damaged square out with a utility knife and screw a new piece of drywall into the studs. Always make sure you actually fixed the source of the water first. If you have a hidden leak, check your Plumbing before you close the wall back up.
What Does It Cost?
Painting is the most popular DIY project in America because the labor is expensive but the materials are cheap. A gallon of good interior paint costs $40 to $80. A professional painter will charge hundreds of dollars for that same room because of the time it takes to prep and clean up.
Drywall repair costs depend on the size of the hole. A handyman can patch a doorknob hole in an hour. Replacing an entire ceiling ruined by a burst pipe takes a crew several days.
Keep in mind that prices vary widely based on your region, the age of your home, and the exact scope of work. If you want to hire this out, our guide on Hiring Contractors & What Things Cost is a great place to start.