Fixing drywall seams after the painting is a job that no one wants to do. A damaged seam under the paint makes the fixing a lot more complicated than usual. It’s because you’ll find it difficult to have the same color in the repaired area.
However, if you have a drywall seam that requires fixing after the application of the final coat of paint, we are here to help you. By following this brief guide, you’ll be able to fix the surface without compromising the consistency of the color and texture of the drywall. So, let’s start-
1. Gather Essentials
To do this job, you’ll need some essential things. Before you start doing the job, make sure you have all these things in your toolbox-
- Joint compound
- Primer
- Paint
- Paint scraper
- Putty knife
- Paint roller
- Paint brush
- Detergent and Scrubber
- Drywall tape
- Razor Blade
- Sandpaper
2. Scrape the Paint
Use detergent and scrubber to clean the surface thoroughly. Doing so will remove the glossy finish from the top layer of the paint and prepare the surface for repair materials.
Take a paint scraper and remove the paint from the damaged surface, if it is coming out loose. When removing the paint, ensure a consistent radius so that when you apply paint after the repair is done, it perfectly melts in.
3. Remove Loose Tape
Cut any loose or bubbled tape under the paint. It often happens that when scrubbing the paint, drywall tape becomes loose or appear bubble under it. Cut the loose tape with a razor blade and remove drywall dust from the surface.
If the damaged surface is too long, we recommend removing the whole tape from the surface and replacing it with a new one for better adhesion. Leaving old tape at its place will restrict you from applying a new tape.
4. Apply Mud & Tape
Mix the joint compound and apply a coat of it on the prepared surface. When applying mud, make sure not to mess things up by touching the surrounding wall with your hands full of joint compound.
After applying a coat of mud, apply the tape if needed. If you tape the surface, make sure to place it carefully so that you do not end with bubbled tape again. Apply two coats of mud on the tape at least to get a smoothly patched surface.
5. Prime, Sand, and Paint
Use a paintbrush, if the surface you are repairing is small. Otherwise, go with a paint roller to apply primer on the drywall. Before priming the drywall, use a sandpaper to make the surface smooth. Since you can’t use a drywall sander to sand the surface after priming, it is good to sand it in every step for reducing the burden.
After the repair work is complete, here comes the final and most complicated part. You need to choose exactly the same paint to get a consistent surface. Fixing textured painted drywall is more complicated. Apply easily removable tape on the surrounding surface and paint it the way you have painted the wall previously.
Since the procedure differs according to color, texture, and surface, it is hard to guide you with an exact process on this. Moreover, it can confuse you with this.
Final Words
For a tiny surface repair, you can replace mud with spackling compound if you want. But drywall seams are best patched with mud.
It terms of painting the surface, be cautious when choosing the paint and applying it. Messing things up in the painting process can ruin all your effort instantly.