Patching Many Large Holes in Drywall

For projects having numerous large holes, there are methods for best treating drywall patching operations. A single patch of a large drywall hole has important differences.

Setup
Give some consideration to setup. Critical, are the number of holes, their spread across the wall or walls, and their size. Important are the number of required moves, since the patching is normally at least a 3 step process.

Any repeated moves in an occupied area could probably benefit from drop cloth runners having sealed backing. Whereas more confined patching of holes would probably do with plastic sheeting. The plastic does have a tendency to shed dust while in motion. The disadvantage of runners is that they need a vigorous shaking every so often. As well as a place to do it.

Cut Outs & Planning:
When large holes are scattered across wide areas, like in the case of vandalism, plan out your patching scheme by grouping the patches into common aggregatess, where areas concentrated of multiple holes near one another are combined to share the same replacement sheets of patch.Sections large enough can approach a full sheets.

If there is a lot of scraping to be done on ceiling areas, run a ceiling scraper equipped with a depth guard to remove the old texture without tearing the paper.

Ripping/Transporting the Mounting Board:
For production, have a small plastic bin of utility knives at the ready, so no stopping and replacing knife blades is there to hinder progress. A drywall router is a must have for odd-shape cuts. The two-wheeled panel carrier is just the thing for transporting multiple sheets around by a single person from wherever your temporary shop is set, to the application site. Certainly for the thicker, heavier replacement sheets.

Mixing of Compound:
If available, mix in a mud pump for more efficient workflow. At the very least, consider an electric mixing paddle.

Taping of Seams and Joints:
With boards of drywall patches fastened, consider applying tape with an automatic taper that muds and tapes all in a single step. Models are on the market that store the mixed compound in a sealed vessel, that practically eliminate the issue of internal drying.

Positioning Drywall Replacements:
A rechargeable drywall hoist not only takes away much of the physical labor, they are efficient time savers for the moving of larger patches into place.

A word on Cleanup
Seal all dust and drywall waste in plastic disposable bags. A lined trash container allows for cleanup as work progresses, while promoting a clean and professional workspace environment.