How do I repair a drywall tape crack on my living room wall?

Chuck Arneson
by Chuck Arneson

How do I repair a drywall tape crack on my living room wall before I start painting the room? Thank you!

  7 answers
  • Carol Cole Carol Cole on Jan 23, 2019

    sand it down and retape.

  • Reo33875684 Reo33875684 on Jan 23, 2019

    Here is a great tutorial on how to do it. Be sure to lightly sand between compound coats.

    https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/walls-ceilings/how-to-fix-large-cracks-in-drywall/#slide-1


  • Kathy Gunter Law Kathy Gunter Law on Jan 23, 2019

    Scrape off the area that is "bad". You might have to do some light sanding as well. Smooth the area as much as possible. Tape over the cleaned areas.

    Spread sheet rock mud over the tape and any other places where you need smoothed or repaired. Let dry. Take a damp sponge and smooth out rather than sanding.

    Repeat the mud, dry, and smooth process until it is completely unable to notice. Usually three times.

    Now you are ready to paint.

  • James Williams James Williams on Jan 24, 2019

    For myself, I would use a utility knife/box knife to cut the old drywall tape for about an inch beyond the damage. Clean away any loose crumbly material.

    Now, you have a choice of drywall tapes. Paper or selfstick mesh. My choice in this case is the selfstick variety. Make sure that it doesn’t extend beyond the edges of the peeled area even if you need to trim it a little. When your tape is stuck down good, take a wide spreader, at least 4 inches across and lay a good not gloppy layer of drywall compound over it and let dry overnight. The next day just sand it smooth and you’Re ready to paint.

    • Marilyn Elmore Marilyn Elmore on Jan 25, 2019

      I was a professional taper, I would do it this way, BUT... Don't go with the mesh tape, it has a tendency to "float" to the top of your mud, if you don't know what you're doing. Use paper tape.

  • Patricia Rodriguez Patricia Rodriguez on Jan 24, 2019

    bingoi

  • Pam Walker Pam Walker on Jan 24, 2019

    PEEL off the old tape. Use a scouring pad for dishes to scrape down the edges & remove the dust & paint where it came off. Retape & use sheetrock puddy to cover the tape. Make sure to blend it in with the existing paint around the tape's edges & make it smooth. Repaint. That's it. Hope this helps. :)

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Sep 12, 2021

    Use a Filler from DIY store and rub down when dry!