How can I fix a hole in my wallpaper/drywall?

Susan Bean
by Susan Bean

A bed tipped into the wall during a renovation and left an indentation. It's not in a place where I can cover it with art, so I need to make it look presentable and I don't have any leftover wallpaper of that kind. How do I fix this hole in the wall?

  17 answers
  • Bobbie Bobbie on Aug 15, 2017

    Do you happen to have a small piece left over from when it was wallpapered? you could cut out the section and repair the drywall and then match the print and recover that area with the remnant piece of wallpaper.

    • Mem26302986 Mem26302986 on Aug 17, 2017

      I need to make it look presentable and I don't have any leftover wallpaper of that kind.

  • Michele Pappagallo Michele Pappagallo on Aug 15, 2017

    That looks like a tough fix! You could try to carefully peel up the wallpaper around the hole...repair the hole, and then smooth the wallpaper down again using new wallpaper paste, but it is probably going to be tough to hide.

  • William William on Aug 15, 2017

    I agree, a very tough fix. This may work. Try not to damage any of the wallpaper. Remove the damaged pieces. Use a razor blade to cut any wallpaper attached to the pieces as you remove them. Set them aside. Cut a circle or oval out of cardboard that is slightly larger than the hole. Use blue painters tape and tape the cardboard over the hole. Use a razor blade and cut around the cardboard into the wallpaper. Remove the cardboard and very gently peel the wallpaper off the wall. Now gently peel the wallpaper off the damaged pieces you set aside. Patch the hole in the wall with a drywall patch kit. Let it dry overnight. Now use some white glue (Elmers) and coat the wall patch and the wallpaper you removed. Start with the round wallpaper then the damaged wallpaper. Gently rub with a damp sponge over the wallpaper patch. The reason to cut a circle or oval is it is not that noticeable to the eye. Straight lines are noticed more by the eye. I have done these kinds of repairs with extra wallpaper. I learned to always save some wallpaper for mishaps. Good Luck.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Aug 15, 2017

    I believe you would need to cut out a square until you find solid wood frame and then fix new board back to frame and then Tape the joints.

  • FL FL on Aug 15, 2017

    I would carefully peel back wallpaper (which you need to re-use if you don't have extra) to clearly reveal the hole that needs fixing. Do a hole repair (tons of YouTube and other sites show how, here's one with instructions and illustrations: http://www.instructables.com/id/Introduction-26/

    Once finished, dry and repaired, re-attach peeled back wallpapercarefully using a glue that won't damage or stain the wallpaper (like Elmer's Glue or even a glue stick). Hopefully, it will look good as new! Good luck!

  • Claude Claude on Aug 15, 2017

    youll need to be really "clean" about the repair to disguise it well

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Aug 15, 2017

    You need some tweezers, a piece of thin cardboard as wide as the hole and a couple of inches longer, some tacky or fabric glue, a foam paintbrush, and a steady hand. If you haven't already figured this out, use the tweezers to gently pull the wallpaper from the hole and sticking out like flaps. Use the foam brush to apply the tacky or fabric glue on the thin cardboard strip, cut to size. Using the tweezers and your fingers, put the cardboard strip in the hole, an inch above it, glue facing the room. Take the top flap of wallpaper and carefully place it so the glued strip is behind the flap. Now press the last inch of the glued strip smoothly against the wall at the bottom of the hole. Let it dry! Now you should have a stiff backing to bond to. Press the side and bottom flaps of glued wallpaper carefully back into place, leaving as few wrinkles as you can. Smooth the paper patch with your finger. Paint over the patch with the foam brush and glue. Let it dry completely before you touch it again. Repair done.

    ALTERNATE OR ADDITIONAL IDEA: go to a big hardware or home improvement store to the aisle with plastic switch covers. Look at all the covers for plug ins, cable cords, flat switches, multiple toggle switch covers, and so on. Find a cover that is large enough to cover the complete hole, with screws on the edges or right in the middle. To install it, GLUE IT ON over the hole, using Super Glue or Gorilla Glue. Put the screws in their holes, using the same glue to hold them in place. No one but your favorite brother-in-law will ever question the existence of the cover. Hiding in plain sight works. Best wishes 😇

    • William William on Aug 16, 2017

      Your concept is good. Similar to my suggestion. BUT the wallpaper would not come out as flaps because it is still attached to the damaged wall surface. Also the cardboard would be too flexible for a patch and would show as an indent.

  • Sandi Blair Sandi Blair on Aug 16, 2017

    Jewel's method is great. Only thing I would change is painting over the patch with glue at the end. That could leave a shiny patch on the wall. Sponge as much glue off after replacing the wallpaper pieces. Dab, don't wipe, in order to not disturb the patch

    • William William on Aug 16, 2017

      Jewel's concept is good. Similar to my suggestion. BUT the wallpaper would not come out as flaps because it is still attached to the damaged wall surface. Also the cardboard would be too flexible for a patch and would show as an indent.

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Aug 16, 2017

    Thanks, William. I'm sure you are right. I like my second idea better. We have little covers throughout our house for house phone lines, cable connections, and mystery wires. We are the third owners, and the changes add up. The changes don't leave holes, but they require more connections and covers. Bless you 😇

    • William William on Aug 16, 2017

      I like the mini safes that look like electrical outlet boxes. I have two mystery switches that do nothing. Can't remove or cover them since they are part of multi gang of switches that do work. Have a great evening!

  • Danielle Colomb Weaver Danielle Colomb Weaver on Aug 17, 2017

    It may be more work than it's worth - and you would end up with two holes/patches, but depending on how important it is for you to have this area of the wall looking perfect, I would consider doing this: I would find another area of the wallpaper that is always hidden (for example, behind a big dresser or other permanent-location-type of furniture) and farm a fresh section of wallpaper to replace the damaged paper once the hole is patched. Be sure to get a high quality scan of the wall paper, and print out a "new copy" to patch the hidden section. A sign shop could help you color match the wallpaper scan and print to wide-format. It won't be a perfect match with color or texture, but it will get you by. I'm a "let's see if this works" kind of girl, so I have no idea if it would - just an idea that popped into my head! Best of luck, that's a tough one!

  • Cin21825342 Cin21825342 on Aug 17, 2017

    Can you remove a small piece of the wallpaper from an inconspicuous area, maybe from behind a piece of furniture? If so, then just cut out the damaged area, repair the wall and apply the patch to the repaired area.

  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on Aug 17, 2017

    See if there is any place in the room where the furniture covers the wallpaper where you can "steal" a piece and use it to cover the exposed spot. Place this piece directly over the hole and cut through both layers so that the replacement piece fits exactly over the old hole. (Do this after you repair the hole!)

  • Nancy Nancy on Aug 17, 2017

    I would take something round and lightly trace a circle around the hole. Take a razor blade and gently cut through the paper on the circle. Take a warm wet rag and lay it over the hole...or use steam to loosen the paper. gently peel the paper off si it doesn't get more torn than it is. If successful, lay it face down, cover with a cloth and lightly iron it flat. Take a piece of iron on fabric backing, trim and let sit. Repair the wall and put the paper back up. It should hardly be noticeable! Good luck.

  • Cacimbo Smith Cacimbo Smith on Aug 19, 2017

    I would cut out circle of sheetrock to be patched. Then score and remove/scrape out larger square of wallpaper from area surrounding circular patch. Repair sheetrock patch using normal process. You should now have a good sized square of exposed wall with a smaller sheetrock patched repair at center. I would then glue a piece(s) of card stock to wall, trying to match thickness of surrounding paper. Then get a few bottle of craft paint to match wallpaper and paint on design. You can use tracing paper to replicate image if you need to.

  • Susan Bean Susan Bean on Aug 19, 2017

    Thank you, everyone, for your help! I think I can figure something out!

  • Sara Sara on Aug 15, 2018

    I’m needing to do this also. How did your end result turn out? Which process did you use?

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Mar 31, 2022

    Compound and sand it