Tutorial: Fix a crack

I had to patch a few cracks in our walls over the weekend in preparation for painting the living room, and I thought I'd show you how I do that sort of thing. I learned crack repair on plaster, which is different than sheetrock, but the fix is pretty much the same. You will need four things: a 7 in 1 painting tool*, {if you're desperate, you can use something else pointy like the end of scissors or your favorite butter knife} some Red Devil 'Onetime' lightweight spackling, a putty knife and a sponge {the coffee is just for me, because I don't function without caffeine}.
I can't seem to find my metal putty knife, so I am using this crappy $.95 one I picked up. It still works. A note about the Red Devil. I know that some sort of mix to use joint compound like Silver-Set would probably work and look better, maybe, but I really hate sanding that stuff, and I hate waiting for it to dry, so I use this. I don't use it because I don't know any better, I do, I just like the quick and easy fix. In my experience, it holds up well, and I usually prep about five minutes before I paint, so this is perfect. You can use whatever you want. {it also only costs a few dollars and lasts forever!}

****Edited to add: I just found a little 3lb tub of premixed joint compound for about $4, it works great for skim coating over cracks, and if you 'sand' it using a damp scrubber sponge, you won't get all dusty! Thin layers such as skim coats dry pretty fast too...****

The first thing you are going to do is take the pointy end of your 7 in 1 tool, and scrape along the crack. The goal is to open it up and get all the loose paint and wall material out, as well as provide a good surface for your spackling to adhere to.
After you have done this, take your putty knife and press some of the spackle into the crack. I recommend doing a little at a time, since it tends to be a bit crumbly, and you might need to spread it back and forth several times before you are satisfied with the application.
Move along the crack, filling it in. When you have filled in the whole crack, let it dry, and then contrary to the tub, where it says 'one application', I wipe the area down with a damp sponge, let that dry, and repeat the process until you feel like the wall is as smooth as you want it. There may be cases of settling where the wall will always have a bit of a ridge or bump where the crack was, and that is ok, our goal here is to just close up the crack, so that when you paint, you won't notice it. Painting over the fixes and flaws in my walls is one of my favorite things. Don't ask me why.

Contemplating a regularly scheduled Red Bull delivery via Amazon, Alice

*There is a funny little tool that works great specifically for opening cracks, but the 7 in 1 has lots of other uses too. It's a toss up. Ease of use or multi-function?

Comments

[Alice]

What a great idea! I will add that to my list of tools to have on hand! I recently found that you can buy a small {3 lb} tub of pre-mixed joint compound for about $4. I used it for some skim coating, and it would be perfect for crack patching too! Easy to use, cheap and more versatile than the lightweight spackle. Thanks Rose!

[Rose Campion]

My mom always taught me and I've always used the pointy end of a church key can opener to open up a crack for patching. Makes a nice beveled groove for getting the patching compound in there. And my dad always insisted on joint compound for the patching but the pre-mix stuff looks a lot easier.