Spackling paste or joint compound (drywall mud) Fine-grit Sandpaper or fine-grit sanding sponge Putty knife (aka joint knife, drywall knife) 6-inch drywall knife or 12-inch drywall taping knife (for ...

Dear James: I just moved into an older house, and a lot of the drywall tape is coming loose and needs retaping. Why did it come loose, and how should I replace it? -- Randall N. Dear Randall: It is ...

I hope most of us know that the solid walls in our homes are not solid at all but rather many individual boards blended together by applying paper tape and a material called joint compound. This ...

Add Drywall Tape (Optional): For minor cracks that might become larger cracks or deep cracks that might reopen, consider applying a strip of self-adhesive mesh tape over the filled crack. Smooth it ...

A: It depends on the type and size of the crack. Hairline cracks take only a little patching plaster. Larger cracks require reinforcement with mesh tape. Cracks larger still, where the plaster keys ...

Q: The doorknob has hit the wall so many times it has made a large hole in the wallboard. I tried to fill the hole with newspapers then spread some drywall paste over the hole. As it dried, it would ...