5 Awesome Ways to Maintain Your Drywall

 on April 12, 2020

The drywall in your home is an investment. It is true that drywall is one of the most low-cost walling options, but it is still not cheap. This makes it in your, and your wallets, best interest to maintain your drywall to the best of your ability.

Drywall is a sturdy wall once it is installed correctly. It can take some damage and does not fall apart easily. That does not mean it is indestructible or that its edges will not crack over time.

Maintaining your drywall will keep your home and walls in the best possible shape. This will make it easier to sell your home in the future and save you money over time. It will also keep your walls looking their best even as your home ages.

1. Dust Them

It is never a bad idea to keep your walls dusted and looking nice. Dust builds up over time and can cause small damage to your drywall. As time goes by that small damage adds up and can turn into much bigger damage than you could have anticipated.

Dusting is especially helpful if you have older drywall that you are worried about washing. Many modern paints and wallpapers are dust resistant so you do not have to dust. Older walls are not going to have this feature and will likely not be water-resistant enough to wash.

Dusting your drywall helps you to see any damage that has happened to your walls. Getting close and clearing off the surface of your wall will allow you to notice any small holes or cracks you might have missed. This is a great way to take stock of the state of your wall.

2. Wash Them

Once your walls are dusted, if the paint or wallpaper can handle it, go ahead and wash your walls. It is important to remember that drywall is not naturally water-resistant when you are washing your walls. This just means you will need to be careful with the amount of water you use and be careful not to saturate the walls.

The best way to get a minimal amount of water is by using a cellulose sponge. Soak the sponge in water and then wring it out well. This should leave a small amount of water in the sponge which will be enough to wash your walls without damaging them.

It is important that you do not wash your drywall if there is nothing protecting it. Unpainted and unfinished drywall should not be washed as the water can damage it. Washing your drywall carefully is the best way to take care of your walls regularly and see any potential cracks.

3. Small Holes

Often times your drywall will have small holes in it. These are usually caused by nails, screws, pins, and other small items being stabbed into the wall. Luckily, these holes are very easy to patch.

A simple patching compound can be found at any hardware store. Using a small amount of this patching compound you will be able to fill small holes and make your wall look good as new. This is especially helpful to do before you repaint or lay down new wallpaper.

Filling in small holes makes your wall look better, makes it easier to paint and wallpaper, and adds a more finished look to your home. Those small holes add up in a way that most people do not even notice until they fill them in. Filling in the small holes that happen over-time will make your wall look better and help you maintain your walls for longer.

4. Popped Nails

One of the most common issues with drywall is popped nails. This occurs when the drywall was applied in a place where nails were not hammered in well enough. A professional can fix this rather easily by pulling the nails.

Once the nails that have popped through your drywall are pulled they will need to be replaced. This is done with new screws that are guaranteed to stay in place and not pop out again. Once the popped nail is fixed, they will cover the new screw and any potential hole with a patching compound.

This is, overall, not a difficult process to do on your own. It is time-consuming and takes some level of concentration along with a delicate hand. It is best to hire a professional when there is a chance you could poke a bigger hole in the wall than the nail caused.

5. Sand Them

As years of patching drywall and painting drywall happen, your walls are bound to get a bit bumpy. This can put extra weight on certain parts of your wall and also does not look great. The best way to fix the problem of bumpy drywall is through sanding.

This job is tedious and will create more dust than you thought was possible. It is important that you either hire a professional or take safety precautions such as wearing a mask and eye protection while you sand. The dust can get into your lungs and eyes and cause issues if you are not careful.

Once you are sure you are protected, you can begin sanding. Try to get the bumpy patch down to the same level as the rest of your drywall. This will be a tedious process but will make your wall look brand new and keep you from needing to replace perfectly good drywall.

Conclusion

Your drywall is an investment. Whether you had it installed yourself or moved into a house with the drywall already in place. That drywall has the potential to be very expensive if it is not properly maintained.

 Often all your drywall will need is a good dusting and a quick wash. This will bring some life back into old drywall and keep it looking brand new. It is also part of the basic maintenance drywall requires to last as long as possible.

If washing your drywall brings out any damage, fixing that is easy as well. Hire a professional if you do not feel confident fixing issues yourself. Those are five awesome ways to maintain your drywall