Growing up I remember my mom being afraid to hang up pictures and decor items because she didn’t want “a bunch of holes in the walls.” At that point I remember thinking, “Oh yes, holes in the walls sounds pretty bad. . . best to leave them blank and in pristine condition.
I am sure some of you have the same exact feelings today. You avoid hanging pictures, mirrors, or art because you may change your mind, need to move the piece, and then have to deal with the nail or screw holes left behind. Well, today I am here to show you just how easy patching holes can be!
Since we had our estate sale and sold a lot of our wall decor, I’ve had plenty of nail holes to patch.
This mirror in our guest bedroom (above) sold and left us with 2 large anchors to deal with in the wall.
Now, some people opt just to paint over these and act like they’re not there. Don’t do that. The anchors will stick out like a sore thumb. Instead, grab some needle nose pliers and grip inside the anchor hole and along the rim of the anchor. . .
. . . then pull.
Now that you’re anchor is out, you’ll be left with a good sized hole.
Tim used his hand to show the scale of the opening.
Ok, so if you didn’t have to remove and anchor and just have a few nail holes, start paying attention now. Go to your local hardware store and grab a container of DryDex.
Simply scoop some of the putty out with your finger or a putty knife and push the putty into the hole. Depending on the size of the hole you may have to go through 2 rounds of this.
Add enough putty so that it completely fills the hole and spills out around the edges just a bit. Mound the putty up just slightly. Then let it dry. Tip- This particular product will be pink when you put it on, then as it dries it becomes white.
Once the putty is completely white, you are ready for some light sanding. Use 220 grit sand paper and sand until the mound that you created is completely smooth. If you have a heavily textured wall you may not have to sand at all. The bumpy texture may fit in perfectly with the rest of the wall.
Last, of course, you’ll need to touch up the patched hole with a bit of paint.
And you’ll have a fresh blank slate to hang something else on. . or for the new home owners to hang something on! 🙂 So, don’t be scared to hang up those family photos or amazing pieces of art! As you can see, if you ever do have to take them down, patching the hole will be a cinch!
Thank you Kara! My hubby is the one who hates the nale holes! In my living room I asked for a shelf that spanned the whole width of the 13 foot wall – so I could rearrange whenever I wanted without the nail holes! And for most other places I use a needle for hanging – makes a lot smaller hole!
This technique will be great though for places I really want to hang something now but know I will probably change my mind later. even a needle leaves a hole even if it is tiny!
oh I forgot to add! I loved seeing your feature in my ‘Do It Yourself’ magazine! So fun to read about people I ‘know’!!!!
I find the pink tint of the DryDex very helpful {it is my patching go-to} … I’m very impatient and tend to sand too quickly … the pink tint is like saying “wait for it …”. I’ve also been known to use a hair dryer to speed the dry time! Gosh, I need to learn to relax 😉
Those husbands, sometimes they are such dream killers! 🙂 haha I have never thought of using needles- great idea! So glad you enjoyed the DIY feature!!! We’re excited about it finally coming out!
Haha Robin! Yes, we both need to relax a little bit! I find that if you have a couple of projects going at once, it’s easier to wait. 🙂
Kara, I’m sure you’ve answered this 5000 times, but what color blue is the paint in your guest room?
I bought that mirror. 🙂 If the hole left behind is a bit big, and they can be, you can stuff a little wad of newspaper in the hole before applying the DryDex. Otherwise, you’ll be stuffing a lot of DryDex in an seemingly bottomless hole.
I can’t believe that I missed the estate sale! I was out of town and missed out on all the fun!
The amount of nail holes in my walls is amazing. Doesn’t bother me a bit! But blank walls? Blah!
Hey Claire! I love that color, don’t you!? It is a Valspar (Lowes) color and is called Prussian Cadet. 🙂 Have a great day!
Hello! I hope you are enjoying the mirror! Thanks for the newspaper tip!
Lisa!! I’m sad you missed it as well! I would have loved to talk with you! If you’re looking for some furniture, we still have some left! 🙂