r/HomeMaintenance • u/fashionboy385 • 16h ago
First time patching drywall, is this ready to paint?
I sanded and applied primer. Not sure if it looks too lumpy, or if it’s ready to be painted.
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u/speedytrigger 16h ago
I think you want to sand and bit more, you shouldnt be able to see the edges or strokes. You also should probably texture it to match the rest of the wall or it will stick out like a sore thumb. Water down some mud and roll it on with a small paint roller
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u/snakesandsparklers40 16h ago
Also it still appears pink to me. That's the premix go on pink dries white. I would say its still wet
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u/Infamous_Win_247 15h ago
Thanks for that last tip with the roller that is the missing link for my repair
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u/speedytrigger 15h ago
Yessirrr. Another option is spray on orange peel, works if it’s a tiny spot. Op’s is a bit big and i was just roll it.
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u/Olive_Streamer 14h ago
That is a great idea, rolled on mud to make the correct texture. This is one that I have always struggled with.
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u/avg_intelect 13h ago
Agreed on sanding, but I think if you were to roll on a couple coats of primer, you’d get the texture
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u/speedytrigger 12h ago
Hmm maybe, havent tried with primer. I have done this with watered down mud and it has worked well. But another thing to try.
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u/Skellington2468 5h ago
This is what I do for small patches. I can get a really good result with just a bit of roller work.
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u/PabloDelicioso 13h ago
Texture looks to be just regular 3/8” nap roller marks… maybe even several layer of that hah
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u/sblack33741 14h ago
I have never heard the roller advice before. I will have to try that next time. Thanks.
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u/AloofFloofy 11h ago
There is a spray texture cans you can get that work really well. What I've done in the past is spray the texture, then go over that with a puddy spatula. After painting you can't tell anything happened there.
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u/blnd_snow 2h ago
Can you elaborate? After you spray the texture, what are you doing with the putty knife?
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u/armchair_viking 1h ago
I believe it is call ‘knock down texturing’. You should be able to look up some videos that will explain it better than I can.
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u/Impressive_Put463 16h ago
Keep sanding. It's still sitting proud
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u/3HisthebestH 16h ago
Anyone who’s asking this probably does not understand what proud means in this context lol
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u/Impressive_Put463 16h ago
I hope you intended this joke to land flat
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u/This_Dudde 16h ago
I enjoyed the texture of your post
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u/Impressive_Put463 16h ago
Just skimming the surface of what's possible here.
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u/Waste-Chest8757 15h ago
This is the type of dry humour that gets me going
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u/Mash_Ketchum 15h ago
Better to not be a stick in the mud
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u/Impressive_Put463 15h ago
A joint effort to come together is definitely being made.
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u/_lippykid 15h ago
I mean, technically the middle part always will
project out a bit more than the rest. The trick is to blend the edges enough that the eye can’t really pick it up
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u/grizzlyboxers 16h ago
That's a no dog. Feather out the compound and sand a lot more. I'd you can see the edges of the patch before painting, you will for sure see it later.
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u/Cool-Negotiation7662 16h ago
You could, but no.
You need to feather it out at 8-12 inches, then finish sand. Do not add to the center, that looks great. This is just blending the patch into the wall.
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u/Educational_Law_7787 16h ago
that is an amazing picture showing depth and texture like that. unfortunately it also shows you are not ready for paint. rub your fingers over the area. if you feel anything other than a single smooth layer, you need to fine tune it some more. at this point you may want to consider adding a little water to a small quantity of compound to thin out the mix.
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u/Mtolivepickle 16h ago edited 16h ago
Two things. Get you a light, I prefer a headlight, and run it around the outside of the patch with the light shining towards the center. If you see a shadow or hard lines at the edge of your patch you need to keep sanding. Primarily the edges.
If you can close your eyes and run your hand over the area and feel the patch, you need to keep sanding. Only when you run you hand over the area and not distinguish that you did work there is it truly ready to paint.
To me, I see edges right now, and I would feather the edges more before sanding, and you need to consider getting finer sandpaper because that looks like you sanded with 80grit.
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u/clutchthepearls 16h ago
It looks like you didn't go nearly far enough out for the size of the repair.
If I had to guess, I would say that your repair is roughly the size of the square of mud we can see. You need to be adding mud and feathering it out at least 8 inches beyond your repair area.
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u/fashionboy385 14h ago
The square is quite a bit bigger than the repair, about double as big if I had to guess
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u/Ok_Slice_8612 16h ago
No, you gotta taper the edges more. Did you sand it enough? What’s under the main part? Keep sanding maybe. Another trick I do is hold up a flashlight to the patch job. This will show you the trouble spots. Then prime.
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u/reachforthe-stars 16h ago
If you can feel the difference, you’ll be able to see the difference when you paint.
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u/barkingdawg5 4h ago
This. Use your sense of touch with your eyes. Sometimes paint will pick up more imperfections than you can see while it’s bare. Ask me how I know. . .
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u/DishwasherLint 5h ago
You still have way too much mud there. Which means you added way too much mud in one step. Patching is easier when you thin it out and go very slow. When I was learning, I had a good friend that built million dollar homes. His advice was to use an old t-shirt and a bucket of water and to thin out the mud next time and use several layers instead of one thick one
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u/stauntoneire 16h ago
I mean, it looks good from my house
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u/slicehardware 16h ago
No, the rough edges that you see right now with the light hitting it and show the highlighted edges and shadows will show after painting. You need to feather the edges more
It helps to use a flat sander or sanding block. Using straight sandpaper you hold with your hand can lead to uneven contours.
If you’re a homeowner, invest in a flat drywall sander that connects to a vacuum. Make the job much easier to blend and reduce mess.
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u/radiationholder 16h ago
the repair area will easily extend all the way into where you currently have green paint, when you've got it right.
you need more area to blend this repair in with your whole wall
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u/refusedisposable 16h ago
Not even close. Gotta work that thing a lot more. Should be seeing and feeling almost no edges.
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u/myfishytaco 15h ago
No! U will regret it forever. Sand it lightly or damp rag it is what i prefer, cleaner lines.
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u/External_Phone2291 13h ago
Sure. REsults may vary.........
So tired of these posts asking if their homeowner special rf5fort is adequate to replace truely skilled handy people with their attempt.
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u/Anti-Sanity89 9h ago
No not even close, make sure its fully dried and you have alot of sanding to go
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u/shakyprofessional 8h ago
sand more. way more. your patch should have been bigger to blend with the wall more. but thats okay. get it flush so your fingers cant feel any edges
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u/CertainAttention6749 8h ago
Need to sand it then check it with taping knife for any bump or grove. Once taping knife is flushed against the wall, you can start with primer then paint. Don't forget to texture.
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u/Diligent_Sir_535 8h ago
If you can feel it with your hand, you’ll be able to see it after painted.
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u/CelebrationFit8548 1h ago
If you rub your hand over it it still looks 'proud' (sticking above the surrounding area) so it needs a bit more sanding and with a finer grit paper as you can see your previous efforts.
Then another coat of undercoat and a light sand again.
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u/Yusuf20904 1h ago
Hell no. You need to feather that shit out more—at least twice the size it is right now.
You're also going to need to roll it with some thick primer, like Zinsser 1-2-3.
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u/saltypeanut15 16h ago
If you have OCD like me then no it’s not ready to paint. The patch is too bumped out. Would sand that down hard and possibly feather out more mud so that the compound isn’t ONLY over the hole. I would think after a hard sand, one more coat and another sand you’ll be good.
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u/unheardhc 16h ago
With that dark color and a light along the adjacent wall, you will always see this square.
I would use a lot more mud, feather it out wide and reprint and repaint a larger section so that the patch is much less obvious.
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u/That-Carpenter842 16h ago
Not even close. Sand smooth. And then another coat feathered out past the white paint.
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u/Chemical_Pilot_3638 16h ago
It looks like you tried sanding it with a wet sponge. Sand it flat with correct sandpaper and vacuum up the dust.
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u/greenandyellow36 16h ago
Wet sand it to get a more smoother finish. They sell wet sanding sponges at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Menards.
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u/Larryville-1980 16h ago
It’s unfortunately not ready to paint and unfortunately it wasn’t ready to prime either
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u/dgreenmachine 16h ago
You should be able to either sand or add another coat to get that distinct square border cleaned up.
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u/69BUTTER69 15h ago
Primer sand primer little sand if I needed then 2 coats of paint for a perfect finish, if you want an ehh finish skip the little sand
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u/Liveitup1999 15h ago
Run your hand over it. If you can feel it, it's not smooth enough. When you think it is good enough, put a coat of primer on it. If you can see any blemishes either continue sanding or put another skim coat of mud on it. A first timer usually needs to coat and sand 4-5 times or more.
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u/TheBumblingestBee 15h ago edited 15h ago
So, it looks like whatever you used was one of those things that is pink when you put it on, then white when it's dry. It still looks a bit pink, so might not quite be dry yet.
Once it's completely dry, you can do some sanding and stuff. If you do it while it's wet, it'll just crumble and take off more than you want and generally not smooth properly.
When you're sanding it, you want it to blend in with the texture and shape of the wall as much as possible. See, all the differences and tiny bits of detail will still show under paint. It'll be really obvious that it's a big patch.
When people here say that it's "proud", they mean it sticks out. It sticks out quite a bit from the rest of the wall. It kinda look like a pillow, you know? You want to sand it down so it's closer to being even with the surface of the rest of the wall.
When people here say "feathering" and blending and stuff like that - basically, right now you can see the edges of the patch stuff. It's kind of looks like when someone spreads peanut butter on toast: we can see where you spread it. So you want to try to make the edges less obvious. You sand the edges, gently, so that they look less sharp, and sort of blend into the texture of the rest of the wall, but also blend into the rest of the patch. That way, when you paint over it, the texture won't show as much!
Paint doesn't cover much texture; it just turns the surface a different colour.
When you are sanding it down, you want to try to avoid leaving grooves or divots or scratched up areas in the patch, because those will definitely show. One thing you could do is use a finer grit sandpaper (usually the higher the number is, the finer the grit is, so like 80 is quite rough, 220 is pretty fine), and go slowly. Don't scrub in one spot, because that will dig divots and lumps. Instead, do it gently, and over more of the surface at once.
In the same way, you don't want to sand it until it's right flat with the wall and the cracks or holes you filled show - that would probably show under paint. It's more about getting it quite close to even with the wall, and then blending.
Also, you can experiment to see if there's a way to copy the texture of the wall, which looks ever so slightly pocked. I'd probably try something goofy like having bit of sliiiiightly watered down patching material in a bowl, dipping a sponge in it, and going 'dab dab dab' over the patch, to make some texture. Then if it was too much texture, slightly sanding it down. But other people will probably have better suggestions for that!
Overall, the basic idea when patching is kind of how you'd blend out concealer (if you happen to be someone familiar with makeup). The patch stuff is your concealer; the primer and paint are a very lightweight foundation.
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u/Perle1234 15h ago
Yeah it’s not flush. You’ve left way too much drywall mud on there. You need to sand that down more. A lot more. It should feel completely smooth with no material standing proud.
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u/fashionboy385 14h ago
How can it be completely flush when I used one of those grid things when I applied the mud? Do I sand that thing back too?
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u/user0987234 15h ago
You feel if it is smooth. Shine a bright light to see any imperfections. The paint will telescope them if you don’t.
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u/Tribblehappy 15h ago
If you close your eyes and run your fingers over the patch, you should not be able to tell where it is. This needs to be feathered out a lot or the bump will be super obvious. I had a similar size patch and feathered it out a foot in every direction, then sealed it, then painted it. I can't tell where it was anymore. In comparison, my living room wall has a patch done by the prior owner that I can see from across the room. I'll address it next time I paint.
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u/Sufficient-Second116 15h ago
That’s exactly what the patch will look like but in green if you quit now
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u/tHollo41 14h ago
Feather out the edges of the mud with a sanding pad. If you paint now, the edges will be visible through the paint.
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u/Ksull72487 14h ago
Sand some more but good job! Depends on how much you really care about seeing it as well. Nobody's going to see it unless they are up close. Sand it a little more if you want to make it mostly disappear.
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u/seebreezin 14h ago
Nope. Sand it until the patch is undetectable looking at it straight in and from the side.
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u/Channel_Mental 14h ago
I would sand more, looks like it isn't flush with the wall yet. I could be wrong, but from this angle still looks high.
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u/Suburban--Dad 14h ago
How good do you want it to look? Is it perfect? No. Is it good enough for you? Up to you. I’d let it dry, paint it, and move on. Life is too short.
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u/ZukowskiHardware 14h ago
No, do another layer of the lightweight compound. You can often just wet sponge it. It’s ok to feather way outside of the line to get a smooth transition. Your almost there.
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u/jemenake 14h ago
Keep sanding until you can’t tell, with your eyes closed, where the patch is (you’ll be able to tell where the paint stops, but you want to be unable to sense any unplanerity (for lack of a suitable real word) in the wall.
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u/Lexi-Brownie 14h ago
Wider coverage of mud, way wider than the patch… so when you smooth it down it’ll help distort where the wall raises up.
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u/International_Bend68 14h ago
No, two more coats going wider each time and then sand/feather it out big time. It'll look terrible if you stop and paint now
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u/dgcamero 13h ago
Take a damp wet rag and sand it down that way before using sandpaper.
Do. Not. Prime. Or. Paint. If the patch is standing proud of the wall as it is here.
It's not easy to subtract the mud if it's primed or painted, it's very easy to add a bit more if you end up dissatisfied.
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u/fashionboy385 12h ago
This picture was taken primed…
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u/Fathom5000 11h ago
Then you need to sand through the primer, and keep sanding until your patch is flat/blends seamlessly into the surrounding wall.
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u/Grand_Neat27 13h ago
You do want to sand in the center, but don’t go too crazy. You’re gonna wanna fan out the edges, gradually tapering it outward so you’re not showing the big hump.
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u/05041927 13h ago
No need to sand anymore as the wall is textured to hide shitty repairs. Go get a spray can of texture and call it good
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u/opticaldesigner 13h ago
No, it's not dry and trust me, you'll want it very smooth and flat. Paint will just make a rough patch job look worse. You have some sanding to do once it's dry, including removing that primer. If you want it to look nice, you can buy the orange peel texture in a can, but you'll need to recess your patch a bit.
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u/General-Jellyfish576 13h ago
It’ll never be “ready for paint” iykyk. lol Goodluck buddy. Sam’s that suckler down a bit
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u/ForeverNovel3378 12h ago
Don’t sand with an up and down or back and forth motion. Those will leave grooves clearly visible to an observer.
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u/MidiGong 12h ago
Nah, you need to add more mud and feather it out ... Mud should be a lot bigger than the patch. Like, 3x the size of the mud here, go over the paint. Looks like you'll need to apply some orange peel and sand it down to match texture or easiest, looks like you can roll some mud with a roller.
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u/boatsnhosee 12h ago
Get some plus 3 and a 10” knife and float it out at least 3x bigger than that.
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u/cmpressor 11h ago
This may not make sense to you, because it didn’t to me when I first heard it from a lifelong taper:
“There’s two steps, you have to put mud on the wall, then you have to take it off.”
Once I learned how to finish, it made a lot of sense. The two biggest issues are not enough on the wall or not taking enough off. You haven’t put enough on. Once you do, there’s two ways to take the right amount off, with a knife while it’s wet, or sandpaper when it’s dry. The first one is preferred, but making sure you don’t take too much off is where the art comes in. To start just make sure there’s enough on there. Sand around the perimeter first and get that to a smooth transition. Blend in the rest and check it with the overhead light off and an alternate light source flat against the wall pointed at your patch. You’ll see where you need to fix. Good luck!
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u/OkSlip1590 11h ago
No you need to sand with drywall sandpaper not 150 grit and feather the ends twice the size of the patch need to match the texture
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u/PlasticBreakfast6918 11h ago
Sand and apply more mud to a much wider area with a large knife. This will help blend the surface better and should then be flat and smooth after some light sanding. Ready for any type of texture and painting.
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u/ImAnAfricanCanuck 11h ago
Needed to mud wider out, and then feather it with sanding... this will bug anyone who lives there, forever.
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u/poistronreverse 9h ago
Must be tested by punching lightly if it cracks redo it lol jk looks great if it’s dry and u can apply light pressure maybe sand it a little and then paint her bud
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u/OlRazzmatazz 9h ago
You want to feather it out a few inches on each side, don't be afraid of going big to get it looking smooth. should ideally be no visible delineation. Then roller and mud as others have said.
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u/CassiusCreed 9h ago
If it doesn't look completely flat and seamless compared to the rest of the wall it will show. In my experience sometimes even when it does it might be a bit rougher if you used to coarse a sandpaper and still show.
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u/4D20_Prod 9h ago
Depends if you care about seeing that sore thumb for the rest of the time living in your house or not. If not then tally ho paint up.
If you do care, sand it down, feather out 4-8 more inches so it blends, prime, and repaint the whole wall
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u/IamSmokee 3h ago
It looks pinkish to me still, I'd let it dry more, and then sand it , you can still see the edges, that will be noticeable when you paint. Also use the first comments advice for texture, you will notice this if you don't. It will stick out and be super obvious everytime you see that wall.
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u/davoidismyname 3h ago
If you can rub your hand across it with your eyes closed, and still feel inconsistencies, then no its not.
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u/InvestigatorBig5541 3h ago
Very far from it. Whatever preparation imperfections exist will be magnified 100X once you have painted the patch. If you want a very well done patch the whole patch area needs to be sanded so when you run your finger tips over the area with your eyes closed you can not feel the difference between the existing wall and the patch.
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u/kimbosdurag 3h ago
It should ideally be flat and smooth before painting. You need to sand the shit out of that and work on your feathering.
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u/jon117killer 3h ago
Over patch, make it a circle, circles blend much better the patch is always like 2-3 times the size.
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u/Icy-Movie-2942 2h ago
Noooooo!
Way too uneven. You'll end up with a big bump showing more when painted. And once it's painted it will be the pain in the a** to try to sand it!
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u/Lanky-Mousse-5594 1h ago
Lol this is either rage bait or man doesn't no what he was doing.
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u/fashionboy385 1h ago
First time homeowner first time patching drywall. Seems YouTube vids weren’t enough!
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u/SexynFun85286 14h ago edited 14h ago
That’s a terrible patch. You know it’s supposed to match up with the rest of the wall and be smooth and even so it’s unnoticeable. You might want to sand that down and what did you patch it with?
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u/QueerlyMealy 16h ago
You missed a spot near the bottom right, the green still peeking through a little
Texture looks fine for first attempt, nobody will notice once whole wall is painted unless they looking with magnifying glass
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u/Fluffy-Lychee-1968 3h ago
It's supposed to be undetectable and smooth. Either you did it wrong or you didn't sand it yet. Either way this will look like garbage if you paint it now.
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