The Best Tips to Fill Nail Holes in Drywall
I am that person who likes to change out artwork frequently, and that means filling holes because nothing ever lines up perfectly. So today I am bringing you my expert tips to fill nail holes in drywall so it will look like the hole was never there!
Okay, so I am going to be honest, I am not the nail hole filler in my household. My husband has that distinction. When we were doing our board and batten in the dining room, I was filling the nail holes, and he came in announcing I was fired and took over.
I am so glad he did because I laid it on too thick, which means lots of sanding after. He is the master, and we will show you how he does it.
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Tips to Fill Nail Holes in Drywall
I recently removed this piece of artwork my daughter painted in high school and re-hung it on the wall of our coffee bar. It looks perfect there. In it’s place I wanted to hang this gorgeous round herringbone cutting board.
As you can see, I had a little trouble hanging the original painting. Please don’t judge 😂. My walls are definitely not square, and I can’t stand it when art is crooked!
So we definitely have a few holes that need to be filled. Using pink spackling and a putty knife my husband goes in at a 45 degree angle and presses the spackle into the hole. Then he does the magic.
Make sure you press the spackle into the nail hole.
He goes over it a few times to remove the excess spackle. This makes the clean-up so much easier!
I like to use the pink spackle because it dries white, which is great when the holes are larger or deeper, you can really tell when it’s completely dry.
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Time to Sand
Once the spackle is dry sand lightly with a 220 grit sanding block or piece of sandpaper. You can also go in with a damp paper towel and it will remove any leftover spackle.
Now it’s time to paint!
Once you’ve sanded and wiped everything down from the dust, it’s time to touch up the paint.
Using a little paint that matches the wall and a paint brush, put a small amount on the area you spackled.
You might have to do a couple of coats depending on the color of your paint. The darker the paint the more coats you will have to do.
My tip for doing multiple coats is to wrap your paintbrush in Saran Wrap and put it in the fridge. This prevents the paint from drying, and you will be able to come back and do another coat with no issues.
The finished wall.
Here you go! The finished wall is all touched up and holes covered. It’s like they were never there!
This is the exact method we use for small nail holes and larger screw holes from hanging heavier artwork. The larger holes might need a couple of coats of spackle because the spackle can settle deeper into the hole.
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As a licensed Real Estate Agent and an avid home decorator, I strive to give my clients the very best I can when it comes to staging, selling, and decorating their homes. I have lots of experience with paint color choices and love to DIY my home so I can have everything just the way I want it. I share my ideas and projects with the world in the hopes that I can help others have their homes just the way they want as well.
