How to Repair Water Damaged Dry Wall

If you have dry wall damaged by water, you probably know it. Water damaged dry wall is problematic and unsightly. If you want to try to fix this problem, you’ll need to know how to repair damaged dry wall. Unfortunately, this can be a fairly involved process.

Here are the steps to take to tackle this project yourself.

Materials

Fixing water damaged dry wall is mostly about cutting away and replacing the damaged parts. To do this, you’ll need a utility knife, more drywall, drywall tape, measuring tape, bleach, spackle, water, a sander, a sponge and a mop.

The purpose of this process is to get rid of toxic mold, so you’ll also need protective gear like goggles, a face mask and rubber gloves.

Cutting Away the Drywall

To fix your water damaged dry wall, you’ll need to cut away all of the areas that have developed mold. You’ll be able to see and smell the mold around the damaged areas.

A temporary solution is to just bleach the affected area, but this may not get at the interior mold, and mold growth may continue, so your best course of action is to just cut it out.

Cut out the affected area with your utility knife and see if the mold seems to extend past where you have cut. If it has, you need to keep cutting until you’ve gotten all the affected pieces. Once that’s done, discard the moldy, damaged drywall.

Cleaning the Wood

Once you’ve gotten rid of the drywall, you’ll need to sand down the wood behind it to get rid of the remaining mold, and then clean the surrounding surfaces with a 50/50 bleach/water solution.

Repairing the Drywall

All that remains now is to repair the drywall. Measure the space you need to replace and cut your new sheet of drywall to fit. Place it in the hole and apply drywall tape to keep it in.

Then, spackle to completely seal the new drywall into place.

Dealing With Bigger Water Damage Problems

For a small amount of water damaged drywall, you can handle things yourself with relative ease. For larger water damage problems, or if you’re concerned about exposing yourself to mold toxicity, it’s best to call in the experts.

In Chicago, that means ServiceMaster of Lincoln Park. Service Master of Lincoln Park uses trained restoration technicians with advanced procedures to make sure you get the best cleaning performance, protection and service for your walls, furniture and other property.

If you’ve got a serious water restoration job in the Chicago area, contact ServiceMaster of Lincoln Park online now for a free estimate on our restoration services.