At the weekend I had to cut three rather large holes in some plaster board to find the source of a leak from a boxed in foul pipe. The leak is now fixed and I am leaving it to air dry for a while, but when it comes to fixing what is the best way of patching it up? As I cut holes in the plaster board there are no batens to fix anything to – just three holes of approx 8 x 8 inches each. Obviously I can’t fix anything to the surface as I want a flush finish so I need to fix something from behind somehow prior to re-skimming.

I really can’t work out how to do this one.

ta

Stuff holes with crumpled up newspaper prior to plastering. That’s what we always used to do before landlords’ visits when I used to rent 🙂

if you cut the plasterboard at a ‘mitre’ so there’s something to attach the new bit to you don’t need battens behind it. other alternative is to cut back to the nearest joist and then you can attach a ‘frame’ behind and lap the joint over it.

Gripfix batons to the inside of the holes?

I stick a piece of wood to the back of the plasteboard with gripfil or the like, or you could screw it each end with plastboard screws, then screw replacement board too that and fill gaps/skim

Are you going to plaster over the repair once in situ or is the wall just plasterboard?

If you are plastering then what they said above. If not then it will always look repaired/messy IMHO.

Bonding plaster works for slightly smaller holes.

Hold a piece of wood across the back of the hole and screw into it each side of the hole then cut a patch and screw that onto the wood. tape the seams and fill it. sorted

thats what I have done

Turn it into a door way to next door or what ever’s on the other side or hang a picture over it.

Are you going to plaster over the repair once in situ or is the wall just plasterboard?

Yes I want to skim it (or at least I will ask my builder uncle to do it as he will do a much better job than I could) but I want to prep it for him.

If I have (for example) an 8 x 8 hole, how do I get a 9 x 9 piece of wood behind it????? Or do I use two x 9 x 3 pieces of wood and a third 8 x 8 pice on top of them? I suppose that would work.

TJ that seems to be the same as do I use two x 9 x 3 pieces of wood and a third 8 x 8 pice on top of them? I suppose that would work then – so I think that is what I shall do.

Ta.

you don’t need a 9×9 bit of wood, just two 9×1 – one top and one bottom.

you use a piece of wood 3″ x 10 ” and slide it in. one screw each side to hold it on the back of the plasterboard then cut your 8×8 patch and screw that on the batten Use two bits of wood if you want to support it that much

If I have (for example) an 8 x 8 hole, how do I get a 9 x 9 piece of wood behind it????? Or do I use two x 9 x 3 pieces of wood and a third 8 x 8 pice on top of them? I suppose that would work.

Depends how much gap you have behind, dont need to much to angle a longer than hole piece of wood through or cut a small groove for wood at side of hole and move wood to side to fix. Basically bodge it!

Glue with gripfix rather than screw IMO, be stronger.

Okay that is sorted in my head now – just need to blag a few offcuts from somewhere…

Thanks all.

If I have (for example) an 8 x 8 hole, how do I get a 9 x 9 piece of wood behind it????? Or do I use two x 9 x 3 pieces of wood and a third 8 x 8 pice on top of them

Best leave it to your uncle methinks 😕

if you can wait till later will scan and email you the page out of my How to Fix stuff book at home. What was said up there is basically right but a picture = a thousand words.

Oooh! Just remembered, there’s this thing called the interweb or something….

Repairing Holes in Plasterboard

Progress update when done please.

Where possible i always bridged the back of the hole with pieces of batten spanning beyond the hole, screwing though the existing plasterboard to pull it flush with the back of the board. Fit as many of these to suit the hole and pull in the screws into the board and not flush with the finishing skim.

Make the hole square to ease making the infill piece.

Score with a sharp knife the skim at least an inch back from the hole and remove the skim.

Cut a piece of new P board to fit in the hole(make sure it’s the same thickness as existing) and screw to the battens.

Get some skim tape and over lap the joints, this will help prevent cracking of the joints caused by movement or shrinkage.

Skim over new p board, or use easy fill which can be sanded easier than say one coat.

HTH

edit, need to type faster…

like this;

As other have said, hold a batten behind the hole and screw it in place then screw patch of board to the batten. Use more than one batten as necessary.

Top tip – it’s easier to make the hole the same size as the patch by drawing round it and cutting to fit, rather than trying to cut a patch the exact same shape as the hole.

Best leave it to your uncle methinks

I don’t like to ask too much of him – if I feel I can do it myself I will give it a go and he can just help out when I need it.

Top tip – it’s easier to make the hole the same size as the patch by drawing round it and cutting to fit, rather than trying to cut a patch the exact same shape as the hole.

+1 top tip.

Much more useful than idiots with sarcastic comments methinks 🙄

and

Hang paintings over the holes.

TandemJeremy – Member

Hold a piece of wood across the back of the hole and screw into it each side of the hole then cut a patch and screw that onto the wood. tape the seams and fill it. sorted

This is the way

Instead of screwing a piece at the centre of the opening like in the pic.. i would screw one at the top and one at the bottom,half hidden,so that i could screw the patch to it and know that its not going to fall through or break easily where its not supported.

Reading though the above posts, you want two pieces of batten at about 11″ long

Does the bit of wall need to be load bearing?

one of the quickest ways i have found to fix the problem has been to use off cuts of plaster board and super glue.

Same idea as wwaswas but you tie a bit of string to a screw and screw into the centre of the offcut brace, put a good line of super glue on both edges of the bit of plaster board (the bits that will overhang and eventually secure to the back of the current plaster board)then position it and gently pull on the bit of string to hold it in place. Once the super glue has set (shouldn’t take long as it is esentially paper to paper) remove the screw and then super glue the patch in place.

no special tools required, if you are particularly worried put 2 braces in place.