How To Fix Drywall Bubbles

This post may include affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy for more information.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I love painting my house. For me I find it very therapeutic. I also love the reward of having a transformed room within just a few hours. The part about painting that I don't love however is all of the prep work before hand. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist so I like to have all of the imperfections in the drywall to be perfect before I begin painting.

Drywall

Currently we're doing a makeover on our teenage sons bedroom. Before we can even think about painting the walls we have a lot of drywall repair to do. Our house is about 30 years old and over the years the drywall has been through a lot; nail holes, nail bubbles, poor drywall repairs, just to name a few. Luckily I'm married to a general contractor who has been building and repairing homes for years, so I have the inside scoop on the best ways to repair drywall.

Nail Holes

These are the small holes that are left by nails and picture hangers. These are really easy to repair.

Repairing Nail Holes

Drywall

Step 1

Push the raised surface back into the hole using the butt end of a putty knife and push hard enough to create a small divot in the drywall.

Drywall

Step 2

Fill the hole by using a putty knife and a small amount of drywall mud (joint compound). Get as much mud into the hole as possible. Then scrape off any excess mud and let it dry. The mud shrinks as it dries so you may have to apply a second coat.

Drywall

Step 3

Now that the mud is dry, lightly sand it down until it's level with the wall.

Nail Bubbles
These are where the nails that were originally used to fasten the drywall to the studs have worked their way out over the years. This happens in every home over time. It's caused by temperature changes in the home and vibrations created from walking, jumping or even pounding a nail into the wall. These are pretty easy to fix.

Repairing Nail Bubbles

Drywall

Step 1

For Nails: use a nail set and drive the nail back into the drywall..

For Screws: place a new drywall screw into the drywall near the nail bubble. Make sure to sink the screw just below the surface of the drywall. Remove the old screw that is bubbling out.

Drywall

Step 2

Fill the hole/divot by using a putty knife and a small amount of drywall mud (joint compound). Level the mud with the drywall as much as possible. Then scrape off any excess mud and let it dry. The mud shrinks as it dries so you will have to apply a second coat.

Drywall

Step 3

Now that the mud is dry, lightly sand it down until it's level with the wall.

I'll be sharing more drywall repair tips with you as we progress through our Teen Boys Bedroom Makeover. I'm so excited to share with you what we have planned for this room, it's going to be so cool.