How to Repair Popped Nails in Your Drywall


When installing drywalls today, you will see that most people use screws. However, there are still quite a lot of people who install drywalls using nails. This can work but the problem with nails is that it is known to become loose and pop out through the surface.

Popped out nails arent only unpleasing to look at but it can also be dangerous, and can cause injuries. This is why you have to get popped out nails. In some cases, you will find popped nails around the edge of ceilings and also on external walls. These spots are where extreme temperatures can directly affect the wood and the metal. You have to consider the fact that extreme temperatures have different effects on wood and metal. It can cause the heads of the nails to get a small amount of condensation, which can lead to rust, which will discolor the attached spackling. It will also discolor the drywall material, which you really dont want to happen.

The rust can even get the material on the head of the nail to fall of entirely.

There are also cases where nails may pop if the house has settled somewhat over time. If you do suspect that your home has settled too much or too quickly, it is very important for you to contact your local home inspector as this can mean structural damage to your home. If structural damage is present, it is important for you to get this fixed first before you concern yourself with the cosmetic issues of popped nails on your drywall.

You have to remember that you cannot fix a popped nail by just tapping it in back in the wood. You have to remember that the nail hole will be slightly oversize and this cannot be fixed. If you just tap the nail back in, it will move again later and get popped out again. The key to repairing popped nails on your drywall is to find a way to hold the nail securely and one of the simplest and most effective as well as popular ways to do this is by using another nail.

When driving your new nail in to the wood behind, you first need to drive a drywall nail next to the popped nail. This will get the new nails head overlap the top of the old one or the popped one. After doing this, you can now drive the nails to a slight dimple. You can test that the nails are already driven far enough by using a metal putty knife and dragging it across the nail. If you feel that the nail heads are dragging, you can simply drive them in a bit more.

The next step is to fill the dimple you made on the wall. You can use color changing fillers. The bright pink ones are very popular as it changes to white when it dries. Through these steps, you will be able to finish the jobs in two or three coats. You should remember to give it a slight sanding between applications.

These are the things that you should remember when repairing popped nails in your drywall. With these tips, you will be able to repair popped nails in your drywall and give a professional looking finish.