How to Spackle Walls
To spackle a wall is to fix holes, irregularities, cracks and other damages on the wall before painting on it. Here’s how to spackle the walls perfectly for a smooth finish.
Materials
Good, tight dust mask
Disposable gloves
Spackling paste
Different widths of putty knives or spackling tools
Sanding block with medium grit on one side, fine grit on the other
Procedure
Use a good quality dust mask to protect your lungs when you are spackling the walls.
spackle walls
Remove wallpapers, hangers, nails and anything that is attached to your walls.
Start with small holes. Use spackling tool with a little bit of flexibility. Get a generous amount of spackle appropriate to the hole and spread it in the hole so that it fills out. Smooth the surface by using the edge of your spackling tool.
For bigger holes, you may need to put in two to three layers of spackling paste. It may be a little more difficult to even out, but you can do this by sanding the spackling paste after its dried. Another thing you can do is put a layer of newspaper on top of the hole before putting spackling paste in it. It may bulge a little after, but that can be fixed, so you don’t need to worry about it. Just remember, the bigger the bulge, the more you have to sand later on.
Leave the spackling paste to dry for at least 24 hours. However, this may take longer, depending on the spackling paste brand, what you intend to do with the spackled wall area (hanging nails, sanding or painting).
To even out bulges in spackling, use the medium grit on your sanding paper to tone out the majority of the bulge. Use the finer grit to even out the surface completely.
Spackle your walls one area at a time. If the area is too big, you may need professional help.