By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Homebuyers have been racing to lock in a purchase agreement by the end of the April to get the federal tax credit expiring in June. The National Association of Realtors reports that existing home sales jumped nearly seven percent in March. A glut of homes up for sale may make buyers think twice about your home if there is a long list of repairs that are needed. 
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
RENOVATION — DeWayne Brink, a drywall painting contractor, puts up sheetrock in Houlton.
In Houlton, Becky Day, broker/owner of First Choice Real Estate, said her “phones are ringing and the spring market for sales is encouraging.” But, she agrees that even with that tax credit, buyers won’t jump at just anything. It may make some prospective buyers a little less picky about their big investment. But, unless they are looking for a “fixer” or a project, a gash in the wall here or an unsightly looking paint job there could make someone else’s house look much more attractive.
Some fixes are easier than others, especially with the help of expert advice. DeWayne Brink is a drywall painting contractor from Houlton who works with other contractors. He also did finishing work during the renovation of the Houlton Courthouse.
Fixing holes in the wall
Brink offered his expertise and suggestions to help homeowners fix holes in their walls. “Let’s take doorknob holes. Let’s say someone swings open the door. It hits the wall and you end up with a hole in the wall,” said Brink setting up a common scenario.
“They have these little doorknob repair kits with mesh you just stick to the wall. But, that’s not the best method because to a certain degree, those little do-it-yourself metal mesh kits with the patch you put on the wall raises the surface about one-sixteenth of an inch. So you have a big spot there. Once it’s painted, it leaves a big hump on the wall.”
Painted or not, fixed or not, that could shout to a prospective homebuyer “here’s another project waiting for you.” Even if you plan to stay in your home, a hole or gash in the wall can end up being a source of embarrassment when guests come to visit. At the very least, it can be a real annoyance.
Contributed Photo/Richard Rhoda HOULTON COURTHOUSE RENOVATION — The finishing work seen in this photo was done by DeWayne Brink, a drywall painting contractor who lives in Houlton.
Brink has a suggestion. “The best way to take care of a doorknob hole is to cut out a nice clean square in the wall about six inches. Take a 1-by-3 backing or furring strip cut down to about 10 inches. Then, you angle it down through the hole in the drywall. Now you have created a stud in the wall. Pull it taut to give you some backing you can screw to the existing drywall. Take a piece of drywall cut as close as possible to the size of the hole in the wall and put screws into the backing to give you a flat surface.” This is “totally for aesthetics to fix it the right way and not for a little nail hole.”
Making seamless repairs
Brink said the next step is putting on paper tape. You can use mesh but he said he prefers the paper tape. Fill in any gaps with drywall joint compound. It’s called “mud” in the trades. Brink said the best way to avoid having seams show up is going easy with the joint compound. “Don’t put too much mud on the patch,” he said emphatically. Then, smooth with a putty knife.
“The biggest problem most people have is they leave too much mud either under the tape or over the tape and everybody complains about how much sanding they have to do. Simple logic. Don’t put on as much mud. If you have to put on another two or three coats, do that,” he said. By building it up gradually you lessen the chance of having lumps and bumps on the wall.
For smaller holes, like spaces left by toggle bolts, you still have to create something to which the mud can stick. And, almost surprisingly, according to Brink, “those are some of the toughest to repair because, of course, mud doesn’t stick to air.”
A pro’s secret
Then, he revealed his secret for fixing holes under one inch. “Take mud and make a mixture with newspaper to resemble something like papier-mâché. Stick it in the hole and baby it in there. Then let it harden to give you something for the mud to stick to. It won’t work for large holes.”
When it comes to small screw holes or nail holes, he said he takes a sharp object and spins it inside to get rid of the gnarly little edges that are fuzzy. “Trim those edges down. Make it nice and smooth. Don’t use a five or six inch taping knife to fill a hole that’s only 3/8 of an inch in diameter. Use a one-inch knife.” And, he said, by creating a crater shaped like a “v” it gives the mud something to go down into where it will stick.
Painting over the patch
Brink said when it comes to painting over the sheetrock repair, “you can’t do a patch job without having it show up. If the paint’s been there for a couple of years, you should probably paint the whole wall. Prime it and paint it.” He said even with computerized paint matching, the repair will probably show up.
When painting, Brink advises do-it-yourselfers to always use a quality primer followed by two coats of paint.
If you want someone else or a professional to do your paint job, he cautions: “Get a hard number and not a price by the hour. Everybody should know the cost of a job. It’s one of my pet peeves. And, I don’t like ballpark numbers.”
Materials needed to fix a large drywall hole: scrap piece of drywall, utility knife, saw, small board or furring strip, flathead screws, screwdriver, mud or joint compound, putty knife, sandpaper, primer, paint, paintbrushes, rags and water or turpentine for cleanup.
