If you have come across a bump in your wall or ceiling where a screw or nail has popped away from the Dry wall you dont have to worry because it is an easy fix. In most houses you will eventually get some cracks above doors and entrance ways and you will also come across the odd bulge in the wall from a nail or screw that has popped because of ground shifting and your home settling. Fixing these pops is quick and easy. Tools required to fix a nail pop are a couple gyproc screws around 1 ¼ in length. Drywall mud, drywall knife or putty knife to apply mud. Sanding sponge. Something to dig out the nail or screw that has popped. If it is a screw you can use a Phillips head screwdriver or drill with a Phillips bit in it to take out the screw. Here is how to proceed.
1) Locate the nail that has popped and using a scraper or screw driver dig out the head so you can either pull the nail out or unscrew the screw and proceed to take the object out.
2) Once you have the nail out you can insert a screw (do not use nails) a couple inches above and also a couple inches below the hole. The nail should have been in a stud. Make sure you hit the stud as well. Insert the screws so they are imbedded in the drywall but that they do not break through the paper of the drywall otherwise you will have to take those screws out and insert another couple of screws without breaking the paper.
3) Next is to patch the wall using your drywall mud. Using a putty or drywall knife take a small amount of mud and wipe it over the hole and screw heads. Make sure not to leave a large mound of mud. Wipe it with your knife leaving a uniform flat finish. If you wipe your knife on the good wall moving across the area you are repairing at a 45 degree angle you should wipe the right amount of drywall mud off. You might need to apply a couple of coats depending on how big the hole was and how well you covered the area with your first application.
4) After the area dries you can lightly sand it with your sanding sponge ensuring the edges do not have ridges. Make sure there is a smooth transition between the existing wall and the newly fixed area.
5) Once you are ok with how things look you can then paint the patch to your liking. Thats it your done.
Tip when fixing a nail pop always use screws. Nails are more than likely to pop again. Screws very rarely pop out unless there is some serious shifting going on with your building.
