Holey moley. After some electrical work last week, our ceiling had a few unsightly holes that needed fixing (warning: some colorful language in the original post)…
We suited up with sunglasses, hats and breathing masks before starting—couldn’t find our safety glasses because book shoots have swallowed half our stuff. Ceiling dust gets everywhere, and you don’t want it up your nose.
I’m the designated spackler in the house, but John helped with the first step since he has longer arms: lightly sanding the edges of the holes so the patches would adhere smoothly.
We used adhesive wire-mesh patches from the big box store. They’re basically metal mesh backed with sticky paper. Press the patch firmly over the hole, spread the spackle over it, sand after it dries, then paint. It really makes ceiling repairs straightforward—even on the most annoying surface in the room. The hardest part is fighting gravity while working overhead (there’s video evidence of my struggle later).
Once the mesh is in place, load up a large putty knife with spackle and press it over the patch, smoothing as much as possible. Don’t worry about getting it perfect on the first pass—sanding after it dries is what creates the finished, seamless look. It’s better to build up slightly more spackle than you think you need because you can always sand down excess.
After the recommended drying time, it’s sanding time. I prefer a sanding block for large, flat surfaces like walls and ceilings because it keeps the surface even. Loose sandpaper is great for contoured furniture, but on broad planes it can be floppy and hard to control.
After sanding—and the inevitable sweeping and vacuuming to remove the fine white dust—you should be left with smooth repairs. You can see the three slightly darker spots where the holes used to be; those just needed paint, along with a few other dirty areas of the ceiling that were marked under the old fluorescent lights.
We also patched the hole near the new pendant lights. The small opening above the sink is being held for a future fixture, so we left that one for now. We’re still hunting for the right light and will seal that hole when we choose something pretty to hang there.
Two coats of ceiling paint later (thank you to the previous owners for leaving a matching can behind), the repairs disappeared:
Here’s the patched area next to the pendants after paint—completely invisible. Huzzah!
We also recorded the process on video. It’s a bit chaotic—falling spackle, a startled shriek, a random mention of a slug—but it captures the whole experience: you’ll get messy and may need a couple of tries before the patch sticks. Overall it’s an easy repair—about a 2 on the difficulty scale. Put on your “Brave Underoos” and get it done.
Next up in the kitchen: planning shelves and painting the hood, then tackling the floors. I’m excited to bring in colorful plates and bowls—accessorizing is the best part of any project. We’re also planning a cork feature that should change the room. What projects are you working on this week? Patching holes, building shelves, painting, or some secret project? Tell us all about it.