repairing nail pops in drywall

[msmith13]

I recently tried to repair some nail pops in my drywall.  Problem is, it is extremely noticeable and unprofessional looking.  Hopefully, the attached pics can show what I'm talking about.

If anyone can provide some advice on what I should be doing for it to be done properly, I'd greatly appreciate it.

• I used Sheetrock Joint Compound (lightweight all-purpose...in a gray tub with a blue lid).
  
• I started sanding with 150-grit but then switched to 220 when it seemed like the 150 was too coarse.
  
• I didn't prime (since it was only a very small area) and just brushed over the (attempted) repair with the paint.
  

[argonaut_astronaut]

Your joint compound will shrink as it dries so either put more on to start with or try another coat. Start with 220 grit.

Another option is to use "hot mud" on this since it shrinks less and dries faster.

Also, seems like big holes for a popped nail. I assume you drove two sheetrock screws on either side of the nail, but maybe you went a little deep? Make sure you are only going deep enough to dimple the paper and not go through. If the screw head goes all the way through the paper then consider it structurally worthless and drive another at least 2" down the stud.

[paddedhat]

If you are dealing with loose nails, and not screws, take a new nail and drive it tight against the head of the old one. By the time you set the new one, the head will overlap the old, and keep it tight. You might need three light coats of mud applied, until you fill the dimple, since each coat will shrink a bit. If you have any doubts about the work, after you sand, check the wall with a lamp. Take any lamp, even a table lamp with the shade off, and hold I tight to the wall, a foot or two away from  the repair. The light shining across the wall surface will make any flaws evident before you paint.

Depending on a lot of factors, "spot" touch-ups can be pretty unsuccessful, and you may have to repaint the whole wall to make it look decent again.

[HPstache]

Our house has quite a few of these and they drive me crazy!  Bad drywall work all over...

[CowboyAndIndian]

First remove the moving nail which is causing the nail pop.

Then use  drywall screws to fix the drywall.

Only then fill in the holes.

[paddedhat]

First remove the moving nail which is causing the nail pop.

Then use  drywall screws to fix the drywall.

Only then fill in the holes.

Never remove an existing drywall nail, it only makes a mushy mess of the wall. I explained how pros handle a loose nail. The other thing is to understand why you use nails or screws. Screws help deal with the issue of lumber shrinkage, which creates a gap between the back of the wallboard and the stud. Once the house is occupied, and gone through a year of seasonal extremes, the moisture content of the framing should be in equilibrium, and installing new nails is a non-issue. That's why a pro will overlap heads while driving a new nail over an existing one.  Loose screws can be tightened by carefully using a hand screw driver while applying firm pressure with your other hand at the screw area. On an existing well seasoned house, using either screws or nails is just fine. If you try to address a nail/screw pop by driving anything within a few inches of an existing pop, without first hammering or screwing the existing fastener tight, you may cause a bulge in the rock when the existing screw pushes outward, as the board is drawn tight to the stud.

[index]

Watch a YouTube video on mudding. Put a couple coats of mud over that and sand it with a fine grit sanding sponge. You could even tape over it with some fiber tape and mud over that if you want to make sure it's completely gone. Source: repairing 4000sf of 150 year old plaster.

[big_owl]

When my house was built, within a year I had just under 300 screw pops.  It was terrible because we had already painted all the rooms.  I agree with paddedhat's approach.  In my case since they were all screws I just tightened the existing popped screw and screwed in one or two new ones immediately adjacent to the popped screw (not overlapping in the case of screws though), used some premixed DAP mud and then sanded it with one of those foam sanding blocks that are made for drywall and you can buy at just about any hardware store.  Had to put two coats of the premix on.  It's really easy to get them sanded down to perfection with a little practice...

...as for painting, well because the touchups had to be done with a brush vs. the original roller, while the paint color matches....you can see the brush strokes when the light is just right.  Annoys me whenever I see them, but someday we'll repaint the walls and all will be forgiven. 

I've never had one of my repairs "re-pop", so whatever I did worked.

[Kaplin261]

You need to put a lot more mud on there.