On Sat, 7 Oct 2006 12:21:45 -0700, "Eigenvector"
wrote:

Everyone talks about how to put a thin strip of wood behind the hole that
you're patching so that you can attach the drywall.

I can do that, but I'm having problems visualizing how you would attach the
wood backing. Is it as simple screwing a hole in the surrounding drywall
and into the wood backing, or is it something more. I'm just having trouble
seeing it because drywall isn't very strong, so using drywall to hold up the
backing wood, so that you can secure the patch sounds like a recipe for a
bigger hole to patch.

I've never done this with any method, but HD and maybe other places
sell clips, in a package of 4 or 4 or 6 that go onto the remainder of
good wall and let you clip in the patch, and finish that with a screw,
provided, for each clip. After you have done most of the spackling or
mudding or whatever, you can break off the clip tabs that show and
spackle over the tiny stubs that I think are a bit below surface
level.

Having not replaced my roof soon enough, I have to do a 4' x 4' patch
sometime. Of course there I can nail to the wachamacallits, trusses?,
and the hard part will be holding the thing up by myself until I get
some screws in. I don't know if the clips will help or not.