Robert11 wrote:

Hello,

Have a hole cut in a drywall wall in bathroom that was cut to get at
a leaking pipe. It's about 12" x 8" or so.

I guess the best thing would be to cut a new piece of drywall of
approx. the same dimensions to fill up most of the cutout before
replastering.

But, there's no stud behind the cutout to nail it to.

So, what's the best way to close up the hole ?

Tape doesn't sound so good, as it's a pretty big opening, I think, to
span without some support.

If anyone has done any repair like this, or can offer any fairly
specific suggestions (also, re brands of patching compound, and type
to use) I would be most appreciative.

* Cut a couple of pieces of thin wood about six inches wider than your
hole. I've used paint stirrers, but something about 1/2" thick would be
better. Screws might split the thin wood.
* Put the strips inside the wall, spanning the hole, so about 3" is
behind the wallboard on each side. Drive a screw or two through the
wallboard and into the strip on each side. Some adhesive wouldn't hurt.
It will look like this:

+------------+
| |
+-----+------------+-----+
| * * | | * * |
+-----+------------+-----+
| |
| |
| |
| |
+-----+------------+-----+
| * * | | * * |
+-----+------------+-----+
| |
+------------+

* Cut a wallboard patch to fit the hole.
* Screw the patch to the wood strips. Again, some adhesive wouldn't
hurt.
* Use wallboard mud to hide your repair. You get to express your
artsy-fartsy side here. I hope you're more artsy than fartsy. :-)

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX