# How to Repair Dented Corner



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Remove the corner bead and replace it.

Tap the mud off with a hammer--remove the tin--add new using drywall nails.

Fill with bag mix--easy sand 20 minute---that's the best way that is to far gone to save--


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

yup replace the piece. when trying to match up the 2 pieces together i'd put another piece of corner bead behind it to make it alot easier to flush it up. i cut a piece of corner bead in a diamond shape and hammer it half behind the existing cornerbead "sistering" them together.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Never install two pieces of outside corner one over the other. You will have a big hump on the corner.
Just follow Mike's advice and you will be fine. use a 6" wide drywall knife and thin coats of compound.
It's going to take at least three coats.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

ive done tons and have never had any kind of hump. ive done alot of basement flood rebuilds where the drywall was removed at 2' and the guys have cut the corner bead at 2' leaving me to repair it. i havent had a problem ever and if somehow it is humped out it wont be no more then the thickest of the corner bead and to skim that out over what 3-4feet i dont see an issue.


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## coupe (Nov 25, 2011)

I'm sorry Joe, but I've got to agree with Prince here. I've done hospital corridors 150-250 feet long with soffits built on both sides of hallway. no way to bead, without 6" splice between bead laps! my father was in that hospital 2 weeks ago, soffits are just as straight now as when built 30 years ago. no humps that you can see.


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## HandymanCA (Jul 21, 2011)

The wider the taping knife the better! At my old station job, I was the poor sap stuck having to do corners for a new hallway we put in. Your in luck because it is painted and not covered with wallpaper.


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## coupe (Nov 25, 2011)

princelake said:


> Ive done tons and have never had any kind of hump. Ive done a lot of basement flood rebuilds where the drywall was removed at 2' and the guys have cut the corner bead at 2' leaving me to repair it. i haven't had a problem ever and if somehow it is humped out it wont be no more then the thickest of the corner bead and to skim that out over what 3-4feet i don't see an issue.


by the time you sand the tapers and edges of bead so paint will adhere. any laps will be close to zilch


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

princelake said:


> yup replace the piece. when trying to match up the 2 pieces together i'd put another piece of corner bead behind it to make it alot easier to flush it up. i cut a piece of corner bead in a diamond shape and hammer it half behind the existing cornerbead "sistering" them together.



To be honest, I don't understand what you mean by this. I can do OK patching the walls but I'm a novice compared to most of you. I'll be replacing that piece soon and I'll probably be asking for more advice! Thanks for everything so far.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i can help you with whatever question you have. basicly replace the corner bead from the dent to the floor. its difficult to match the new to the old so sliding a piece of corner bead under the old lets the new piece sit flush with the old piece. check with your knife to make sure you have space to fill with mud.


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## coupe (Nov 25, 2011)

Hurricane said:


> To be honest, I don't understand what you mean by this. I can do OK patching the walls but I'm a novice compared to most of you. I'll be replacing that piece soon and I'll probably be asking for more advice! Thanks for everything so far.


what Prince means, as I'm thinking he does? if you've ever seen a fresh box of 100 sticks of corner beads? those 100 sticks together only measure about 2-2/2 inches thick. that's only 1/100Th of an inch each or so. maybe 30-35 gauge metal, very very thin. lets say you cut 8-10 inches of that bad corner out with hacksaw very carefully! after cut, get another piece of bead 12-13 inches long, lift the cut bead enough to slide the new bead under both ends of cut bead 1 1/2"or so, when you push it all back together, you'll have 1/100Th. edge that you can sand down fairly easy to be almost nothing. when you finish feathering the bead with mud, sand it as usual, then sand again over the outside edge of the bead scuffing the bead a bit, paint will stick better. when done it will be very hard to see the spliced piece you put in. paint covers a lot, making it practically unnoticeable


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

This corner is in the opening of a closet door so it does not go all the way to the ceiling. Half is already exposed so maybe it would be faster just to replace the whole piece? My drywalling skills are pretty weak so I'm concerned I will struggle with that method without actually seeing someone do it first.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

If you nail the bead down securely above and below the dent, you can "tap" it back into shape enough to where you can finish it. I do it all the time. More mud will "pop" off, but it beats replacing the whole piece. At least give it a shot....


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

If I take out the old bead and install a new one I just nail it up and start pasting, right?


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Correct.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

bjbatlanta said:


> If you nail the bead down securely above and below the dent, you can "tap" it back into shape enough to where you can finish it. I do it all the time. More mud will "pop" off, but it beats replacing the whole piece. At least give it a shot....



I did try tapping it but couldn't make any headway. You can't tell in the picture but the curved part is pinched together pretty hard.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Yeah, maybe I should have qualified that statement with "sometimes" you can tap it out. It's usually worth a try....


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

It's always worth a try when there is nothing to lose!


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i definitley wouldnt pull the full corner bead off cause you could damage the ceiling then thats a whole lot more work


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

If I cut away the damaged section why do I have to overlap the new strip I add in?


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

To heck with it, I pulled the whole bead down and bought a new one!


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

Here is where I'm at now. I tore the corner bead off and replaced it.









I did one coat of Durock 45. While I think I will get by, I really stink at this and would never be able to make a living at it!


















I had a terrible time mixing the Durock, I was picking lumps out the whole time. Any tips on mixing this stuff? Anything you see that you can give tips on I would appreciate.


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## annibelle (Mar 26, 2010)

Ok, I just jumped in here...LOL- My bro put the thin aluminum strip in a corner of drywall and some of it looked ok, but down at the bottom wall wasn't straight and even looks damaged or has a wider gap in one corner. I cut the metal strip about half way up and will smooth it out, hopefully. If you have a deeper wider gap in one section what do you fill it with before putty and tape. can you put putty in the hole and let dry and then paper over it? I don't want the wall to crumpled in that one section. Help. It is like a gap but the crevice seems wider than the norm i have dealt with so far. This is first drywall experience and you guys have helped me so much. I am ready to paint when I finish this task


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## mobiledynamics (Jul 29, 2010)

Based on the colors, looks like you used easy sand which is a +++ bearing how rough you skimmed it.

Add water to bucket and then add the powder.
Not the other way around.
I just a paint mixer and it get's it lump free.
I have used quart sized containers and a margin trowel and it's pretty pasty.
Keep the product in dry quarters to keep it *Fresh*. Maybe you have a bad batch ?

On the next coat, try to skim it so there's as minimal sanding is required ;-)
And or run a knife over it while it's still green to smooth things out .
Good luck!


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I sanded everything down flat again. Its Durabond 45 which my friend calls "no sand" but I did it. I used a palm sander! I ended up wearing a mask! 

I'm going to make the next batch thinner(I added the powder first, thanks for the tip) and apply it smoother and thinner.


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## fixrite (Mar 1, 2009)

I would not recommend using a palm sander. use a hand pad sander and you will get better results.


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## mobiledynamics (Jul 29, 2010)

If you're able go sand it, you're using Durbond 45 Easy Sand....White Bag or Brown Bag.

IMO, Easy Sand is soft as sh1.....

I would recommend regular green lid all purpose joint compound. Skim easy and sandable. 
Harder than Easy Sand IMO.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

It's the Brown bag. I hate to buy something else as I have a whole bag of that and I also have DAP wallboard joint compound but that stuff is pretty soft. It wasn't that easy to sand and I cannot mark it with my fingernail.

Normally I wouldn't use a palm sander but I was at the point where I was considering chipping it all out and I just wanted to knock it down quickly. I will definitely use hand pad sanders for the rest of the job.


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## mobiledynamics (Jul 29, 2010)

Ha. Brown bag - no wonder you needed the palm sander....

Brown bag is good stuff, but u need a skilled hand to work it - as it's not really meant to be sanded.
TOOL it while it's still green....


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I was thinking about mixing small amounts and applying just a bit at a time but I can see some flaws in that plan. All I can do is try my best. I watched a youtube video on corners and the guy said 3 coats. First one heavy, next two thin and as smooth as possible. To me it looked like he mixed the 2nd and 3rd coating thinner than the first.


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## annibelle (Mar 26, 2010)

I am having trouble with a booger corner too. My bro had put a metal strip on a wall that had area in corner that was warped or jutted out from the wall for some reason. I left the part of the metal strip that seemed ok with joint compound, If you have wider gap than looks "doable" what do you fill it in with? A little extra putty might work with tape and then more putty, I would like for it to look passable if not perfect. I wish I could put a piece of the strip material over the wider crack, then putty and smooth paper tape. However, I need advice. My bro might can figure it out...hope so. Help if you can. This thread seemed to be more in line with my problem wall. Thanks


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I think it's important that the metal strip or corner bead fits so that it is flat and straight. If it isn't you will never be able to make it look straight with joint compound.


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## annibelle (Mar 26, 2010)

Yep, you are so right! Trying to make something work to keep things cheaper, not a good idea! We removed the metal strip used some joint compound and tape. I am making sure it is dry and it will be the last area I paint, believe me! LOL. Things are looking up...yea!


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

To be honest I think I would have removed the corner bead and trimmed the wall underneath to be even. Then mount a new corned bead. The problem is that corners get bumped and dented and tape and plaster won't hold up.


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## annibelle (Mar 26, 2010)

*Lookin Good*

:thumbup: Things are looking up now. I am ready to paint the area and I will see how it paints up...but we will get a piece of molding to go there if it looks bad.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I owe an update!My schedule is nuts so I don't get to work on this everyday or even every weekend but it is getting there.

Like I said, I decided to remove the entire corner bead. I'm not experienced at that but I went for it. Using advice from everybody I did 3 coats of Durabond 45. I wish I was better at mixing and application but that just meant I had to sand more. I have to say that I could not be happier with the way it turned out. My wife wanted me to leave the dent to save time but now she is very pleased with the way it looks! It is hard to tell from the pictures though. I the photo the corner looks bumpy but it isn't. It is very smoothh. I had a very hard time at the bottom near the carpet. It isn't perfect but not bad.



















I painted the ceiling and the closet after which my wife changed her mind...she decided we should paint the trim after all. I decided to remove it. While removing the trim near the window I found soft drywall and it started caving in. Our old window leaked there but I didn't think it was that bad. I should have known because some of the paint had peeled in that area. There is some mold underneath but I'm assuming that's OK now since it's dried out. The 2x4's are OK and still strong. Now I get to learn how to measure and cut an outlet opening in drywall! And the project continues to grow!




























I cut out that section


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

looks like the mold is right to the edge of where you cut it. maybe go a ways past the window. spray some mold control on the area then repair it


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## sublime2 (Mar 21, 2012)

Make sure you have fixed the leak that wet that rock or you will be replacing it again in a short time.
I'd also consider replacing that insulation if it appears wet or damp.

Nice repair job on the corner bead!:thumbsup:


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## Evstarr (Nov 15, 2011)

+1 on extending the area to repair to make sure you get all the mold and damaged insulation. 

On the receptacle, tape the terminals well or (better) turn off the power. Tuck the whole thing inside the box. 
Cut your patch to fit the opening. 
Chalk the edges of the mud ring thoroughly, and press the patch hard against the box. This will leave you a nice outline of the box on the back of the patch. Cut slightly outside the line.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

Great tips! The water was coming in from the window frame which I had replaced in 2010. It no longer leaks. Also, I cut away the extra mold already before I shot the picture. That piece isn't in the photo but the hole in the wall is how it is now.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I found a problem but I hope I can explain it well, the picture can be a bit deceiving. There is a piece of the window fram that sticks out farther than the studs. It is the piece to the right of the ruler. Directly above that piece is the window fram and not drywall so don't be confused. The other side of the window frame is the same way.Therefore that section of sheet rock was never flush with the studs and the power outlet sat flush at the bottom of its hole but not at the top. I keep finding shoddy workmanship in this house. 

How should I handle this? I figure I could cut the frame peice so it clears or I can hollow out the back of the drywall in those two areas.


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## Hurriken (Jul 7, 2008)

I'd appreciate if someone could address my last post. Thank You.


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