fixing a hole in my wall

[andrealew]

My son accidentally tore my toilet paper holder off the wall and part of the wall fell back in so now I can see into my wall. How can I fix this wall and rehang my holder? I really have no idea what I'm doing. :confused:

[Roger]

I assuming here he tore it out of the sheetrock/drywall. If this is drywall take a utility knife or better yet a drywall saw and cut a rectangular area out of the sheetrock where the damage occurred that will be large enough to insert a 3/4 thick by 2 inch wide wood board (I like cedar) for backing. The board should be long enough to span about 2 inches past the hole you cut out either horizontally or vertical. Get some 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 screws preferably sheet rock screws. Drive one screw into the center of the board...tie a string on this screw use the screw to hold onto when placing the board behind the sheetrock and the string to retrieve the board in case you drop it into the wall cavity. Now once you have the board placed behind the sheetrock it will extend a few inches past each side of the hole you cut out. Take a screw and cordless drill (borrow one if you dont own one) and about 1/2 inch outside the cut hole drive a screw thru the sheet rock into the board and tighten it until it pulls itself into the sheetrock slightly. Do the same on the other side of the cut. Now remove the center screw and string. Cut a piece of scrap sheet rock the size of the hole you cut. They will gladly give you a piece of scrap at the home centers. Make sure it is the same thickness as the sheet rock on your wall. Place the patch sheetrock in the hole with the wood behind it. Screw it to the wood. Now cover the area with drywall compound using a 4 or 6 inch taping knife (looks like a putty knife) You can buy a cheap plastic one for less than a buck or two. Let this dry over nite then sand smooth and paint to match wall. Reattach your toilet paper hanger making sure that the screws are long enough to penetrate the wood backer you previoulsy installed. Be careful during all this to be observant of any existing electrical wires in the wall.