How to fill small holes and paint over them

[SmoothCriminal]

Total noob here so excuse my ignorance. I searched through the forum but couldn't find many similar threads.

I've moved into a flat that has a lot of small holes left from removed picture hooks. Like so:

I imagine this is a really basic DIY thing. I'd like to fill them and paint over so you can't tell they were ever there. Could someone point me to the right direction?

Thanks,
Smooth

 

[Pigeon85]

First off if there is wall plugs still there then tap them in just below the surface then simply fill with poly filler let dry then sand flush with wall then repeat if necessary then thin down a bit of Matt emulsion to paint over any filler then you are ready to repaint your room.

 

[SmoothCriminal]

First off if there is wall plugs still there then tap them in just below the surface then simply fill with poly filler let dry then sand flush with wall then repeat if necessary then thin down a bit of Matt emulsion to paint over any filler then you are ready to repaint your room.

Hm... ideally I would like to avoid repainting the whole room... is there a way I can paint just these spots and make them look like the rest of the wall?

You can tell I'm completely new to this

 

[Pigeon85]

Unfortunately you really would struggle to match exactly the right colour, if your not ready to decorate just yet then fill as advised then live with it until ready to decorate, if the holes are just on one wall then you would get away with painting just that wall.

 

[sparkwright]

If it was me, I would use some Red Devil lightweight filler.

Make a blob of filler into a cone shape, insert into hole, then skim off with your filling knife or scraper. This should be enough, no sanding required. If there is still a bit to fill, repeat the process till it looks right.

When dry, if there is a slight bit of excess you can usually rub this away with your finger, or a fine sandpaper.

Hopefully you have some emulsion the right colour. By rights you may have to thin the first touch up coat, but if it's a DIY paint I wouldn't bother.

Apply only a light covering of paint, then a second coat when dry. Don't put too much on, as you want to make this repair as unnoticable as possible.

Hopefully when it's all dry you won't notice the repair patches. Give it plenty of time to dry. If it's very obvious, you'll have to paint the whole wall.

 

[Pigeon85]

If it was me, I would use some Red Devil lightweight filler.

Make a blob of filler into a cone shape, insert into hole, then skim off with your filling knife or scraper. This should be enough, no sanding required. If there is still a bit to fill, repeat the process till it looks right.

When dry, if there is a slight bit of excess you can usually rub this away with your finger, or a fine sandpaper.

Hopefully you have some emulsion the right colour. By rights you may have to thin the first touch up coat, but if it's a DIY paint I wouldn't bother.

Apply only a light covering of paint, then a second coat when dry. Don't put too much on, as you want to make this repair as unnoticable as possible.

Hopefully when it's all dry you won't notice the repair patches. Give it plenty of time to dry. If it's very obvious, you'll have to paint the whole wall.

good bit of advice there, less damage caused by no sanding good thinking batman

 

[SmoothCriminal]

If it was me, I would use some Red Devil lightweight filler.

Make a blob of filler into a cone shape, insert into hole, then skim off with your filling knife or scraper. This should be enough, no sanding required. If there is still a bit to fill, repeat the process till it looks right.

When dry, if there is a slight bit of excess you can usually rub this away with your finger, or a fine sandpaper.

Hopefully you have some emulsion the right colour. By rights you may have to thin the first touch up coat, but if it's a DIY paint I wouldn't bother.

Apply only a light covering of paint, then a second coat when dry. Don't put too much on, as you want to make this repair as unnoticable as possible.

Hopefully when it's all dry you won't notice the repair patches. Give it plenty of time to dry. If it's very obvious, you'll have to paint the whole wall.

Thanks for writing this sparkie, I appreciate it.

I've got polycell polyfilla, will that do or is the Red Devil better for very small holes (ones nails leave)

As for emulsion, I have only "brilliant white"... any idea how I can get the the correct shade of light cream for my walls?

 

[dcdec]

Why don't you hang a picture over it ?

 

[sparkwright]

Have you searched the place for leftover tins of emulsion which may be the correct colour?

You could consider getting a paint chart and some test pots of paint, but for what's it worth it's quicker and better to repaint the whole room - you did say there's a lot of holes.

 

[SmoothCriminal]

Have you searched the place for leftover tins of emulsion which may be the correct colour?

You could consider getting a paint chart and some test pots of paint, but for what's it worth it's quicker and better to repaint the whole room - you did say there's a lot of holes.

I was told I can cut a small part from the wall, give it to homebase or some place where they do a colour matching service and apply what they give me on the spots that need it.

Is that a good option?

 

[BIG1]

If it was me and it was only one wall, fill as suggested and paint just that one wall with a contrasting color and make it a feature wall. If not, paint the whole room, knock the top off a few cold ones, sit back and gloat in your achievements!!!

 

[opps]

Have you searched the place for leftover tins of emulsion which may be the correct colour?

You could consider getting a paint chart and some test pots of paint, but for what's it worth it's quicker and better to repaint the whole room - you did say there's a lot of holes.

I was told I can cut a small part from the wall, give it to homebase or some place where they do a colour matching service and apply what they give me on the spots that need it.

Is that a good option?

from the image it looks as though you have emulsion over plaster, rather than emulsion over lining paper.

It might be difficult for you to remove a section.

I too recommend RedDevil. After filling you could buy a couple of tubes of acrylic artists paints from WHSmiths or even the water soluble pencils.

You may need to dab some white emulsion over the filler first though to prevent it blushing before you try to colour match.