Kinda basic question here. Not the best DIYer here and I can't get a decent consensus from googling. I've got a ~1/2" hole in drywall from some mishaps from a stripped screw, then a pulled wall anchor, then a hole too big to successfully hold a 1/2" drywall anchor that then bored it out. What could I do to repair the hole and have it be secure enough to hang a coat hook on? I know it likely won't take much, but it also shouldn't just be spackle. Is there some filler I could squish in there that would be good enough? Toothpicks + glue/woodglue? A press fit oversized dowel pushed all the way through to also butt up against the far wall? Obviously this will be covered completely by what's installed over it so looks aren't that important. I'd really prefer not to patch a big spot of drywall.
One part is easy. That is repairing the wall. The other part is harder, having the repaired area strong enough to support a coat hook. Because a coat hook holds a coat, which weighs much more than the hook. And is subject to being pulled as someone puts a coat on it. Particularly if that someone is a kid. Spackle just won't do the job for holding coathook, coat and part of a kid's weight.
Here is my suggestion.
Materials:
piece of wood about 3-1/4 x 3/4 x 1/2
string - long enough to reach from the hole to the floor plus about 2 feet. strong enough so you can't break it with your hands easily. You will get almost all of this back when finished.
drywall screws
spackle
Get a piece of wood that is about the size of your hole, and about 3-1/4 inches long. The 3-1/4 dimension is based on a guess that you have standard "2x4" wall studs that are actually 3-1/2 inches. The piece of wood needs to go all the way into the hollow space in the wall. If your wall is different, you will need to adjust accordingly. If you are really lucky, and have more space, use a longer piece of wood. It needs to have at least one flat side that is 3-1/4 by ( size greater than the smaller dimension of the hole). This side will be the side you see in the hole once it is in place.
Start by cleaning up any loose and broken drywall around the opening. You may need to slightly enlarge the hole and/or square off the corners so the piece of wood will fit through. Use a box cutter or similar sharp knife or drywall saw to do this.
Next, drill a hole about 2 inches from one end of the piece of wood going all the way through the flat side noted above. The hole needs to be big enough so you can put the string through it, loop it around and tie the short end to the long end on the side noted above. This way the piece of wood doesn't drop into the wall and get lost.
Tie the other end of the string to something too big to go through the hole. Place your foot on the string on the floor to control how much string goes out. Then push the piece of wood through the wall. You want just enough slack in the string so the wood goes completely in, but doesn't drop very far.
Next, use the string to pull the piece of wood back against the inside of the wall with the hole, position the piece of wood with the long dimension vertical, or close to it. The knot should be visible at the top of the hole. A second person may be useful. One to hold the wood snug (but not too tight) against the inside of the drywall, the other to move it until it is aligned. A couple of sharp objects, like large finishing nails (16d size) are useful in moving the wood around inside the wall.
Once the wood is where you want it, drill into the drywall about 1 inch above and below your hole into the wood inside the wall and put in drywall screws. Through the drywall, into the wood inside the wall. Use the proper size bit for the pilot holes, otherwise you have a high risk of splitting the wood inside because it is small. Make sure the screws pull the wood snug against the inside of the drywall. They will want to push it away. A second person keeping significant tension on the string will help in this regard.
On the outside, the screws should "dimple" just a little bit. That is, if you put the edge of a 3x5 card or similar straight edge over the screw head, there should be a little bit of space. But not much.
Once the wood piece is firmly in place, cut the string where it attaches to the wood and remove. Don't worry if you leave some. Just remove so it doesn't stick out of the hole.
Spackle. Probably need to do in at least two applications. Also spackle the screw heads. Sand/paint/finish.
When installing the coat hook, use wood screws and drill through the drywall into the piece of wood inside the wall. Then screw in the coat hook. If it would work for you, I would recommend either moving the coat hook to the nearest wall stud or using a piece of 1x3 long enough to span two wall studs, screw that into the studs with 2-1/2 or 3 inch wood screws and attach the coat hooks to that.
Problems like you are experiencing are why people use the multi-coat hooks on a board rack instead of single coat hooks into the drywall.
Good luck. Fell free to PM if you want more details.
