Drywall Tools

You can use joint compound that is thinned down to the consistency of runny oatmeal to provide the matching texture. You would apply the compound to match the surrounding area. For a texture finish, a paint roller may work fine to provide the texture. For what is called "knockdown" you would take a stucco tampico brush (a home store will know what this is) and splatter on the mix, let it dry 10-15 minutes and then draw your 10-inch drywall knife over the top to knock down the textured surface flat if that's what you have surrounding. Basically match your surrounding area using whatever technique will work - with a small area you should be able to take your time and do this without expensive equipment like a power sprayer. When done (and well dried), prime and paint - you may wish to repaint the entire section of the wall so the paint matches well.

Open windows (if weather permits) and even have a fan blowing out one window to exchange as much of the air as possible. Clean everything again to get rid of dust by damp mopping and sponging. Run an air filter of some type. This will filter out remaining dust.

For screws, do the following:
1. Make sure the screws are set slightly below the surface. Run the taping knife over the screw - if it does not touch any part of the screw, it is OK.
2. Place a small amount of mud over the screw, and use a taping knife to scrape off all mud except for what is filling the depression.
3. After this dries, scrape off any mud sticking up before applying more so you have a level surface. You will notice that the mud will shrink in a bit.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 a few times until the mud no longer shrinks in. Try to scrape well after each coat. You shouldn't have to sand much at all when done.

You should fill the gaps wider than 1/8" with sandable spackle or joint compound before taping, taking care to only fill the gap and not get the compound on the surface. Sandable spackle is preferable because it shrinks less and dries quicker. If you use joint compound, simply give it the extra time to dry and go over with another coat to fill the shrinkage. When done filling, knock off any bumps with the edge of your taping knife so that your surface is level when you tape.

Probably the easiest way to get the walls flush would be to shim the low spots out with 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch thick hardboard. The "hardboard" is a very inexpensive dark brown board you get at home stores in 4-by-8 sheets - just don't use any type of board, wood, or shim that might split on you down the line and fall off. You could also plane off high spots. Get the surface level - it doesn't matter what it looks like since it will be covered.

The screw should go at least 5/8" into the wood so a minimum of 1 1/8" would be needed for 1/2" drywall. It wouldn't hurt to use the 1 5/8" and you would have less chance of a screw popping up or stripping the wood. You should use coarse thread screws for wood and fine for metal.