Methods and apparatus for repairing walls

Abstract

A wall repair system includes a balloon that can be inflated within a wall space behind a hole in the wall. The balloon itself, or a backer board attached to the balloon, can provide a surface for placement or build-up of wall repair compound so that the repaired wall has substantially the same thickness of the original wall and so that no tape or patch needs to be placed on top of the wall along any location surrounding the hole. The backer board can have one or more threaded holes therethrough where a threaded rod can be inserted into the threaded holes to contact a wall surface opposite the hole, causing the backer board to stay in place against the back side of the wall having the hole therein, thus blocking all or a part of the hole.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wall repair system comprising:
 a backer board configured to be inserted into a hole in a wall, the wall having an outer side facing a living space and a back side facing an opposite wall back side of an opposite wall, the wall and the opposite wall forming a wall space therebetween; and   a pressure generating means for pressing at least a portion of the backer board against the back side of the wall about at least a portion of a periphery of the hole.   
     
     
         2 . The wall repair system of  claim 1 , wherein the backer board is foldable with at least one side portion hingedly attached thereto. 
     
     
         3 . The wall repair system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one side portion is foldable in only one direction outside of a planar arrangement with the backer board. 
     
     
         4 . The wall repair system of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure generating means includes a balloon. 
     
     
         5 . The wall repair system of  claim 4 , wherein the balloon includes a fill port with a fill tube extending therefrom. 
     
     
         6 . The wall repair system of  claim 5 , wherein the fill port is self-sealing upon removal of the fill tube. 
     
     
         7 . The wall repair system of  claim 1 , wherein the pressure generating means includes at least one screw mating with at least one threaded opening in the backer board. 
     
     
         8 . The wall repair system of  claim 6 , further comprising an enlarged head on a distal end of the screw. 
     
     
         9 . A method for repairing a hole in a wall, comprising:
 inserting a deflated balloon into the hole in the wall;   inflating the balloon;   positioning the inflated balloon to press against at least a portion of an outer periphery of the hole on a back side of the wall; and   building up repair material in the hole, against the inflated balloon.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising positioning a backer board between the inflated balloon and at least the portion of the outer periphery of the hole on the back side of the wall. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the backer board is foldable with at least one side portion hingedly attached thereto. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one side portion is foldable in only one direction outside of a planar arrangement with the backer board. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising inflating the balloon via a full tube that passes through a fill port of the balloon. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising removing the fill tube when the balloon is inflated to cause the fill port to self-seal. 
     
     
         15 . A method for repairing a hole in a wall, comprising:
 inserting a backer board into the hole in the wall, the backer board having at least one threaded opening therethrough;   threading at least one screw into the at least one threaded opening;   positioning the backer board in a desired position to press against at least a portion of an outer periphery of the hole on a back side of the wall;   turning the screw to cause a distal end thereof to press against a wall opposite the wall with the hole, thus securing the backboard in the desired position; and   building up repair material in the hole, against the backer board.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the screw includes an enlarged head on the distal end thereof providing a surface area to press against the wall opposite the wall with the hole.