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 7 , further comprising an enlarged head on a distal end of the screw. 
     
     
         9 . The wall repair system of  claim 8 , wherein the enlarged head has protrusions extending from a back side thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The wall repair system of  claim 7 , further comprising a handle hingedly formed from a portion of the backer board and extendable outward from a surface of the backer board only in a direction toward the hole in the wall when the backer board is inserted into the wall. 
     
     
         11 . The wall repair system of  claim 10 , wherein a stopper prevents the handle from moving backward out of a plane of the backer board. 
     
     
         12 . The wall repair system of  claim 10 , wherein the handle is removable from the screw once the backer board is installed in the wall. 
     
     
         13 . The wall repair system of  claim 7 , wherein the screw includes more than one screw disposable through more than one threaded opening in the backer board. 
     
     
         14 . The wall repair system of  claim 1 , further comprising protrusions extending from a front side of the backer board. 
     
     
         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 backer board 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. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising holding a handle to keep the backer board in a desired position while the screw is turned to secure the backer board in the desired position, the handle formed from and hingedly attached to a portion of the backer board. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein a handle is provided for turning the screw. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising removing the handle from the screw prior to building up repair material in the hole.