I am a new homebuyer, practically got my house 2 weeks ago. The finished basement has a walk-in closet with hanging shelf. But today, after I put some load on the hanging shelf, the whole thing broke and left screw holes in my closet wall

I don't know what kind of wall this is and how to repair it. I'm a total newbie when it comes to DIY but hopefully I wish to learn and contribute in future. Here's what it looks like:

http://abload.de/img/1vjurv.jpg
http://abload.de/img/2giuqf.jpg
http://abload.de/img/3ooun2.jpg


What kind of wall is this? I need to Accomplish two things: First is repair the existing wall. What kind of materials do I need for this kind of wall, and how do I fix the ugly holes in the wall? Secondly, I want to re-attach the broken shelf. What do I need to do so that the accident doesn't happen again (besides not put too much load for start)? How do I go about attaching the shelf? Do I simply drill holes into the wall?

Thanks for answering and please bear with me because I'm a complete newbie on this subject.

 

Welcome to the forums! Did you use the braces required for this installation? The extend from the front of the shelf to a point about 14" below to cantilever them for support. It also appears you just attached your fasteners to the sheetrock without regard for stud location. It is always best to install the fasteners into solid wood. I clip off the expanding points and using the provided screw, attach them through the sheetrock into a stud.

To fix the boogers, take a hammer and slightly dimple in the places that are pulled away. Making a convex dimple in the sheetrock will allow you to apply Drydex or spackling over the holes and sand them smooth. Spackling dried harder, but is more difficult to sand. Drydex goes on pink, and when it dries it is white. Sort of lets you know when it's ok to sand it down.

 

Go easy with the hammer, you just want to slightly recess the area to be repaired. I usually just take the end of the handle on my putty or drywall knife and press the area in. I almost always use joint compound for the repair - mainly because I always have some on hand

 

Thanks for the response

I did not install the shelf...it was installed by the previous owner of the home. I guess they did not properly plug the screws in, because I can see a gaping hole. I got Welcote joint compound and I just applied it on the holes. It's sort of uneven even though I filled up the gap (probably due to pressure). I will let it dry before I sand it.

 

Did you depress the bulges first? it might be hard to get it to look right otherwise. It's possible you might need to apply a little more j/c in spots after you sand. If you really want the repairs to disappear, thin a little j/c down to paint consistency and pat the texture over the repair with a sponge.