Is there a technique I should use to smooth this in so it doesn't look this bad? Before paint I thought it looked fine but it's obvious my drywall skills are not as good as my other ones.
Drywall – What’s the best way to fix this horrible drywall patch job
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I'd use picture wire between the two D-rings to hang the picture. Leave some slack in the wire, as that will give you some scope for adjustment to make sure it can hang level.
Usually, I'd suggest picture hooks, but with insulation in front of the plasterboard, my suggestion would be to drive decent length screws into the studs, leaving the head protruding a little, and hang the picture wire over the screw heads
My experience says to use the rotary tool, but I have always used metal boxes with plaster rings. I have no experience cutting drywall over plastic boxes. I do have three pointers for cutting with a rotary tool:
- Put as little pressure on the box from the drywall as possible. The more pressure against the drywall, the more likely that you'll get tearout near the edge of the box.
- Leave any NM cable sheathed and set the depth of the cut to the minimum possible to reach the box plus a half an inch (keeping in mind that the drywall will be at an angle to the box).
- Always take a few seconds to visualize your cut. Have a good idea of where your corners are so you can anticipate direction changes. Do a sanity check and make right sure you know which way counterclockwise is. Start out going clockwise, and you'll spend a lot of time repairing drywall.
If you still don't want to use the rotary tool, there is another option. There are tools that attach to plastic electric boxes. You put them on and then position the drywall where it will be installed. Press the drywall against the tool, and it will place small perforations at the outside corners of the box. Connect the dots and cut. The image below is of one of mine, but I haven't had the chance to use it yet.
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Best Answer
It's very difficult for a beginner to mud in the vicinity of recepticals and switches. My advice is to cut well around the switches and then tape and mud the three joints. It would require removal of the door moulding but when your done you'll find it was very easy.
This gives you all the room you need to apply your mud with a full size blade, making it much easier to blend the mound in.
There is no such thing as a flat wall every joint in the house is raised a little bit. The trick is to make it so gradual that it is imperceptible.
Make sure you cut an approximately 45° bevel in all your butt joints with a sharp knife. Set your tape in the vertical joint. Let it dry. Set your tape on your horizontal joint without overlapping. Let it dry. Sand. 1st coat vertical, dry. Sand 1st coat horizontals, let dry sand. Repeat 3 coats after you set the tape.
You should try to finish each coat as if you don't have sandpaper.