What workarounds did people try for "Why are wall patches still obvious after painting?"?

Community members documented 7 workarounds: 1. Using flat or matte paint instead of glossy or high sheen paint 2. Hanging large artwork or big mirrors to cover up the blemishes 3. Applying a rag roll over paint to hide imperfections 4. Feathering topping compound several inches out with a 10-12 inch knife 5. Using a damp sponge to finish the repair after the compound dries 6. Spot-priming the patched areas before painting the entire wall 7. Covering the wall with thick wallpaper, wood paneling, or slat walls

Why are wall patches still obvious after painting?

Older drywall can age unevenly over decades without constant maintenance. Even after carefully filling holes with spackle, checking for uneven spots with a flashlight, and sanding, the patched areas often remain glaringly obvious.

Overview

Last updated Nov 8, 2026

People affected2 accounts across 2 forums

Workarounds found7 items attempted

Community agreement13 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

7 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

1
Using flat or matte paint instead of glossy or high sheen paint
Did this help you?
2
Hanging large artwork or big mirrors to cover up the blemishes
Did this help you?
3
Applying a rag roll over paint to hide imperfections
Did this help you?
4
Feathering topping compound several inches out with a 10-12 inch knife
Did this help you?
5
Using a damp sponge to finish the repair after the compound dries
Did this help you?
6
Spot-priming the patched areas before painting the entire wall
Did this help you?
7
Covering the wall with thick wallpaper, wood paneling, or slat walls
Did this help you?

Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/HomeMaintenance1 person · October 2026

“Mine is the same way.”source ↗

“House was built in the 50s and has 2x4 pieces of drywall. I don’t know if it was always like this or if this is how it ages without some maintenance over 75 years.”source ↗

1sweetpotate · r/HomeMaintenance · 10 upvotes

r/HomeImprovement1 person · November 2026

“I used dap, used my flashlight to see uneven spots, and sanded. I really did try but it looks so obvious.”source ↗

sigh_sarah · r/HomeImprovement · 3 upvotes

Where this came up

r/HomeImprovement r/HomeMaintenance drywall repair home improvement home maintenance interior design painting

Why are wall patches still obvious after painting?

What people tried

Found another way around this?

Why are wall patches still obvious after painting?

In their words

Where this came up

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