How to Fit Odd-Shaped Drywall with The Tick Stick Method

Here's a way to win a cup of coffee in a morning jobsite bet:

Draw an odd shape on the wall and bet that you can fit a patch to it without using a tape measure.

Here's how to cut odd-shaped patches with a tick stick:

• You'll need a short piece of wood with a sharp point on it.
• Place the piece you'll cut into a patch over the hold in such a way that you can see each point of the shape.
• Place the point of the stick on each point of the shape and scribe along one edge and the end of the tick stick.
• The sample shape Myron is demonstrating has five points, so the drywall scrap has five lines.
• Remove the scrap from the wall and place it on a large sheet of drywall to transfer the shape.
• Secure the scrap on the patch piece (tack it with a couple of drywall nails or screws), so the scrap doesn't move.
• Lay the tick stick on the scrap, aligning the butt end and the side with the lines drawn in earlier step.
• Mark each point with a dot.

"The tricky part is gonna be connecting the dots to make it the right shape. I've actually done it where I've connected the wrong dots together."

• Remove the scrap and connect the dots. If the pencil lines resemble the shape on the wall, cut it out. If they don't, well, rethink your sketch.

"Medium coffee, cream, no sugar, please."