Every home collects them: the nail hole from a picture that moved, the round dent where a doorknob met the wall one time too many. Small damage is genuinely easy to fix well. Nail holes need nothing more than a fingertip of filler, a light sand, and a dab of paint.
Doorknob dents and holes up to about two inches respond to a self-adhesive mesh patch under a thin coat of compound — spread it wider than the damage, let it dry, sand, and skim once more. Two thin coats beat one thick one every time.
The finishing trick most people skip: primer. Bare filler drinks paint differently from the wall around it and shows as a dull patch even under matching paint. Prime the repair, then paint.
Bigger damage — soft, water-stained, or cracked through — needs cutting back to sound board. That’s where CMG Bridge can help: $125 covers the first hour, Staten Island only.