Friday, August 31, 2007
Dear Mi-Ling:
I have a special-needs child. If her medication isn't just right she tends to inflict damage on my home. She kicks holes in the walls and slams open doors into the walls. I am patching holes in my walls from doorknobs on a continuous basis. I just can't seem to keep up with all of the damage.
Are there any shock-absorbent wall surfaces that might work for me and still look good?
— Lori
Dear Lori:
My heart goes out to you and your family.
I don't have a child with special needs. However, I have raised two teenagers and have patched quite a few holes in my walls.
There are a couple of things that you can do to protect the walls. First off, you can buy a doorknob protector that sticks to the wall and has a wider protection area than a door stop.
Another option is to install a 7/16-inch wafer board (you can find this size plywood at any home improvement store) from the top of the baseboard to about a chair-rail height. Cap the top with a decorative molding. It should provide extra protection for your walls and still look good once it's painted.
If that doesn't work, I don't know how you can keep her from damaging the walls in your home. There is a commercial-grade sheet rock that is 5/8-inch thick, but you would have to replace the entire wall to make it look good.
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