When wall studs and ceiling joists bend and twist, which often happens in new homes built with wood that dries after it is installed, the framing members can push and pull away from the drywall, causing the drywall nails to literally pop up out of the wood. This usually happens near the center of the boards, where the most pronounced bending is likely to occur. If it’s too late to call the builder back to take care of this annoyance (It’s rarely structurally threatening), you can do the repair yourself.

Before commencing any repairs, first establish that they really are nails since newer houses use drywall screws instead. Here’s how to fix a popped nail:

1) Use drywall screws, not nails, to replace each nail “pop” that you find.

2) Don’t pull out the old nails. Drive a screw in near each popped nail to re-anchor the drywall at that spot and then tap the original nail back in place. If you’re lucky, you may need to do only a surface touch-up using drywall patching compound.

3) If the nails protrude far enough, they can tear or push the drywall tape off the wall. Where this happens, you'll have to cut away and replace the tape. Cut back only as far as necessary—the ends of the tape still firmly embedded in joint compound should not have to be removed.

If you’d rather use nails to fix the problem, make sure the drywall panel is secured to the studs above and below the nail. Hammer the nail in and dimple a nail of the same size right next to it to hold it in as shown above. Use joint compound to cover the nails. When that has dried, sand the area, prime, and paint.