What Is a Drywall Repair Specialist?

Drywall repair professionals can fix cracks and holes in drywall.

After drywall has been installed, a number of problems may arise over time. Temperature fluctuations in home temperature can cause cracking. Hitting or bumping a wall can leave an unsightly hole. A drywall repair specialist is usually a regular sheetrock technician or a handyman who has experience in fixing drywall cracks and holes. Some homeowners decide to patch drywall themselves because of high repair costs for relatively minor damage.

Types

There are five major types of damage that a drywall specialist may repair. These include small holes, cracks, bad tape joints, pinholes and large holes. Pinholes result from fixture nails being stuck into wall studs. When the initial drywall finishing was not completed properly, tape joints may stick out. Cracks result from an inadequate amount of screws, which attach the drywall to the wall or ceiling. Small holes usually result from hitting a wall with a metal object, whereas big holes result from punching a wall or slamming something large and heavy into drywall.

Process

The goal of a drywall repair specialist is to return the drywall to its original appearance. He will first evaluate the damage in order to provide an estimate of the amount of work required to fix holes and cracks. He will then cut a square hole out of the damaged drywall. After this, a drywall repair specialist will then mount a backing onto the hole if it is large, and screw in a new piece of drywall, which matches the size of the hole.

Finishing

After installing the new drywall piece, a repair specialist will spread on drywall joint compound and smooth the area out, often feathering the edges to make the appearance seamless. For cracks, a drywall repair specialist will add screws to the wall or ceiling and then put joint compound on to cover up the cracks. Pinholes and small holes may be simply covered up with drywall mud.

Cost

Handymen may be drywall repair specialists, because the job is fairly low-skilled. Usually, they have to pay for a truck, as well as their time, quoting an hourly rate until they finish the job. Pay scales vary depending on region. Professional drywall installers and finishers may not be willing to fix damaged drywall unless the job is large.

Considerations

Many drywall problems that require repair may be fixed easily by a homeowner. With a putty knife, joint compound, a razor blade, drywall screws and a small piece of sheetrock, conducting your own drywall repair can pay off. Finishing drywall does take practice, but the cost of hiring a handyman to patch a few holes can be a prohibitive expense.

References

• Easy To Do It Yourself: Patching Drywall
• Drywall Repair: Services
• Drywall Info: Drywall Repair--Repair a Hole in Drywall