Drywall & Patching

Holes happen. We make them disappear.

Anchors leave craters. Doors blow open into walls. Plumbers cut access holes. Water damage stains ceilings. Kids put toys through walls. We repair drywall so the patch is invisible — same texture, same finish, indistinguishable from the surrounding wall.

Repair sizes we handle

• Pinholes and nail holes — typically grouped and filled in single visits, often as part of pre-listing or pre-paint prep.
• Anchor and screw craters — backer-plate and joint compound, sanded smooth.
• Small holes (under 6") — California patch (no backer needed) or backer-board patch, taped, mudded.
• Medium holes (6-18") — drywall section cut to fit, backer board installed, taped, mudded with multiple coats.
• Large holes and panel replacement — full sections of drywall removed and replaced, finished to match.
• Cracked drywall (settling cracks, stress cracks) — properly opened, V-grooved, taped with mesh or paper, multiple finish coats.
• Water-damaged ceilings — only after the leak source is fixed; cut out compromised material, replace, finish.
• Plumber and electrician access patches — cleaning up after another trade who left the hole open.
• Wall corner damage — corner bead replacement, taping, finishing.

The patch process

1. Assessment — what caused the damage, is it ongoing (water, structural), and what's the best repair method.
2. Cut and prepare — clean edges, remove loose material.
3. Backer support — wood scrap or metal patch plate as needed.
4. New drywall in place — properly sized, screwed in.
5. Tape and mud — paper or mesh tape, then 2-3 coats of joint compound, sanded between coats.
6. Texture matching — this is where most DIY patches fail. Texture is hard to match.
7. Primer — patches always need primer before paint.
8. Cleanup — drywall dust everywhere is normal. We don't leave it that way.

Texture matching — the hardest part

Most homes have textured walls and ceilings, not smooth. Common textures we match:

• Orange peel — light, even spray pattern.
• Knockdown — orange peel that's been flattened with a wide knife.
• Splatter — heavier, irregular pattern.
• Skip trowel / Mediterranean — hand-applied with a trowel.
• Popcorn (acoustic ceiling) — sprayed-on, often older homes. We can match, though large patches may benefit from texture removal and re-application.
• Smooth (Level 5) — no texture, hardest to make patch invisible. Requires multiple skim coats.

Painting after patching

We typically prime patches but not paint over them — final paint should match the existing wall, which means either:

• You provide leftover paint from the original job — we apply it.
• We color-match at a paint store and paint the patched area.
• Whole-wall repaint if the wall has aged enough that a touch-up will show.

We'll explain the trade-offs at the estimate.

Time required

• Small patches: 1-2 hours, plus dry time. Often two visits because joint compound needs to dry between coats.
• Medium repairs: 2-4 hours active work, spread across 2-3 visits for proper drying.
• Large repairs: 1-3 days depending on size and complexity.