Drywall Arvada

Why does one small hole cost more than the materials suggest?

Because almost every drywall contractor has a minimum charge, and on a single small repair the minimum is the price. In Denver that runs $100 to $160 for the first hour, and some full drywall contractors set a minimum job fee of $350 or more. The expensive part is not the compound, it is two people, a van, the drive and usually a return visit for the second coat.

Is it better to repair drywall or replace it?

Repair, in most cases, and replacement is oversold. Board comes out when it is soft, sagging, delaminated at the paper face, or still reading wet after drying. A dry, hard, stable stain from a one-time overflow is a sealing and painting job. We meter it and show you the reading rather than asking you to take our word for it.

Can a handyperson fix a hole in the wall, or do I need a drywall contractor?

For a flat wall with no texture, a good handyperson is the right call and cheaper, about $60 an hour against $90 for a drywall contractor in this market. Where the difference earns its keep is texture, ceilings and anything that has to disappear. Most of the failed repairs we get called to redo in Wheat Ridge are texture matching attempts rather than bad patching.

How long does a drywall repair take?

Small holes take one to two hours, larger holes two to five, and extensive work runs one to three days. Almost every job that involves more than a fist-sized fill is two visits, because compound has to dry between coats. Anyone quoting a big ceiling repair as a single afternoon is either using a setting compound and will tell you so, or is rushing it.

What causes drywall to crack in Colorado homes?

Three things, and they produce different cracks. Expansive clay soil moving under the foundation, which shows as diagonals from door and window corners. Roof truss uplift, which shows as a clean line where the ceiling meets an interior wall and opens every winter. And dry air shrinking framing away from fasteners, which shows as clusters of small round pops.