Our Dry Wall Repair Strategy
WE OFFER DRYWALL REPAIRS FOR El Paso.
IF YOU’D LIKE YOUR DRYWALL REPAIRED, INQUIRE HERE.
Drywall repairs are one of the most common requests that we come across at Paso Del Norte. Often there are a variety of home repairs that add up over time, and the visual nuisance of drywall triggers people to reach out for repairs.
Due to the nature of wall patches, the patch will always be somewhat visible, but our goal is to repair the drywall so that it blends in as close seamlessly as possible. To effectively hide the drywall repairs, it's a lengthy process. It's not just about slapping some mud up and calling it good, and that's how you end up with repairs that catch your eye each time you walk by. The right way to do a drywall repair takes time, so you can forget you ever had a hole there!
Here is how we tackle your drywall repair in the El Paso area.
Repairing drywall is a unique mixture of both art and mechanics. The goal is to take a blemish, divot, gouge, hole, water damage, or another type of defect and make it less noticeable to the naked eye.
EVALUATE
First, we evaluate the extent of the damage. Remove any crumbling or loose pieces and cut away any sections of the gypsum board that has wear on the far side. If the paper is missing, we replace that section.
REINFORCE
Next, we apply backing material and trim it into place. Next, we add reinforcing tape. If not reinforced, the natural flex of the building will make cracks in the first couple of months, and we want to avoid that. We place a strong, thin tape to tape over seams without overlapping, and the thinner is better as you don't want extra.
MUD
The next step for the drywall repair is to mud—such a simple word for a difficult task. The goal is to create a raised section shaped like a plateau that slowly tapers out so that the defect is still there but not eye-catching. We mix the mud using 40-minute mud with the appropriate amount of water to get a peanut butter-like consistency. Then spread it on the wall in ⅛ layers until we achieve the desired result. Surprisingly, a 6" defect usually results in a 20" circular section of mud less than ¼" thick at the center.2-3 coats of mud. Allow curing for 1 hour with a fan on it.
SAND
The next step is sanding—sand in gently circular motions from the inside toward the far edge. Stop after 15 min, or the defect is gone to the point where it does not snag a fingernail. If the flaw still exists, re-mud the areas needed again.
BLEND
At this point, the patch is complete, and now we move to blend it in with the rest of your wall. We add texture to match the rest of your walls.
TEXTURE
Our preferred way to texture is with a spray can. The texture smells for a few hours but is not harmful and will stick to the wall. We practice spraying in a trash can until the texture looks the same size as the wall you are matching. Apply circular motions to the wall to evenly coat 2" wider than repair. We add a thin texture, not paint. Allow drying for 45 minutes.
PAINT
From here, the repair is complete! The last remaining step is to paint to match the rest of the wall. Often customers will have remaining paint in the garage. If not, we can cut a piece of the color off the wall and take it into the store to paint to match. We would like to know if we are doing paint matching before the start of the repair so we can get the paint match at the beginning. It takes a couple of hours for the paint store to match and have the paint ready. Since drywall repairs take a minimum of 3 hours to complete, this timing can work out well.
TIME
For any size drywall repair, it takes at least 3 hours to complete. This is due to the steps and the dry times in between. For larger patches and any corners or detail work, the time the repair takes to complete adds up.
Repairs larger than 6" are repaired using the same method, but more significant sections of drywall and backer take significantly longer.
After watching several Youtube videos, it can be tempting to DIY your drywall repair. But keep in mind that uneven repairs will continue to catch your eye. We are always happy to come in and take care of your drywall repair so that you can forget you ever had a patch in the first place.
Our schedule tends to book 1-2 weeks out, so please inquire about any home repairs you need.
What if you have plaster walls?
You likely have plaster walls for older houses built in the 1950s and earlier. Plaster tends to crack as foundations settle, so that’s why it’s so common to see cracks on the walls of an older home. To repair plaster walls, you can do a plaster repair, or a drywall/plaster mix. We can help you with the plaster/drywall repair if you have an older home.
