Drywall Repair in Kansas City

Why drywall cracks and breaks in Kansas City homes

Most of the drywall damage we see falls into a few patterns. Doorknobs punch through walls when a door stop goes missing. Nail and screw pops show up as the house settles and the framing dries out. Cracks run out from the corners of doors and windows, where the wall flexes most. Kansas City's expansive clay soil and freeze-thaw winters make settling cracks more common here than in a lot of the country, so seeing a few new ones each spring is normal. A water spot on the ceiling is different. It means a leak somewhere above, and the leak has to be fixed before the drywall is.

• Holes from doorknobs, furniture or moving day
• Hairline and stair-step cracks near doors, windows and corners
• Popped nails and screws in rows along the studs
• Soft, stained or sagging spots after a leak
• Old anchors and mounting holes left behind

What affects the price of a drywall repair

We give you a price before we start, and a photo by text is usually enough for us to quote it. These are the things that move the number up or down.

• Size and number of patches. Several small holes on one visit cost less per hole than one trip each.
• Texture. Smooth walls show everything and take more sanding. Orange peel and knockdown take extra steps to match.
• Ceilings. Overhead work is slower, and ceiling texture is harder to blend.
• Paint. Touching up a patch is quick. Painting the full wall gives a cleaner result when the old paint has faded.
• Drying time. Bigger repairs need coats to dry overnight, which can mean a second short visit.

How we fix drywall so the patch disappears

A good patch is invisible from across the room. Small holes get filled, sanded and primed. Holes bigger than a fist get a backing piece or a new section of drywall cut in, screwed to wood, then taped. We apply joint compound in thin coats and feather each one wider than the last, so there's no hump on the wall. Then we match your texture, prime the area so the paint doesn't flash, and paint. We protect the floor, keep the dust contained, and take the debris with us.

Repair the patch or redo the wall?

Almost everything can be patched. We recommend cutting out and replacing a larger section when the drywall is soft from water, crumbling, or bowed off the studs. If your home has plaster walls, which is common in older Brookside, Waldo and Northeast KC homes, we'll tell you plainly whether a patch will hold or whether the area needs more work. We won't sell you a bigger job than the wall needs.