Big dents or small cracks, someone needs to break out the spackle
Damaged drywall in your home exposes the interior to moisture, wind, and pests while reducing energy efficiency and creating an uneven surface that shows through paint.
Expect to pay $100 to $1,100 for drywall repair services, with labor accounting for most of your budget at $60 to $90 per hour depending on repair size.
You can tackle small holes, doorknob dents, and scuffed drywall yourself with basic supplies, keeping your repair budget around $45 for materials and leftover supplies for future fixes.
Hiring a local drywall repair professional provides reliable help with large holes and water damage repairs, plus guidance when cracks indicate foundation issues that need immediate attention.
Dance parties, pillow fights, and indoor soccer matches—it’s all fun and games until someone puts a big ol’ hole in your drywall. Suddenly, you need to repair drywall damage, fast. Marred sheetrock will no longer offer your home protection from the outdoors, and it will usually get worse over time. Should you fix it yourself or hire a pro? This guide will help you decide whether hiring a pro for drywall repair is the right call.
Drywall is tough, but it’s not indestructible. And no, it’s not a good idea to leave drywall in its damaged state. Not only does damaged drywall affect your home’s appearance, but it also exposes the interior to the elements, and it can hurt energy efficiency.
You won't get a smooth look when you paint over it. Even tiny cracks will protrude through the paint and stick out like a sore thumb.
Cracked or pierced drywall exposes your home to the elements such as wind, moisture, and pests.
Drywall damage makes your home less energy efficient as heat and AC escape through damaged regions of drywall and bump up your energy bills.
Drywall damage is as common as household accidents. A wayward toy may leave a dent, a settling foundation can expose stress cracks, or water damage may force you to replace entire sheets. Relatively minor repairs are perfect weekend DIY projects, but significant repairs are better suited to a local drywall contractor.
You should hire a pro if your handyperson experience is, well, lacking. A drywall repair professional can do the job quickly, efficiently, and correctly, giving you peace of mind. Common repairs better left to a pro include:
Large holes
Significant cracks that could indicate foundation issues
Water damage
Drywall contractors have the right tools and materials to handle large repairs, such as a drywall saw, drill, pre-mixed joint compound, drywall tape, drywall screws, spackle, furring strips, and more. Purchasing these tools can get costly, especially if they’ll just sit in your garage after a one-time use.
Drywall pros also know the best type of drywall to choose from and make the repairs promptly, whereas your lack of experience could turn an hour-long task into a weekend project. Plus, if your repair is indicative of a more serious issue, such as a foundation problem, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction for a quick resolution.
Eager to take on a small drywall patching job? Go ahead and DIY it. Grab your tools and get to work—just make sure to work in ample lighting and prep your wall first to ensure your repair meshes with the rest of your wall. Common repair jobs that are definitely DIY-able include:
Small holes
Scuffed drywall
Loose inside-corner tape
Doorknob dents
Not only is going the DIY route fun for a handy homeowner, it is also more cost-effective. For about $45, you can buy everything you need (except paint), including a piece of drywall measuring 8 feet x 4 feet. As a bonus, you’ll likely have leftover supplies that you can use to make additional repairs in the future.
The typical cost of drywall repair is between $100 and $1,100, with labor accounting for most of the budget. Handypeople, suitable for small repairs, typically charge about $60 per hour, while contractors charge about $90 per hour for major repairs.
Final costs will depend on the size and scope of the project, the location of the damage, necessary materials, and whether you need additional repair work. You can purchase a drywall repair kit for $10 to $30 for small drywall repairs. For more significant issues, budget for more supplies:
Sheets of drywall: $45
Drywall tape: $5 per roll
Screws: $6 per pound
Spackle: $4 to $16 per container
Paint: $15 to $25 per quart
To add a smooth finish to the repaired drywall, you can opt for a skim coat. Skim coating drywall costs about $1.10–$1.30 per square foot. While a more time-intensive drywall finish like skip troweling costs $1.25 to $2.00 per square foot.
When a simple repair doesn’t suffice, you may need to replace the drywall entirely. Installing drywall typically costs somewhere between $1,000 and $2,900. The average cost to install drywall, including the labor and materials, is between $1.50 to $3 per square foot, or about $60 to $90 per drywall panel. So, a standard 200 square foot living room could run around $1,500, while a small utility room would run $500 in total.
Cancelled appointment two hours after they were supposed to come for drywall work.
Hutch And Sons Drywall ServicesInvolved an extensive bathroom remodel, including removing tub & installing walk in shower, new drywall, custome tile work to ceiling, plumbing, etc. Overall, job was done on time and on budget. Nick & his team were very professional and had high attention to detail. Quality was great. Highly...
Stamos Flooring and Remodeling LLCWe have had a great experience with Rising Height for the past five years on a number of miscellaneous renovation projects. They laid flooring for us and had a very good sub do the finish. Installed drywall for a vaulted ceiling, finished an attic/loft with new subfloor, framing and drywall,...
Rising Height UnlimitedMr. Lopez was super nice and professional. He repaired our drywall just as he described during the estimate phase. Our dining room wall looks great again! Thanks Mr. Lopez!
On 11/3/15, I called Todd of Todd's Roofing and left a message. He promptly called my back and I indicated that I needed a roof repair for a roof that had a leak. He explained his basic prices, gave me the I'm not the cheapest or the highest speech, and he agreed to come by the property...
We had no power to any of the electrical outlets in the MBR. We'd had an intermittent problem for a few years and they finally went out all together. We live on the 3rd floor of a 100 year old building and I know from past experience the wiring has been added to in hodgepodge ways over the...
Excellent work; great attention to detail; makes good suggestions but always goes along with what the customer requests; clean and tidy; intelligent; very reasonable rates. I would definitely hire him again for other home projects. He can do a variety of different jobs including: drywall,...
We had used them before and received good service. They repeated that service this time, working hard to provide the work we needed in a limited timeframe. Specific thanks go to Tim, Ty, Cooper (and his poor old car whose axle broke in front of our house) and Mr. Good. They all worked hard...
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