Drywall Repair in Memphis, TN
Wall and ceiling repairs come up constantly in Memphis, and a lot of it comes down to the ground and the weather. Much of the city sits on silty, clay-heavy soil that swells during wet stretches and shrinks in late-summer dry spells, so houses shift a little every year. That movement opens diagonal cracks above doors and windows, splits tape seams along ceilings and pushes nail heads through the paint. Then there's water: strong spring thunderstorms, wind-driven rain and the occasional ice dam in a winter storm find their way past old flashing and tired window seals, leaving brown rings on ceilings and soft spots under sills. And in the older neighborhoods, a lot of what looks like drywall is actually plaster on wood lath, which needs a different approach.
We start by finding out why the damage happened, then repair it so it stays fixed. Holes get cut back to solid material and backed properly, cracks get taped instead of just smeared over, and plaster gets reattached or patched rather than torn out when the wall is still sound. We match the texture you have — smooth plaster in a Central Gardens bungalow, light orange peel in an East Memphis ranch, knockdown in a Cordova great room — and feather it out so the patch doesn't catch the light. Floors and furniture get covered, sanding dust gets contained, and we prime and paint the repair if you want it finished in the same visit.
What this covers
- Settling crack repair over doors and windows
- Nail pop and screw pop fixes
- Doorknob and impact hole patching
- Leak-stained ceiling cut-out and replacement
- Plaster crack repair and reattachment to lath
- Texture matching: smooth, orange peel, knockdown
- Corner bead and outside corner repair
- Stain-blocking primer and paint touch-up
How a drywall repair visit usually goes
Look and Measure
We look at the damage, check for moisture with a meter, and figure out whether we're dealing with settling, impact, a leak or old plaster letting go, so the repair matches the cause.
Prep and Protect
We cover floors and furniture, cut damaged material back to solid edges, and add backing where the patch needs it so it won't flex or crack later.
Patch and Tape
New board or plaster goes in, seams get taped and filled in thin coats, and each coat gets enough time to set up properly in our humid weather before the next goes on.
Texture, Prime and Finish
We match the surrounding texture, feather it wide, prime with a stain-blocker over any old water marks, and paint if you want the repair fully finished.
Bathrooms, laundry rooms and closets on outside walls are trouble spots in Memphis homes. Our humid summers mean a bathroom without a working exhaust fan keeps the drywall damp for hours after every shower, and over time the paint peels, the seams soften and mildew starts at the ceiling corners. We also see a lot of repair work after spring storms and the rare ice storm, when water gets in around a roof edge, a chimney or a window and shows up days later as a stain. In those cases we confirm the leak is fixed and the cavity is dry before closing anything up. If we open a wall and find real mold or wet insulation, we'll stop, show you, and point you to a remediation pro instead of sealing it in.
What shapes the price in Memphis
The price of a drywall or plaster repair depends mostly on how many spots there are, how big they are, and how hard the surface is to match. A few nail pops and a doorknob hole are quick; a stained ceiling that needs cutting out, or a long plaster crack running across a room, takes more time and materials. Smooth plaster and heavy knockdown take extra steps to blend, and high ceilings and stairwells add ladder or scaffold time. Water-damaged areas sometimes need to be opened wider than the stain suggests, because moisture travels along the framing. Grouping several repairs into one visit is always the most economical way to handle them.
Neighbors often ask
Why does the same crack over my door keep coming back?
In Memphis that's usually seasonal movement, not a bad patch. The soil under many homes swells when it's wet and shrinks during dry spells, and the framing around doors and windows moves with it. We tape and reinforce the crack so it holds much longer than a skim of filler, and if the movement looks more serious — doors badly out of square, floors dropping — we'll say so and suggest you have a foundation specialist look first.
Can you fix plaster walls, or will you replace them with drywall?
We repair plaster whenever it's still sound. Loose sections get screwed back to the lath with plaster washers, cracks get taped and filled with setting compound, and only failed pieces get cut out and replaced with board brought flush to the surrounding wall. Then we skim and blend so it all reads as one surface. Tearing out good plaster usually costs more and loses the solid feel that makes an older Midtown house what it is.
There's a water stain on my ceiling after a storm. What should I do first?
Find and stop the leak first — usually a roof, flashing, a plumbing vent boot or a window. Once that's fixed and the area has had time to dry, we check it with a moisture meter, cut out any board that's soft or sagging, and replace and blend it. If the board is firm and dry, a stain-blocking primer and paint may be all it needs.
How long does a typical drywall repair take?
Most small and medium patches are done in one visit using quick-setting compound. Larger repairs, heavy texture or ceiling work may need a second short visit for the final coat and paint, because Memphis humidity slows drying and rushing a coat leads to ridges and flashing once the light hits the wall.
Can you remove a popcorn ceiling or just patch it?
We can do either. Patching popcorn is fine for a small repair. If you want it gone, we can scrape and smooth the ceiling, but in houses built before the 1980s the texture should be tested for asbestos first. We'll tell you how to get that test done and won't start scraping until you know the result.
Folks pair this with
TV Mounting
TV Mounting →Furniture Assembly
Furniture Assembly →Door Repair & Adjustment
Door Repair & Adjustment →Ceiling Fan Installation
Ceiling Fan Installation →Drywall Repair around Memphis
Drywall Repair is one of 14 jobs our Memphis handyman crew handles, in Memphis and in nearby communities:
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