Drywall and Plaster Repairs

Drywall and plaster damage comes in all shapes and sizes, whether it is caused by unexpected water leaks, cracks from your home settling or by a toddler, well, being a toddler. The good news for you is that the expert team at Kennedy Painting is well versed in how to repair your walls and ceilings like new. Here are just a few examples of the types of repairs we can complete for you.

Stress cracks are caused when your home settles over time and splits the drywall or plaster. Oftentimes, this damage occurs around framed openings such as windows and doors. When repairing a stress crack, the team at Kennedy Painting will first cut into the crack to ensure all surrounding damage is removed and then reinforce the area with a fiberglass mesh tape to shore up the damaged area. Once the mesh tape has been centered on the crack, a joint compound will be applied to fill and hide the crack. If you have textured walls, a similar texture will then be applied to help blend the repair with the surrounding areas.

Another common problem folks have is loose or damaged tapelines. Tapelines are used to conceal the joints between two sheets of drywall and over time, they can come loose. To fix this issue, the section of failing tape is cut out and a new section of drywall tape is embedded in its place with a joint compound. Once dried, an additional 2 coats of joint compound are applied to the damaged area to help prevent any future damage.

In the same family of the tapeline repair is the drywall or plaster patch. When holes in your walls or ceiling occur, your expert craftsman at Kennedy Painting will cut the damaged area into an even opening. A section of drywall will be cut, inserted into the damaged area and all four sides will be finished taped in the same manner we discussed above for the tapeline repair.

If you live in an older home, you likely have plaster walls and ceilings. Plaster is a concrete-like mixture that was used for centuries but has since been replaced with the use of drywall. Many plaster repairs can be completed in the same manner as drywall repairs, however, some differences exist. For example, water damage to plaster will cause efflorescence which is a bubbling of the plaster. In this instance, the damaged areas are scraped away, skimmed smooth with joint compound and textured to blend surrounding areas. If the damage has led to the plaster separating from the wooden lathe (the structure that the plaster is bonded to), metal discs called plaster buttons are installed around the damaged area prior to repairs to prevent the existing plaster failure from becoming larger than it currently is.

In short, the number of ways that damage can occur to your walls and ceilings are endless and the ways to fix them require a great deal of skill and expertise to be done correctly. Call the experts at Kennedy Painting today to discuss how we can help make you drywall and plaster damage disappear!