Drywall work we handle
- Drywall installation — new walls, ceilings, garage conversions
- Drywall repair — holes, cracks, dented corners, failed old patches
- Water damage repair — cut out, replace insulation, re-hang, finish
- Ceiling drywall — new install, repair, full replacement
- Popcorn ceiling removal — scrape, patch, skim, prime, paint
- Skim coating to a level 5 smooth finish
- Joint taping and sanding, done to a proper mud finish
- Texture matching — smooth, orange peel, knockdown, hand-troweled
- Corner bead and drywall trim
Texture matching is what most contractors get wrong. A perfectly executed patch that does not match the texture around it stands out worse than the hole did. Knockdown is everywhere in Sarasota County homes and it is the easiest texture to get subtly wrong — the knife pressure and the timing between spray and flatten change the look completely. We take the extra time to match what is already on your wall.
What makes drywall different in Southwest Florida
Three things come up here that do not come up up north, and they change how the work is done.
Block walls. Most homes in North Port, Venice and Port Charlotte are concrete block, with drywall hung on furring strips against the exterior walls. There is no stud cavity behind it the way there is in a frame house. It matters for anchoring, for how a patch is backed, and for what happens when moisture gets behind it.
Humidity and drying time. Joint compound dries on the room's schedule, not ours. On a wet week, 24 hours between coats is the safe minimum and sometimes it needs longer. Rushing that is the single most common reason a patch cracks or ghosts a few months later — and it is why a job that "should take two days" occasionally takes three.
Water, and where it comes from. Most of the ceiling damage we are called about is not a roof leak. It is an AC condensate line backing up, or a slow drip from an air handler in the garage. We repair the drywall, but if the source is still live the stain comes back — so the first thing we do is find out where the water came from and tell you straight.
Common drywall situations
Popcorn ceiling removal
Cover and seal the room. Wet the texture so it releases in sheets instead of dusting. Scrape, then patch and skim the ceiling underneath, sand, prime and paint. A standard bedroom is usually one to two days; a whole house runs several.
Before any of that happens, the ceiling has to be tested for asbestos. We do not scrape, sand or disturb ceiling material until written documentation confirms the materials affected by the work are asbestos-free. The property owner arranges and pays for the testing; we do not perform testing or abatement, and the age of the house does not change the policy. The full guide explains what documentation we accept and what happens if asbestos is found.
If asbestos is detected, removal is not the only route — depending on the condition of the material and a professional assessment, leaving it undisturbed, encapsulation, or enclosure with an approved ceiling system can be options, and some cost less than full abatement. Those are jobs for appropriately licensed asbestos professionals, not for us, and we do not skim coat over asbestos-containing texture. Once the required work is done and the area is cleared for ordinary renovation, we come in and finish the ceiling.
Water-damaged ceiling
Cut back to sound material, replace wet insulation, re-hang, tape, texture and paint. Half a day to two days depending on how far the stain spread. If the leak is still active we will tell you before we start — finishing over a live leak wastes your money.
Wall damage from moving furniture
Small holes from a nail or a doorknob: patch and blend, usually one to two hours. A foot through the wall: backer strip, drywall patch, tape, mud, texture, paint — about half a day.
Cracks that keep coming back
A crack that reopens after being patched is usually movement, not bad mud. Settlement cracks at door and window corners need the joint treated differently than a dent does, otherwise you are repainting the same line every year.
Whole-room skim coat
When walls have been patched many times over the years, patching once more just adds another visible shape. A level 5 skim coat across the whole wall gives you one flat surface and is usually the cheaper answer in the end.
Pricing
Small drywall patch (up to 4"): $150
Medium patch (4-12" + texture): $250
Large patch (12-24"): $400
New wall drywall: $2.50/sqft (labor only)
Ceiling drywall: $3/sqft
Popcorn ceiling removal: $2/sqft
Level 5 skim coat (smooth finish): $1.20/sqft
What moves these numbers: ceiling height, how much of the texture has been painted over, whether the drywall underneath needs real repair once it is exposed, and how much furniture has to be worked around. Asbestos testing and any abatement are separate and are never included in our quote.
How long it takes
Estimates, not promises — humidity has a vote.
- Small patch and paint: same day
- Large patch or a damaged ceiling section: half a day to two days
- Popcorn removal, one standard room: one to two days
- Whole-house popcorn removal: several days, depending on square footage and ceiling height
- Level 5 skim coat, one room: two to three days with drying time
FAQ
How long does texture take to dry?
Depends on humidity. In a normal room, 24 hours between mud coats is safe. Rushing this is why patches crack later.
Can you match my existing texture perfectly?
Usually yes. Send a photo and I will match it. Some 40-year-old hand-troweled work is tough to duplicate exactly, and I will say so up front rather than after.
Do I need an asbestos test before popcorn ceiling removal?
For us to do the work, yes — written confirmation that the materials we will disturb are asbestos-free, arranged by the property owner. This applies in every home regardless of its age.
Can you repair drywall on a block exterior wall?
Yes. It is backed differently than a patch in a frame wall, and if moisture is involved we check what is behind the furring strips before closing it up.
Is it cheaper to patch or to skim the whole wall?
One or two patches, patch. Once a wall has several old repairs showing through, a full skim coat usually costs less than chasing each one and still looks better.
Do you paint after the drywall work?
Yes — prime and paint are part of how we finish, not a separate trade you have to line up. See interior painting for whole-room and whole-house work.
Do you handle the water leak itself?
We repair the drywall and tell you what we find. An active plumbing or AC leak goes to the appropriate licensed trade first — we are happy to coordinate, but we are not going to finish over water.