Drywall Repair in Los Angeles, CA
Most drywall calls in Los Angeles come from three causes. The first is ground movement. Even a moderate earthquake, or the slow seasonal shrinking and swelling of clay soil under parts of the basin and the Valley, can crack a wall diagonally from the corner of a door or window and pop screws along a ceiling seam. The second is water. LA can stay dry for months and then take several inches of rain in one storm, and that's usually when a flat roof, a tired skylight or a bad window flashing leaks and stains a ceiling. The third is just ordinary wear in busy homes: doorknob holes, anchors pulled out when someone moved, and dings from the hallway where furniture always gets carried.
We start by cutting damaged material back to solid board, or in older homes, to plaster that's still firmly attached to the lath. Then we tape and fill in thin coats and match the finish around it, whether that's the sand finish and smooth Santa Barbara-style walls in 1920s Spanish homes, the hand-troweled skip finish in older bungalows, or the orange peel and knockdown that most newer Valley builds have. On water damage we check with a moisture meter and make sure the leak has been fixed before we close anything up. We cover floors and furniture, keep sanding dust in the work area, and pack out everything we brought before we leave.
What this covers
- Earthquake and settling crack repair
- Screw pop and nail pop correction
- Doorknob, anchor and impact hole patching
- Ceiling stain repair after roof or skylight leaks
- Lath-and-plaster crack stabilization and skim coating
- Texture matching: sand, skip trowel, orange peel, knockdown
- Corner bead and outside corner repair
- Stain-blocking primer and paint touch-up
How a drywall repair visit usually goes
Find the Cause First
We check whether the crack is from ordinary movement or something more serious, and use a moisture meter on any stain, so we're fixing the cause and not just the symptom.
Protect the Room and Cut Back
We cover floors and furniture, isolate the area as needed, and cut damaged drywall or loose plaster back to solid material, squaring the opening to framing so the new piece has something to attach to.
Tape, Fill and Feather
We set new board or backing, reinforce cracks with mesh, and apply compound in thin coats, letting each one cure so the patch doesn't shrink or ridge a week later.
Match, Prime and Paint
We match the texture around the patch, feather it wide so it doesn't catch the light, and prime with a stain blocker on old water marks so they don't bleed back through the paint.
After a big winter storm, our drywall work moves up to the ceilings. Many LA homes, from the flat-roofed dingbat apartments of the 1950s and 60s to the modern additions on Westside lots, have low-slope roofs, and those leak at drains, parapets and skylights once a long dry season has cracked the seals. A brown ring that appears in February usually traces back to a roof or flashing problem, not the ceiling itself. We'll help you track it down, recommend a roofer if it needs one, and repair the ceiling once it's dry. The other seasonal pattern is earthquake cracks. After a noticeable shake, we often see a cluster of calls from the same neighborhood with cracks over doors and in stairwells, and most of them are cosmetic repairs we can finish in one visit. In older Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank bungalows, plaster cracks follow the same lines after every shaker, while Santa Monica and Culver City condos lean toward nail pops and move-in dings.
What shapes the price in Los Angeles
What a drywall repair costs in Los Angeles depends on how many patches there are, how big they are, and what finish we have to match. A smooth wall or a simple orange peel is quicker than skip trowel or a hand-applied Spanish finish. Plaster repairs often take more steps than drywall, because loose areas have to be reattached and the skim coat has to be built up to the old surface. Ceilings, stairwells and vaulted rooms add ladder and setup time. Leak damage usually needs more cut back than the stain suggests, because water travels along the framing. Testing older materials before sanding adds a step, but it's often necessary in older homes. Putting several patches into one visit is almost always the least expensive way to get them all done.
Neighbors often ask
Every earthquake reopens the same crack. Is that normal?
It's very common. Corners above doors and windows are where a wall takes the most stress, so when the house moves, even a little, that's where cracks show up first. We can repair it with mesh tape and setting compound so it stays closed longer than a quick skim. If the crack is wider than about the thickness of a coin, runs at a steep diagonal, or comes with doors that suddenly won't close, we'll recommend having a structural engineer or foundation contractor look at it before we patch it again.
Can you fix my plaster walls without turning them into drywall?
Yes. If the plaster is still well attached to the lath, we fill cracks with setting compound, bridge them with mesh, and skim the surface so it matches the old wall. Loose areas can sometimes be pinned back to the lath with plaster washers before we patch. Only when a section has truly let go do we cut it out and fill the hole with drywall, then blend it into the plaster so it doesn't stand out.
Is it safe to sand an old ceiling or wall in my house?
Not always without checking first. Popcorn ceilings and some joint compounds used before the 1980s can contain asbestos, and paint from before 1978 can contain lead. Both are common in older LA homes. If we're going to cut or sand material of that age, we'll talk with you about testing first, and if a test comes back positive, the work goes to a certified abatement contractor.
How long does a drywall or plaster patch take?
A single patch with fast-setting compound can usually be done in one visit. Larger repairs, texture matching and painting often need a short second visit so each coat can fully cure, especially with plaster skim coats. We'd rather come back once than leave you with a patch that shrinks or shows a ridge under a lamp. We'll give you the timeline up front so you can plan.
I rent my apartment. Can you patch holes before I move out?
Yes, move-out patching is common work for us all over LA. We fill anchor and nail holes, repair any larger dings, and touch up with paint as close to the existing color as we can, ideally using a can the landlord left behind. Check your lease and your move-out notice first, since some owners prefer to handle repairs themselves, and we'll work within whatever they've asked for.
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 Los Angeles
Drywall Repair is one of 14 jobs our Los Angeles handyman crew handles, in Los Angeles and in nearby communities:
Ready to get your Drywall Repair handled?
Send a photo and a sentence — we'll answer with a real price and a real day on the calendar.