7 Signs You Need a Drywall Repair

If you own a home, you can expect to spend around $3,018 every year on standard repairs and maintenance. Of course, the repairs you need vary yearly, but one you might need is drywall repair.

Repairing your drywall isn't something you need to do often, but you might need to do it every few years. But how do you know when your drywall needs repairs?

You can know by learning the signs. If you understand the signs, you'll know when to call a drywall company for repairs.

Keep reading this guide to learn about the top seven signs that you need drywall repair.

1. Holes in Your Walls

While drywall is quite durable, it can't withstand a lot of force. Therefore, you might have some holes in your walls. 

Holes can occur for many reasons. For example, if something falls against the wall, it could knock a hole in your wall from the trauma. Holes might also occur from hanging things on your walls. 

If you have holes in your walls, you probably know exactly where they are without even looking or investigating. But these holes are a sure sign you need drywall repair services.

A drywall company can typically fix holes by patching them. However, they might need to replace your drywall if the holes are too large. 

2. Water Damage

Secondly, water damage to drywall is a problem you shouldn't ignore. Water damage occurs from leaky pipes or a leaky roof. It can also occur from other things.

In any case, water damage is an event that requires drywall replacement in most situations. Wet drywall rots and weakens. Water also causes drywall to puff out or develop bumps.

Water damage to drywall can also lead to mold and mildew in your walls. If your drywall ever encounters water, you should consider replacing it. After all, leaving it can lead to other problems.

Leaving water-damaged drywall also makes your walls look bad. Therefore, you might want to contact a drywall repair company to learn more about repairing it. 

3. Popped Screws or Nails

When a company installed the drywall in your house, they attached it to wood boards. Then, they use nails or screws to hold the drywall in place, but the nails and screws can come loose.

The wood used to build your house can contract and expand from temperature changes. As this naturally happens, it can cause the nails and screws to pop.

You can see popped nails and screws by looking at your drywall. You'll see the rounded parts of the screws popping through the drywall. These look like rounded bumps. 

A drywall company may need to remove these and patch the areas. Then, they can insert new ones all the way through that you can't see. Finally, they'll finish the job by patching and sanding the new ones.

4. Cracks

Drywall can crack, and this happens primarily when a house settles. Some cracks are small and nearly invisible to the eye. However, some cracks are large and noticeable.

You can ignore the small cracks, as you probably won't see them, but you shouldn't ignore the larger ones. Larger ones might spread and make your walls look bad, no matter how much paint you put on them.

You can hire a handyman if you have drywall cracks, and they'll fix them. They might need to replace some of your drywall or patch the cracks to fix these areas. 

Of course, they'll need to look at your drywall problems to determine the best way to fix them. 

5. Visible Tape Lines

You might also realize you need drywall maintenance if you can see visible tape lines. When drywall companies install drywall, it comes in sheets. They place drywall tape on the areas where the sheets meet.

After that, they patch the areas and sand them. Unfortunately, the patching doesn't always hold up in these areas.

When it fails, you can see lines of tape running across your walls. You can see these both vertically and horizontally. In either case, you'll need drywall repairs. 

When repairing visible tape lines, they'll likely have to remove the tape before proceeding. Next, they'll install new tape, patch the walls, and sand it until smooth. 

6. Bumps

Another thing to look for on your walls is bumps. Do you see bumps on the drywall that aren't from popped nails? If so, you might want to get these imperfections repaired. 

Bumps can develop on drywall for a number of reasons. A common cause is water. When water infiltrates drywall, it can cause the drywall to expand, leaving bumps on your walls. 

You might have small or large bumps. In either case, you'll likely need to have a contractor fix these areas if you want your walls to look nice. 

7. Dents or Deep Scratches 

It might also be time to repair your drywall if you have dents or deep scratches. You can develop dents or scratches on your walls from running into them or allowing things to fall on them.

When your walls have dents and scratches, a drywall repair company can probably fix the areas by patching them. Once patched and sanded, you can paint them. 

The patching material fills in the dents and scratches, causing the walls to look nicer after repainting them. 

You might want to look at your walls to see if you see any of these signs, as these signs indicate you might need to hire a company to fix your walls.

Get Drywall Repair if You See These Signs 

You can paint drywall in any color you like. But your paint won't look good if you need drywall repair. Therefore, you should get drywall repair before repainting your walls.

Would you like a quote for services? Contact us at VF Handyman in Bothell, WA. We can answer your questions and provide a quote for drywall repair or replacement.