About 15 million pounds of drywall is produced in the U.S. every single year. It’s one of the most common building materials found in homes because it’s inexpensive to produce and simple to install.
The problem is that it’s pretty easily damaged. Something as simple as a nail hole can leave your home’s structure vulnerable.
The good news is that you can handle small holes and other drywall repair needs on your own. You don’t have to call the professionals in until things get serious.
When do things get serious, though? When is it time to get a contractor involved?
We’ve got the answer to all your burning questions here. Check out this guide to learn more.
Nail Holes
If you’re like most people, you’ve got a ton of family photos hung up around your home. They add a nice cozy touch to the place until you take them down.
Now you’ve got a bunch of tiny nail holes scattered around your living room. They’re not that appealing to look at, but they’re easy to fix without getting New Orleans drywall repair involved.
All you have to do is fill up the holes with a drywall compound and wait for it to dry. From there, you can sand it down and paint over it without a problem.
Tiny Scratches and Dents
Accidents happen. You can put a dent in your drywall by swinging a door open too hard. Your furniture can bump up against it and scratch it up.
You can take care of these tiny imperfections with a drywall repair kit. Fill the dents with compound, sand it, and paint over it.
If the scratches are thin enough, you won’t even have to do that much. You can throw a coat of paint on them and call it a day.
Cracks
Cracks are where things get a little tricky. You can’t ignore them. If you do, they’ll only get worse as time goes on.
If you’ve got a few hairline cracks above your doors, that’s nothing to worry about. They’re a natural side effect that occurs from your home settling. You can fix them with paint or a drywall repair kit.
After you make your repairs, keep an eye on the spots to make sure that the cracks don’t reappear.
As far as large jagged cracks go, that’s a sign that there’s a deeper structural issue going on. You’ll have to get The Patch Boys Drywall Repair on the phone.
They’ll figure out what caused the cracks to form in the first place, fix the problem, and repair your wall.
Discolored Drywall
If you notice discoloration, you shouldn’t try to tackle it by yourself. This issue almost always points to water damage.
You most likely have a leaking pipe behind your walls. If you fix the discoloration on your own but don’t handle the pipe, the problem is only going to get worse.
It could damage the structure of your home or lead to mold growth. Either way, that spells danger for you and your family.
Get a plumber to find the source of your leak. After they locate the broken pipe and fix it, you can call drywall repair services to take care of your wall.
Protecting Your Investment
Let’s face it, buying a home isn’t cheap. You’ve got to take out a huge mortgage to pay it off. You may get your money back later when you sell the place if it’s in good condition.
Nobody is going to want to buy your house if there are a lot of patchy spots on the wall where you tried to make repairs on your own.
The drywall repair costs are worth it to prevent your home value from plummeting. Professionals have the tools and know-how to seamlessly handle any job.
As long as you hire the right company, potential buyers won’t even be able to tell you had work done on the walls at all.
You’re Unsure
Take a moment to ask yourself if you have the knowledge to repair your drywall. There’s only so much that a YouTube video and a kit can do for you.
If you’re not the handiest person, it might be a better idea for you to put the job in the hands of the professionals. Being unsure is the fastest way to make mistakes.
Cost-Effectiveness
It can cost upwards of a thousand dollars to fix drywall (depending on the severity of the damage). You might be able to shave a bit of money off your bill by handling the job on your own.
That is unless you mess up.
You could make the problem worse. If you do, you might have to fork over more money for a service to repair your handiwork.
It also costs a bit of money to buy the equipment needed to repair drywall. If you end up having to throw in the towel and call a service, there was no point in picking up the supplies.
Take Care of Drywall Repair on Your Own or Call the Professionals?
You should never put off drywall repair until the last minute. Cracks and dents can do a lot of damage to the structure of your home.
The question is, should you handle the fixes on your own or hire a company? As you can see, the answer is that it depends.
Most any homeowner can take care of small jobs with the help of a kit. Large cracks and discoloration, on the other hand, is out of most people’s area of expertise.
For more tips that will help you keep your house in tip-top shape, visit the Lifestyle section of our blog.
