Drywall Repair in Fort Collins
Holes, settling cracks, nail pops and water damage, patched and texture-matched so the repair disappears instead of showing up as a smooth spot the first time the light hits it.
Filling a hole is the easy part. Almost anyone can get a wall flat. What separates a repair you cannot find from one you notice every day is whether the texture and the paint sheen match what is already there.
Why texture matching is the actual job
Most Fort Collins homes built in the last thirty years have one of two wall textures:
- Orange peel. A fine spatter, sprayed on. Looks like the skin of an orange. Very common on newer builds.
- Knockdown. Sprayed on heavier, then flattened with a wide blade so it reads as soft irregular plateaus.
A patch finished smooth under either of those is visible forever, because texture catches light and flat does not. So the sequence matters: patch, sand, spray the matching texture, feather it past the repair so there is no hard edge, prime the patch so it does not flash, then paint. Skipping the prime step is why some patches show as a duller square even when the texture is right.
Ceilings are harder than walls, because ceilings are flatter, lit from the side, and often have a heavier stipple. I would rather tell you a ceiling patch will be slightly findable than promise invisible and have you spot it from the sofa.
What I repair
Doorknob and furniture holes. A door swings hard into the wall, or a chair back punches through. Small holes get a backed patch rather than mesh tape alone, so the repair does not telegraph a square outline through the paint a year later.
Settling cracks and nail pops. Common in Front Range homes as framing dries and moves, especially above door and window corners. Cracks get taped, not just filled. Caulk or spackle alone in a moving joint will reopen in a season.
Water damage and ceiling patches. Stained, sagging or crumbling board from a roof leak, an overflowed tub or a supply line. The wet material has to come out rather than get painted over. I cut back to sound board and dry framing, replace, and match the ceiling texture.
Large holes and full sheet replacement. Anything past patch size gets a proper cut-back to the studs, a new piece of board screwed to framing, and taped seams. The same way the wall was built in the first place.
Corner bead. Dented or split metal bead from moving furniture. The bead gets replaced, not mudded over, or the dent comes back through.
What is included
- Cutting back to sound board and backing the patch properly rather than taping over a void.
- Taping any crack that sits in a moving joint, not just filling it.
- Matching the existing texture, whether that is orange peel, knockdown, skip trowel or flat.
- Priming the patch so it does not flash a different sheen under the paint.
- Painting the repair, and blending or doing the full wall depending on what will look right.
- Dust containment, floor cover, and sweeping up before I leave.
What it costs
| Job | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small patch, up to about 6 inches | $125 | Doorknob holes, nail pops. Minimum call-out |
| Medium patch or a run of cracks | $150 to $260 | Several spots in one room |
| Ceiling or water-damage patch | $190 to $340 | Cut back to sound board, texture matched |
| Full sheet replacement | $210 per sheet | Taped and finished |
Full rates, block pricing and the minimum call-out are on the pricing page.
What I do not do here
- Fixing the leak that caused water damage. The leak gets fixed first, by whoever owns that trade.
- Mold remediation on a large or actively damp area.
- Anything structural behind the drywall.
- Full-room re-texturing as a standalone job.
Who to call instead: a plumber or roofer for the source of a leak, and a remediation company for anything past a small dried-out patch.
The full list is on what I do not do.
How it works
- Send a photo. Text or email a picture. Most jobs get priced without a site visit.
- Get a flat price. Written and fixed before I start.
- I show up and finish. On the day I said, parts in the truck, swept up after.
Why a solo operator
The same person quotes the job, does the job and cleans up after it. There is no call centre, no dispatcher and no rotating crew who have not seen your house. The price you were given is the price, because the person who quoted it is the person holding the tools.
Related work
Drywall repair questions
How long does a drywall repair take?
A small patch is usually one visit. Larger repairs and most ceilings need two, because joint compound has to dry properly before sanding and texturing. Rushing that is how you get cracks later. I will tell you which it is when I quote it.
Can you match my existing texture?
Orange peel, knockdown, skip trowel and flat, yes. Hand-troweled or unusual custom textures I will look at first and tell you honestly how close I expect to get. On a ceiling I would rather set the expectation at hard to find than promise invisible.
Do you paint after patching?
Yes. The patch is primed and painted as part of the job. If you have the original paint, the blend is near perfect. Without it, colour is matched as closely as possible, and sometimes the honest answer is that painting the wall corner to corner will look better than a spot blend.
There was a leak. Should I be worried about mold?
Possibly, and this is where I will tell you if it is outside what I should be doing. Small area, dried out, no smell: I cut out the damaged board and replace it. Large area, ongoing damp, or visible growth across framing needs a remediation company, not a handyman. The leak itself has to be fixed first either way.
How much dust will this make?
Sanding drywall makes fine dust that travels, so it gets managed rather than apologised for. Plastic over doorways, floors covered, furniture moved or draped, and a vacuum sander where it makes sense. The room is swept and wiped before I leave.