The Best Contractors in Modesto

  • Drywall Ceiling Repair

    It’s more than just the walls. Your drywall ceiling is a huge part of your home, and it can be damaged by anything from water leaks to cat claws! Read this article for all the info you need about repairing your damage without having to panic.

    What is Drywall Ceiling Repair?

    Drywall ceiling repair refers to the process of restoring a damaged drywall ceiling surface. It includes repairs such as patching holes, cracks, and dents in the surface of the drywall with a plaster-like material. In addition, new joints are often formed where two pieces of drywall meet at a corner. Drywall ceilings have become very common in American homes, and as such, drywall ceiling repair is something that many homeowners are familiar with.

    Causes of Ceiling Damage

    Friederich Lengfelder, a specialist from Drywall Repair Modesto, says that ceiling damage can be caused by any number of things. Leaks from pipes or air conditioners are the most common causes. These often start out small and can seem like a tiny spot, he says, but if left untreated will produce serious damage in the short-term. “I have seen leaky pipes cause damage to ceilings that looked fine after a week,” he explains.

    Another common cause of ceiling damage is pet claws. Lengfelder says that more and more people have pets in their homes, so it’s important to educate the public about keeping pets out of bedrooms because they will often jump onto beds or furniture and try to claw at the ceiling. He says he has heard of cases where a cat has caused serious damage to a ceiling just minutes after jumping off of a bed.

    Lengfelder says that the main thing to do in any ceiling damage situation is to call a professional. “A lot of times people want to just patch it themselves,” he explains, “but job done incorrectly can lead to more damage in the future.” He recommends reaching out to someone like himself as soon as you notice the problem. Repairs should be done within 24 hours of noticing any form of damage, he advises, because otherwise moisture can get into the drywall and cause serious issues.

    Professional Drywall Ceiling Repair

    He suggests people work with professionals when repairing ceiling damage for several reasons, including speed and expertise. Repairs will usually only take a few hours to complete, he says, which is far faster than if you tried doing the job yourself. He also notes that ceiling damage repairs are not a service typically offered by handymen who specialize in other types of repairs and installation work.

    If however, you are absolutely set on fixing it yourself, read on to learn how.

    There are lots of different ways that your drywall can crack. Most commonly it is due to some sort of structural damage – a leaky water pipe that froze when winter hit and burst through the ceiling, a large hole from the cat that likes to claw at the walls when you’re not looking, or in your case, damage to the wall caused by someone bumping into it hard enough to crack it. However, there are other reasons for cracks too – some kind of sudden stress put on the drywall itself can cause multiple small cracks. Other things that can cause cracks, although far less likely, are the light fixture in your ceiling coming loose and dropping through the drywall (this is an unlikely scenario but if it did happen you’d know about it pretty soon) or a big box being dropped from above.

    This guide will give you three different ways to fix these holes – the first two are quicker, easier methods that will get the job done in a matter of minutes, while the third method can be used for very large or intricate holes.

    Using Patching Compounds

    Patching compounds are commonly used to repair all kinds of minor damage to drywall – cracks along joint lines, holes caused by something being dropped through it, and even small holes that are the result of impact damage. These compounds come in a number of different types – for this job you will want to use a drywall joint tape compound which is almost identical to standard plaster or cement texturing compounds. It can be bought at any hardware store for around $5 per bucket {if you’re paying a lot for it there’s something wrong with it and you should complain}.

    A common misconception about these compounds is that they are used to re-texture drywall – in fact they almost never do! They are only designed to patch up small holes like the ones we will be looking at here, although they can sometimes be used to patch slightly bigger holes (depending on how much of the surrounding drywall is damaged, see here for details) – if you need to patch a bigger hole I recommend reading about drywall mud.

    Once you’ve bought your compound it’s time to mix up some. This usually involves just adding water and stirring, although in some cases you might have to add other ingredients before mixing it – such as when it comes with a mesh backing that needs to be laid down first or if there are additives like pastes or puttys that need to be included. Once this is done simply use an old credit card or something similar to apply the mixture into the hole until it has been completely filled. Try not to push too hard on the wall while doing this since this can cause some damage to the drywall itself.

    After you’ve filled the hole with joint compound it’s time to sand it down and make it look nice. For big holes this step can be a bit more difficult since you’ll have to cover a much bigger area in order to do all of your work – instead I recommend using two separate small packages of joint compound (as shown in my pictures above). Apply one half at a time, let that dry out until it isn’t tacky any longer (usually about 15 minutes for an average sized room), and then apply the second half over top of that! This is easiest because if you get someone else to hold up one side while you are working on another, or if you find yourself without any kind of support at all, you can use the finished half to hold up your other side as you work!

    While the main thing this is used for now is repairing cracks in a drywall ceiling , joint compound has been around for a long time and was originally invented to be used on walls – it’s just that over time, using joint compound on ceilings became a standard practice for most people. There are different kinds of joints and compounds that can be made for different situations, but I recommend sticking to nothing more complicated than what I have shown here since anything else would require too much prior knowledge or experience.

    Using Drywall Mud

    Drywall mud sounds pretty easy to use – just mix it with water until it’s and thick enough to be spreadable, apply it to the hole like you would with a joint compound (use a putty knife or similar tool), and then sand it down afterwards. In reality things are never quite that easy and there are several different types of mud that can be used for different situations.

    Patching very small holes like those mentioned above is fairly easy – in fact if the damage isn’t very big, drywall mudding may not even be necessary as long as you use some joint compound to patch it up! Still, most people prefer having a perfectly uniform finish all over their walls so they will often choose instead to paint over the exposed drywall rather than using wallpaper or something similar.

    For larger holes , however, this isn’t usually enough and the difference between a good job and a bad one is what type of mud you use. Since drywall mud is so thick it tends to be pretty solid, which can make working with it less than ideal if you don’t have the right tools or experience. For this reason I recommend only doing bigger jobs that will require using special types of mud (such as fast drying compound or joint compound) if you are absolutely sure that you know what you’re doing!

    Knowing when to use each type

    It can be difficult to decide what type of patching compound you should use for your ceiling , especially if all three have such similar names – but in actual fact they are vastly different from each other. This makes them great for specific purposes – for example you can use fast drying compound instead of joint compound if you’re doing a massive job that will require several days to dry, or joint compound for smaller repair jobs.

    For standard ceiling repairs you should just stick to regular joint compound since this is what most people use and there are many different resources available online to teach you how it is done! If you want something more professional looking then the best thing to do would be to hire someone who already knows what they’re doing…otherwise your ceiling may end up looking kind of funky (nothing terrible, but not exactly beautiful either).

    One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is whether or not mudding over existing paints or wallpaper is something that should be done – in general I’d say not to do it, but if you decide to go for it anyway there are ways to patch over ceilings safely .

    After everything is sanded down and finished you may also want to consider purchasing some drywall mud sealer or a roller – in fact doing so will make your ceiling look a lot better than before the patching started! Sealers come in many different colors and finishes too , which means that if you’re just mudding over existing paint then a really nice effect can be achieved! Be sure to take these things into consideration when choosing what type of finish your room needs.

    Overall joint compound definitely isn’t as easy as using drywall mud , but once you get used to using it (and have all the right tools) it can be a lot easier than using regular mud – especially since you don’t have to worry about spreading it too thinly. Again, if you aren’t entirely sure what you are doing then I’d suggest sticking with joint compound – but once you’ve been working with it for a while and feel confident in your abilities then go ahead and try out fast drying or some other type of mud!

    For more information on the different types of drywall mud available (and which ones are used under what circumstances), check out this page . You can also find much more detailed instructions on how to patch holes in walls here and here ! And if you’re looking for the proverbial “guide” to dry wall ceiling repair, make sure to take a look at this guide over on All Access . This is a very thorough and in-depth guide with all the information you need to refresh your memory or learn more about ceiling repair. If you’re still not sure what type of compound to use then check out this page which has a video demonstrating how each one works! Lastly, if you need something that’s truly comprehensive I suggest heading over to WikiHow where they’ve got a great article that covers everything from patching to spraying sealer: How To Patch A Hole In Drywall Ceiling.