Drywall Repair, Texture and Interior Painting in Tampa, FL

Walls usually get half-inch board, and ceilings often get a sag-resistant half-inch or five-eighths board, since a ceiling carries its own weight plus texture and paint. Moisture-resistant board goes in bathrooms and laundry rooms, though never as the backer inside a shower.

Sheets are hung so the seams are staggered and as few as possible, and so no joint lines up with the corner of a door or window, where cracks like to start. Screws go in just below the surface without tearing the paper.

Every seam and inside corner gets tape bedded in joint compound, then two or more thin coats, each wider than the last and sanded between. Setting compound is often used for the first coat because it hardens by chemical reaction and shrinks less. Lighter premixed compound is easier to sand for the finish coats.

For walls that get strong side light, such as a hallway with a window at the end, a skim coat over the whole surface hides the difference between the paper and the mud. Without it, seams can show through flat paint.

Nail pops and small dings take compound and a light sand. A doorknob hole is usually cut square and patched with a piece of drywall. Anything larger is cut back to the nearest studs so the new piece has something solid to screw into.

Water damage comes with one rule: find and fix the source first. Drywall that stayed wet should be cut out, not painted over, because in Florida humidity damp board can grow mold inside the wall. Stains on a ceiling often trace back to a bathroom, a roof leak or an air handler above.

Most patches that show after paint are a texture problem. Orange peel is a fine spray that looks like the skin of the fruit. Knockdown is heavier spatter flattened with a knife once it starts to set, and it is common in Tampa Bay homes. Skip trowel is applied by hand in overlapping strokes. Smooth walls show every flaw and need the best finishing.

Matching means getting the compound thickness, the spray pressure and the timing of the knockdown right. Testing on a scrap of board first helps. When a wall has several patches, retexturing the whole wall can look better than matching each one.

Many older homes still have popcorn texture on the ceilings. Before it comes off, it should be tested, because ceiling texture applied before the mid-1980s can contain asbestos. Once it is cleared, the texture is wetted and scraped, then the ceiling is patched, skimmed where needed and given a new texture or a smooth finish.

New drywall and fresh patches soak up paint differently from the painted wall around them. Without a primer, the patch shows as a dull or shiny spot, a problem painters call flashing. A drywall primer evens that out so the finish coats look the same everywhere.

Ceilings are usually painted before walls, and a flat finish on the ceiling hides small flaws. Two finish coats give even color and coverage. The line where the wall meets the ceiling or the trim is cut in by hand.

Flat or matte hides wall flaws best but marks easily. Eggshell is a common middle ground for living rooms and bedrooms. Satin or semi-gloss wipes clean and suits kitchens, bathrooms and trim. In bathrooms, a paint with a mildew-resistant additive and a working exhaust fan do more than any sheen.

High humidity slows drying and curing. Paint can feel dry to the touch long before it is hard, so furniture and pictures go back on the walls later than most people expect.

Rafael, the owner, comes out to see the walls and ceilings with you. The quote comes in writing after that visit, and we follow up to answer questions. Drywall hanging and finishing, drywall repair, wall and ceiling texture and interior painting are all on our list, along with the trim and doors that usually get painted at the same time.