How much does it cost to repair drywall
How much does it cost to repair drywall In the Midwest, and here in Illinois, almost every home we go into has Drywall. Each of these homes has something else in common- the drywall has to be fixed before we can paint. Does that sound familiar? Nail pops on the walls and ceiling look awful. The corners have these long areas where it looks like the drywall is coming apart. In the middle of a ceiling there are large cracks. All of these are issues that we typically fix before painting a home. The question is How much does it cost to repair drywall? As you look at your house, you see these imperfections in the wall. You can tackle drywall repairs yourself before painting. BUt you can also call a painting contractor that can help you with these repairs as part of the house painting process, plus it may be cheaper (and faster to hire someone to do it). So where do you start? How do I begin fixing drywall damage? When Should you hire a house painter, paint contractor or dryall contractor to fix walls and when is it better to do it yourself? (we charge per hour time and materials.. FYI) Hiring a drywall Contractor Drywall repairs can be tricky. As a painter, this is one of my least favorite things to do in preparation on painting walls ina home or business. Drywall repairs also are a must. Done correctly, your walls will look great! Done poorly and the painting job looks bad as well. Small holes from pictures can be easily fixed yourself and there are plenty of you tube videos on that. Repairing cracks in drywall or replacing tape is a different story. If there are cracks in the drywall, something has caused it. For the reasons listed above I wold say call a professional to get it fixed right. You can read more about how to hire a contractor in this article, but asking a realtor, doing a Google search- look for those Google reviews!! is the best way we have found great people to work with. Cost to repair drywall We have found, overall, the cost to repair drywall is usually a time and material cost. There are many reasons why; I will also say, depending on where you live, such as Chicago vs hiring a painter in Hunltey or St. Charles will affect the price per hour to hire a painter. Other issues such as how high the area is will affect the price to pay as well. There are all kind of unknown questions that we have to fix. Seeing a problem does not mean we can diagnose the problem. Kind of like a flat tire- can it be fixed or do you need a new one? Going to discount tire they will take the tire off, try to fill it with air look for holes etc- take tire off – you get the idea. When we are pricing out a house for repairs before we paint, we give 30 minutes per room for wall repairs. You can read more here about our wall prep. For us as painting contractor, we are charging $65 dollars and hour for extra repairs. Other questions about drywall repairs? If you have them let us know!! This was quick and sweet- to the point, as most of the time- we don’t know. Wish I did.. but we don’t.
Issues with painted outlets
Issues with painted outlets You have some nice colored walls. You love your colors. But – those outlets look awful! Maybe they are already painted, maybe they are just stark white against black walls.Either way- you have seen other homes with outlets that are the wall color and want the same look. So – you should know there are Issues with painted outlets! The seamless look of wall color so you don’t see the outlets, switches hvac vents is pretty cool! But it also may not be the best look for your home. Personally, as a painting contractor, I am not a fan of painting outlets or outlet covers. Once you paint them- it is always a maintenance issue. Pre colored out let covers Lets start easy- you can buy colored outlet covers! I have never done so- but it is possible. One company we have seen is Legrand. You can check it out here… I have no clue as to cost or ease of use- but– makes the color part easy- they will never chip, peel, fade, or look old. (you may get sick of the color though) We have seen these pre-colored type outlets in bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, floors, and in high traffic areas. Can you paint outlet covers? Yes- but.. (there is Always a but in the way). If you have plastic switch plate covers or outlet covers- your best to not paint those. Metal covers however- are 100% paintable (and best for wallpaper wrapping). Metal covers do not flex. Plastic covers can peel, they can chip- and once they do – they look like crap! How to paint outlet covers Primer primer primer!! The key to getting paint to stick to anything is the right prep work. Clean anything before you paint it! Once cleaned- scuff sand it. Wipe clean, and then apply primer- ( you can spray, brush or roll) After the primer is dry- (typically 4-6 hours) then use a quality paint. Allow to dry overnight, then install. If you paint the screws- the paint may not stick as those are coated with a different paint. Images of painted outlets done wrong HAve other questions on painting surfaces in your house- let us know! Love to see how we can help!
Issues with painted outlets
Issues with painted outlets You have some nice colored walls. You love your colors. But – those outlets look awful! Maybe they are already painted, maybe they are just stark white against black walls.Either way- you have seen other homes with outlets that are the wall color and want the same look. So – you should know there are Issues with painted outlets! The seamless look of wall color so you don’t see the outlets, switches hvac vents is pretty cool! But it also may not be the best look for your home. Personally, as a painting contractor, I am not a fan of painting outlets or outlet covers. Once you paint them- it is always a maintenance issue. Pre colored out let covers Lets start easy- you can buy colored outlet covers! I have never done so- but it is possible. One company we have seen is Legrand. You can check it out here… I have no clue as to cost or ease of use- but– makes the color part easy- they will never chip, peel, fade, or look old. (you may get sick of the color though) We have seen these pre-colored type outlets in bathrooms, kitchen cabinets, floors, and in high traffic areas. Can you paint outlet covers? Yes- but.. (there is Always a but in the way). If you have plastic switch plate covers or outlet covers- your best to not paint those. Metal covers however- are 100% paintable (and best for wallpaper wrapping). Metal covers do not flex. Plastic covers can peel, they can chip- and once they do – they look like crap! How to paint outlet covers Primer primer primer!! The key to getting paint to stick to anything is the right prep work. Clean anything before you paint it! Once cleaned- scuff sand it. Wipe clean, and then apply primer- ( you can spray, brush or roll) After the primer is dry- (typically 4-6 hours) then use a quality paint. Allow to dry overnight, then install. If you paint the screws- the paint may not stick as those are coated with a different paint. Images of painted outlets done wrong HAve other questions on painting surfaces in your house- let us know! Love to see how we can help!
What to Do When Paint Drips and Splatters: Prevention and Solutions
What to Do When Paint Drips and Splatters: Prevention and Solutions You have cleaned your paint brush and roller. The paint crew just left your home. As you do a quick wipe of dust you see it- paint on the floor! What the heck! Paper was used, drop cloths were used- how the heck do I have paint on the floor? As Forest Gump said -“It” happens. More times than not, it happens when for a split second a drop cloth is kicked, moved or slides for a split second- just in time for – spat!! We understand that is annoying. The last thing you want to do is clean up paint from a floor. The last thing I want to hear as a paint contractor is that “one of your guys got paint on my floor”. Drives me nuts! Cleaning paint drips from a floor Lets start easy cleaning the paint form a floor. We will get into how it happens later. If the paint is still wet or kind of wet- just use a damp rag. If you can do a vinegar and water solution- or hardwood floor cleaner -even better! That will reduce how much water is used on the wood. Just gently wipe it away. This is the biggest reason we tell our painters to have a rag on them at all times (keep it clean!) If the paint is dry you need to go to plan B. For example, Chad our production manager went to do a walk though on house after 24 hours of us painting. The customer found a few dips on the floor. So- be broke it out… Latex LIft off! Just a little goes a long way. Wipe gently with micro fibre- don’t use it like sandpaper!! If you follow the directions, it will “lift” right off! No damage to floors. There is a plan C- super dry paint. It happens to us all the time. We come into a home to paint, start setting up, and we see old paint drips or splatter marks on the floor. Older paint can be more difficult to remove from surfaces. You may have to soak the paint for a time. (sometimes with a finger nail it will just pop off- FYI) We have had to use denatured alcohol before- it is extreme- but it works! Denatured alcohol – if you use it wrong will damage or remove a finish from your floors- so be careful!! What causes paint splatter? Here are two images of paint rollers.. Here are some different types of roller sleeves for painting. Each of these paint rollers comes from a different store. This is not a which type of roller to use- not going there today. Every paint gives a suggestion on what type of sleeve to use. Paint companies say that for a reason- the right sleeve matters! We are huge users of micro fibre sleeves. The wrong sleeve gives bad results. For example- Purdy roller sleeves has one called a Marathon. Most contractors like it because it lasts a long time, easy to wash, holds a lot of paint and is cost effective. I however do not like them because I think the splatter. What is splatter?? When you have paint on a roller, roll it on the wall- some rollers will shed paint in the air as well as on the wall. When the roller is going to the wall surface small- I mean tiny!!! specs of paint can and will release from the roller cover- and they land on your hair, shirt, arms, roller handle, drops or on the floor. Removing Paint Drips or runs on a wall Paint can drip on the floor or you. Paint can also fall to the wall, and leave a uneven area, a drip that turns into a run. Nasty little buggers… If you see this right away while paint is wet- easy- just roll the wall to remove it. If the paint is dry. You have to work. You can sand, scrape or cover it with a layer of drywall compound. But lets not get to carried away. We find sanding a paint drip away from wall to be the best choice. Once you sand the drip or run from the wall- you will have to repaint the wall- touch up is almost impossible with modern paints. Other questions on paint drips or runs? I don’t have anymore- but maybe you do? Let us know! We want to help- so if there is something you want, need, like to ask about painting, paint, paint tools, paint cleanup- let us know! We are here to help you love the space your in!