Interior Painting
Walls, ceilings, trim, and doors, painted by the same crew that showed up to measure.
See detailsMadison & Dane County
Drywall Repair & Texture Matching
The repair nobody can find afterward, which is the only kind worth paying for.
Drywall repair is priced on three things: the size of the damage, whether it is a ceiling or a wall, and how difficult the existing texture is to match. Ceilings cost more than walls because everything happens overhead, and water damage costs more than impact damage because more material has to come out before anything goes back. The patch is the easy half. Matching orange peel or knockdown so the repair disappears under raking light is the part that takes a career to learn.
- Timeline
- Most single repairs span two to three days because each compound coat has to dry fully. The actual working time is only a few hours; the calendar is dictated by drying, and rushing it is what makes repairs crack.
Anyone can put a piece of drywall in a hole. The repair is only successful when you cannot find it six months later with the afternoon sun coming across the wall, and that comes down to two things: how far the compound is feathered out, and how closely the texture is matched.
We feather wide. A four-inch hole gets a repair that transitions over eighteen to twenty-four inches, because a tight patch creates a visible bump that paint will never hide and will actually emphasize in a satin sheen. It takes an extra coat and an extra day of dry time, and it is the entire difference.
Texture is its own craft. Madison housing stock runs the full range: knockdown in the 1990s subdivisions, orange peel almost everywhere after 2000, hand-troweled skip in some custom builds, and smooth plaster in the older near-east and Marquette homes. We match on a test board first, adjust the mix and the pressure, and only then touch your wall.
Scope
Every kind of drywall repair work we take on.
Holes and Impact Damage
Doorknobs, furniture, moving-day damage, and the hole behind where the TV mount used to be.
Water Damage Repair
Cut back to sound material, treat, replace, and finish. We will also tell you plainly if the leak is still active, because painting over that is money set on fire.
Ceiling Cracks and Nail Pops
Seasonal truss movement is normal in Wisconsin. Refastening and re-taping is the fix; skimming over it is not.
Texture Matching
The specialty. Knockdown, orange peel, skip trowel, and smooth, matched on a board first and then blended into your wall.
Plaster Repair
Older near-east and near-west Madison homes have real plaster over lath. It repairs differently than drywall and we treat it that way.
Corner Bead and Trim Damage
Dented and rusted metal bead cut out and replaced rather than mudded over, which is why it failed the first time.
How we work
Step by step, no surprises.
You will know what is happening in your house on every one of these days before the first one starts.
- 01
Find the cause first
A crack that keeps coming back is a movement problem, and a stain that keeps returning is an active leak. We diagnose before we repair, and we tell you if what you need is a roofer rather than a painter.
- 02
Cut back to sound material
Soft, crumbling, or water-stained board comes out. Compound bridged over compromised drywall fails on the same schedule the drywall does.
- 03
Patch and tape
Backing installed, patch cut to fit, mesh or paper tape depending on the joint, and the first compound coat set.
- 04
Build and feather
Two to three coats, each wider than the last, feathered 18 to 24 inches out and sanded between. This is where the repair becomes invisible.
- 05
Match the texture
We mix and spray a test board, compare it against your wall in the room's own light, adjust, and only then apply it to the repair.
- 06
Prime and paint corner to corner
The repair gets sealed with primer, then the wall is painted wall-to-wall. Spot-painting a repair leaves a sheen halo that is more visible than the patch was.
Our work
More drywall repair photosDrywall Repair projects.
How much does drywall repair cost in Madison?
It is priced on the size of the damage, whether it is a ceiling or a wall, and how hard the existing texture is to match. Ceiling repairs cost more than wall repairs because everything happens overhead, and water damage costs more than impact damage because more material has to come out before anything goes back. Small repairs are often folded into a painting job at little additional cost, which is worth asking about.
Why does a small repair take three days?
Because joint compound has to dry fully between coats and a repair needs two to three coats to feather out properly. The hands-on time is a few hours. Forcing all the coats into one day is exactly what causes a repair to crack and show through a year later.
Can you match my existing wall texture?
Yes, and it is the part of this work we are known for. We match knockdown, orange peel, skip trowel, and smooth plaster. We always spray a test board and compare it against your wall in that room's own light before touching the repair.
My ceiling has a water stain. Can you just paint over it?
Only after the leak is fixed and the material is dry and sound. If it is dry, a stain-blocking primer seals it so it does not bleed back through. If the board is soft, it has to come out. We will tell you which one you have, honestly, even when it is the answer nobody wants.
Do you repair plaster, not just drywall?
Yes. Plenty of homes on Madison's near east and near west sides have real plaster over wood lath. It cracks differently, keys differently, and needs a bonding approach that drywall compound alone will not deliver. We treat it as its own material.
Do I have to repaint the whole wall after a repair?
For a visible wall, yes, and we recommend it strongly. Even a perfect texture match will show a sheen difference where the new paint meets old paint. Painting corner to corner costs a little more and is the difference between a repair you cannot find and one you always can.