How Long Does it Take to Repair Drywall?

Sometimes drywall gets damaged.  The cause can be anything from a plumbing leak to a rambunctious child, but the result is the same - you need your drywall repaired.  While this might seem like a daunting task, the good news is that most drywall repairs are quick and easy if you have the right tools and skills.

Small to medium sized holes are the simplest to repair.  The work itself can be completed in as little as 15 minutes, plus approximately 24 hours for the mud and paint to dry.  The larger the hole, the more time it will take, but repairing a hole will rarely take a skilled technician more than a couple hours.

Cracked drywall is a little more time consuming to repair.  Depending on the depth of the crack, it may be necessary to scrape out old, crumbling mud and drywall.  The crack must then be filled, retaped, and covered with mud in layers of decreasing thickness until a smooth finish is achieved.  Once everything is dry, the area can be sanded and painted.  The whole process can take a couple days (depending on the size of the crack), but much of this time is spent simply waiting for the mud to dry.

If your drywall has been damaged by water, the process can be much more involved (depending on the degree of the damage).  Small damaged areas can be repaired much like a hole - the damaged material is cut away and new material is installed in its place.  The more water that your drywall absorbed and the longer it was exposed to water, the more time consuming the repair will be.

If your house flooded, you are looking at a much larger project than just a simple drywall repair.  The main reason for this actually has nothing to do with drywall - it is all due to the probable presence of mold.  In any area where water has been standing for any length of time, mold has most likely begun to grow.  Ensuring that all mold is removed requires much more than just removing and replacing the wet portion of drywall.  Often entire panels or even entire walls will need to be torn out and replaced.  Depending on the size of the affected area and the intensity of mold removal required, you can expect this process to take at least several days.

Whatever type of damage has happened to your drywall, all is not lost.  Because of the way it is manufactured and installed, drywall is fairly simple to cut away and replace when needed.  While the most extreme cases might take several days to repair, most small repairs will be complete in a matter of hours.  So when a hole shows up in your wall two days before you are hosting a party, do not fret.  Give us a call - we will make your walls look like new in no time!

Still have questions? Need a quote?  Our professionals are here to help with all your drywall needs!