Drywall damage in Miami homes often comes from water: a roof leak, an air conditioner drain line or a pipe in the wall. Once the leak is fixed, we cut out soft board, patch, match the texture and prime so the repair does not show through the paint. Settling cracks and dents are handled the same careful way.
Water is behind most drywall repairs we see in Miami. A roof leak after a storm leaves a brown ring on the ceiling. An air conditioner drain line clogs and soaks the wall beside the air handler closet. A window leaks in driving rain and the board under the sill goes soft. The leak has to be found and stopped first, by a roofer, plumber or air conditioning technician as needed. Then the wall has to dry. Only after that does a repair make sense.
We cut out drywall that is soft, crumbling or moldy, back to firm board, and fit a new piece to the framing or furring behind it. Small holes from door knobs, anchors and old cable lines are patched. Joints are taped and covered with joint compound in several thin coats, each one wider than the last and sanded smooth, so the patch does not show as a hump. If the wall or ceiling has a texture, such as knockdown or orange peel, we match it on the patch before priming.
Primer is the step people skip, and it shows. Fresh compound soaks up paint differently from the wall around it, and an old water stain will bleed through ordinary paint. We seal stains with a stain blocking primer and prime every patch. Then we paint the whole wall or ceiling from corner to corner where we can, because touching up only the patch usually leaves a visible square. Dust is kept down with covered floors, closed doors and sanding tools connected to a vacuum where the job allows.
Drywall repair in Miami: common questions
Can you just paint over a water stain on my ceiling?
Not with ordinary paint. The stain will come back through. Once the leak is fixed and the board is dry and firm, we seal the stain with a stain blocking primer and then repaint the ceiling. Soft or sagging board is replaced.
What if there is mold on the drywall?
Tell us before we start. Small spots of surface mildew on sound paint can be cleaned and sealed. Drywall that is moldy through the board has to be cut out. Large areas of mold after a flood or long leak are work for a mold remediation company, not a painter.
Will the patch show after it is painted?
A good patch should be hard to find. That takes feathered compound, matched texture, primer and repainting the full wall. Strong side light from a window is the hardest test, so we check the repair in that light before finishing.
How it works
- Free estimate: Call, text or book online. We walk the job and measure.
- Written quote: Prep, paint and price in writing.
- Prep & protect: We cover floors and furniture, repair and prime surfaces.
- Paint & walk-through: Two coats, clean lines, full clean-up and a final walk-through.