Palm Harbor Drywall Repair Is More Important Than You Think—Here's Why

When you consider all the various components and materials that go into a building, drywall is probably not the first thing that comes to your mind. It may not even be the tenth thing, even though it's one of the most visible parts of a building's interior. That's actually pretty understandable because it is made to fade right into the background and most homeowners rarely think of it—right up until it has suffered unsightly damage such as cracks, holes, stains, and softened patches, and you can't help but notice every time you walk into the room. When that happens, it’s important to fix those problems as quickly and effectively as possible with professional Palm Harbor drywall repair services.

Issues like door knob holes or cracks are not just an unattractive appearance problem. Drywall damage can cause serious issues for homeowners and business owners alike that range from decreased fire protection to much higher charges on your monthly utility bills. You can avoid the unpleasant consequences of damaged walls and ceilings by hiring a qualified handyman to provide expert Palm Harbor drywall repair services.

Ready to get your walls and ceilings looking great again? Count on your local Palm Harbor handyman to restore them to a smooth, unblemished condition. The team of service professionals at Mr. Handyman serving Palm Harbor, Clearwater, and Largo have years of experience with Palm Harbor drywall repair and dozens of other reliable handyman services. We are proud to deliver the highest standards of quality workmanship and exceptional customer care on every job.

What Is Drywall Made Of?

Drywall, which is also called Sheetrock, gypsum board, wall board, and a number of other nicknames, is essentially a sheet of gypsum (a soft, sulfate mineral) encased in thick sheets of the backer and face paper. It typically also contains additives such as flame retardants to make it less flammable and moisture inhibitors to help avoid water damage.

How Does Drywall Damage Affect Homes in Palm Harbor, FL?

It may seem like drywall is just there to make your house look good by hiding whatever's tucked away inside the walls from sight—and in all honesty, that is a big part of its role in your building's structure. But Sheetrock actually does a lot more than just give your ceilings and walls a smooth, even surface, and when it's damaged, it can't properly protect your household against nasty problems like rodent and insect infestations, or significant increases to the energy charges on your utility bill. Here are five ways your home suffers when it's in need of professional Palm Harbor drywall repair services.

Higher Energy Bills

It stands to reason that a broken window or missing pieces of siding could increase energy loss and inflate your utility bill, but sheetrock is inside your house, so what's the problem? It comes down to heat transfer. According to the laws of nature, thermal energy will always try to move from a warmer place to a colder place. That means in the heat of the summer, when your air conditioner is blasting away to cool down your house, heat from the sun is trying to get in through any weak points and warm up your house. Heat transfer changes the temperature in your house and your air conditioner has to operate for longer periods of time to make up for it. Since it's already fairly costly to run your AC, that additional operation time can really add up on your bill.

The effects of heat transfer are a lot more pronounced when you have drywall issues such as cracks and holes, but there's another problem that increases your energy bill. Holes and cracks let cool air from your AC escape inside the walls, which means your HVAC system has a lot more air volume to cover and needs to run for longer to change the temperature inside your walls—which is, of course, a big waste of money because no one lives in there. Palm Harbor drywall repair can make a noticeable difference by reducing your energy usage so you don't have to pay so much.

Pest Infestations

Destructive pests such as rats, mice, termites, cockroaches, carpenter ants, and more are opportunistic creatures that like to work smart, not hard. While they are capable of making a hole in drywall, it's a lot of work and they're not sure what they'll find on the other side. To them, it makes a lot more sense to take advantage of existing holes and cracks to get inside your walls and take over your house, making it a lot less comfortable and sanitary for you and your family. By getting those potential entry points taken care of as soon as possible with Palm Harbor drywall repairs from a qualified handyman, you can discourage pest infestations so they'll go looking for easier access in someone else's home.

Inadequate Sound Separation

If you share a household with family members who keep odd hours or don't like using their inside voices, it's nice to be able to go into another room and shut the door for some quiet time once in a while. But if your walls or ceilings are riddled with cracks and holes, it seriously reduces the sound separation between rooms so you can hear every bump or whisper from the next room. That can be seriously irritating in a single-family house, but it's sometimes downright unbearable in a multi-family dwelling like a condo or duplex. Our Palm Harbor drywall repair specialists can get those trouble spots patched up and give you back the peace and quiet you've been craving.

Less Protection Against Fire

We mentioned above that Sheetrock normally contains chemical additives that make it less flammable. Your drywall isn't going to be able to completely stop a raging house fire, but it can help to keep the flames contained in one room or part of the house until the fire can be put out. If it's suffered serious damage though, there's no barrier to stop the interior of your walls from catching on fire and quickly spreading throughout the entire building. Having those trouble spots sealed up with expert Palm Harbor drywall repair will help to protect your home and could stop a terrible situation from being even worse.

Conceals Serious Problems

If you have certain types of damage on your walls or ceilings, it may be hiding much worse problems underneath the surface. That's especially true for water damage. Brown water stains, softened patches, and other issues are caused by excessive moisture, and that water must be coming from somewhere. If it's something like a hidden plumbing leak or leaking roof, it needs to be handled right away. A leak can cause extensive damage in a very short amount of time if it's allowed to run unchecked, so the sooner you can get that wall opened up and discover the true source of the problem, the better. If you can see visible signs of water seeping through your ceiling or wall, chances are good that there's much worse lurking just behind the Sheetrock.

What Causes the Need for Palm Harbor Drywall Repair?

It's possible that you know exactly what happened to your wall or ceiling because you watched it happen right in front of your horrified eyes—maybe it suffered an impact from a careless furniture mover, or your cat prefers the wall to their perfectly good scratching post. But sometimes the origins of drywall damage are a complete mystery. That's especially true when it comes to moisture problems. If a brown water stain just appears on the ceiling one day or you notice the drywall in a corner of your room is softened and crumbling apart, you may not have any idea what caused the problem until you get a Palm Harbor drywall repair professional to take a look at it. Here are a few of the most common causes of damage we've seen in Palm Harbor homes and businesses:

• Holes from nails, screws, and hooks
• Holes from drywall anchors that are used to secure wall-mounted items such as a television or speaker, or used to tether heavy furniture such as bookcases or dressers to the wall
• Cracks, popping nails, loose joint tape and other damage caused by the normal shifting and settling of a building over time
• Pet damage such as gouges, chips, scratches and missing chunks caused by cats and dogs scratching or gnawing at the wall
• Moisture issues caused by a leaking roof, hidden plumbing leak, condensation in a poorly ventilated room or other potential sources of water
• Wear and tear damage that slowly worsens over a long period of time
• Cracks and holes that have been created or expanded by rodents or insects
• Poorly done popcorn ceiling removal in which the scraper tool pushed too deep and damaged the drywall surface

Is It Cheaper to Repair or Replace Drywall?

That's a fair question because there are a lot of things around your house that are better off being replaced entirely instead of repaired. But in most cases, drywall is not one of them. Even large holes or patches of damage can usually be dealt with through Palm Harbor drywall repair services. If the damage is very severe and widespread across an entire room, then yes, it's going to need to be replaced. But if we're talking about a problem that is localized to one or two panels of sheetrock, in most cases just those panels can be replaced. It'll all be smoothed out with joint compound, sanded to an even finish, and painted over, so the repairs will be completely invisible by the time we're done.

Can Amateurs Do Drywall Repair in Palm Harbor, FL?

You may be thinking of giving DIY repairs a try—how hard can it be? Well, that really depends on the size and extent of the damage. If we're only talking about holes from nails, screws, or anchors, then that's something most people can manage to get fixed up on their own. But the bigger the problem, the more complicated the drywall repair job is going to be.

For a small hole that is larger than a nail hole but less than four inches in diameter, the best way to handle it is usually with an adhesive mesh drywall patch. That involves putting the patch in place, covering it with joint compound, sanding the dried compound and then painting over top of it with the same color paint that's already on the wall. If you don't have the same color, the whole room will need repainting to conceal the patched area. This does require practice, technique, and a steady hand to get the repair to be completely invisible, so if it's in a prominent area and needs to look great, you're better off leaving it to our skilled technicians.

For even bigger holes that are more than four inches in diameter, a mesh patch isn't going to cut it. You would need to cut out a square of Sheetrock where the damage is, place a bracing support piece behind it, and then put in a new piece of Sheetrock and drill it into the wall studs before the finishing steps to hide it. This is a far more complex process that should be left to a Palm Harbor drywall repair professional if you care at all about what the results will look like.

Time for Palm Harbor Drywall Repair? Rely On Your Local Handyman to Get the Job Done

Whether you're in Palm Harbor or another nearby part of the Tampa Bay area in Florida such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or Indian Shores, you can count on outstanding customer service and workmanship from the team of professionals at Mr. Handyman serving Palm Harbor, Clearwater, and Largo. Our services aren't just for residences—businesses in Palm Harbor and other communities can count on the same trustworthy service for commercial buildings. All of our team members undergo an employee background check program, and we're confident you'll be pleased with our professional, capable repair services.

Pick up the phone and get in touch with us today by calling to request an appointment at a convenient time, or to chat with our friendly customer service staff and find out more about the residential services and commercial services we offer in Palm Harbor, FL.