We were a drywall crew before we were a water crew
Eagle Restoration Services started out hanging drywall, blowing insulation and painting. That is why this page is the longest on the site. Most restoration companies treat drywall as the thing they tear out. We treat it as the thing we put back, and the way it comes out decides how good it looks going back in.
Does wet drywall always have to be replaced?
No. The answer depends on the water, the time and the board.
| Condition | What we usually do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clean water, caught fast, board firm | Dry in place, monitor with a meter | Gypsum can dry if the paper face and core are intact |
| Board soft, swollen or crumbling at the bottom | Cut out above the wet line | The core has lost strength and will not recover |
| Water was gray or black | Cut out | Porous board holds what the water carried |
| Ceiling board sagging | Remove after the area is made safe | Wet ceiling board is heavy and can come down |
| Visible mold on the paper | Cut out with containment sized to the area | EPA sizes mold jobs by square feet |
How we decide where to cut
We map moisture in a grid around the wet spot until readings drop to match a dry wall in your house. That edge is where the damage stops. Then we cut a little above it in a straight line, usually at a height where a full or half sheet can go back without a patchwork of seams. A clean straight cut makes a clean repair. A ragged hole makes a ragged one.
- Baseboard comes off first so it can go back on if it is solid wood or MDF that stayed dry.
- Wet insulation behind the board comes out. Fiberglass that is soaked does not dry back to full value, and blown cellulose packs down.
- Studs and bottom plates get read too. Wood dries slower than gypsum.
Drying the cavity before anything closes up
Once the wall is open, air movers push air across the studs and a dehumidifier pulls the water out of the room. We log readings each visit. Nothing gets hung until the framing matches the dry standard. Closing a wet wall is how a small leak turns into a mold job a month later.
Hanging, taping and texture that matches
If your walls carry a sprayed texture like orange peel or knockdown, a smooth patch shows from across the room. We feather the tape joints wide, prime the new board, and spray texture to match the old pattern and the old height. Then we paint the whole wall from corner to corner. Paint a square on an old wall and the square always shows.
Hang
New board screwed to dry framing, seams placed off the corners of doors and windows where cracks like to start.
Tape and mud
Paper or mesh tape, then two or three coats of compound, feathered wide.
Prime
Primer seals new paper and mud so texture and paint take the same as the old wall.
Texture
Matched by eye and by sample board before it goes on your wall.
Paint
Full wall plane, cut in at the corners and the ceiling line.
Ceilings after a leak from above
A ceiling stain from an upstairs bath, a roof leak in a monsoon storm or an AC drain line in the attic all start the same way. Water pools on the back of the board until it finds a seam or a light fixture. If a ceiling is bowed or dripping, keep people out from under it. We open the ceiling where readings say, dry the attic side, and replace and texture the ceiling to match. Wet blown insulation above the ceiling usually comes out with it.
What drywall repair costs here
National guides put drywall restoration at about $1.50 to $3 per square foot. The final number depends on how many sheets come out, ceiling or wall, how much texture matching it needs, and whether the whole room needs paint to blend. We write drywall, insulation and paint as separate lines so you can see each one, and so an adjuster can too.
Signs the drywall behind your wall is wet
- Paint bubbling or peeling near the floor or around a tub
- Baseboard that has swollen or pulled away from the wall
- A soft spot when you press with a thumb
- A musty smell in a closet or behind a washer
- A brown ring on the ceiling under a bathroom or an AC unit