Drywall Repair That Stays Repaired
A drywall patch isn’t just about closing the hole. It’s about closing it so well that the next person who walks into the room can’t tell where it was. That’s the standard we hold every repair to, whether it’s a doorknob hole in the hallway or a network of settling cracks across an 1920s Cabbagetown ceiling.
The difference between a 30-minute patch and an invisible one is mostly in the feathering. A quick fix puts mud over the hole and sands it flat. An invisible one extends the mud transition 8–12 inches past the actual patch on each side, sanded under raking light so there’s no telegraphing when paint goes on.
What We Actually Repair
Small holes (under 4”). Doorknob impacts, picture-hook tears, drilled openings that need to close. We use a backer-and-patch system that’s structurally sound and feathers invisibly.
Larger holes (4–24”). Plumbing access cuts, electrical openings, accidental impact damage. We cut a clean rectangle, scribe in a new piece of drywall, tape three sides, and feather wide.
Hairline cracks. Common in older Toronto homes from settling and seasonal humidity. We widen the crack with a utility knife, re-tape with mesh, and skim-coat the area before priming.
Settling cracks in pre-1960s homes. These are the persistent ones. Painting over them works for one season. The lasting fix uses mesh tape, a flexible sealer primer, and sometimes a backer board if the crack is at a structural transition point.
Nail pops. Drywall fasteners that have backed out behind the panel paper. We re-set the fastener, add a backup screw 1.5” away, and skim over both.
Ceiling repairs. Around HVAC and lighting changes, water-damage replacements, and texture-matched patches. Ceilings are harder than walls because gravity and overhead lighting both work against you.
Texture matching. Knockdown, stipple, orange peel, and older swirl textures all need to be matched after the repair so the patch reads as part of the original ceiling.
Settling Cracks in Older Toronto Homes
Pre-1960s Toronto homes — the Annex Victorians, the Cabbagetown row houses, the Riverdale and Leslieville bungalows — often have plaster-on-lath ceilings or balloon framing. Both move with the seasons. A crack that opened up in January and closed in July is a settling crack, and painting over it won’t hold.
The lasting fix is to widen the crack with a knife, embed mesh tape, skim-coat over the tape, prime with a flexible elastomeric sealer, and then paint. We’ve done this on hundreds of older Toronto homes and the cracks stay closed.
When a Patch Isn’t Enough
There are jobs where we’ll tell you honestly that a patch won’t last. Water-damaged drywall that’s spent more than a few days saturated needs to come out — patching over it traps moisture and grows mold. Structural cracks that follow a load path (across a header, around a doorway, down a corner) need the underlying issue addressed first. Crumbling plaster over lath that’s pulling away from the ceiling joists is often better converted to modern drywall than skim-coated yet again.
We’ll tell you which category your repair falls into before any work starts.
Where We Do Drywall Repair
Drywall repair across the Greater Toronto Area. Primary coverage includes Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough, with same-week scheduling for most residential repairs.
