Drywall and plaster repair in Montreal

What drywall and plaster repairs do you do?

We fix most of the damage you find on interior walls and ceilings in a Montreal home, condo or small office. Here’s the work we do most often:

• Holes of every size, from screw and anchor holes to a fist or doorknob through the drywall.
• Cracks in walls and ceilings, including the ones that come back every winter.
• Nail pops, where the screw or nail head pushes out through the paint.
• Dented or cracked outside corners. We replace the metal corner bead and rebuild the corner.
• Water-damaged sections after a leak, once the leak itself has been fixed.
• Loose, cracked or peeling plaster on lath in older plexes.
• Taping and mudding over bad seams, and skim coating walls that are too rough to paint.
• Replacing small sections of Gyprock, for example after an electrician or plumber opened the wall.

We work on small and medium jobs. We don’t drywall a full basement or take on renovation projects, but drywall installation for a few damaged sheets, a patched ceiling or a room full of cracks is exactly what we’re set up for.

Can you repair water damage on drywall or a ceiling?

Yes, as long as the source of the water has been fixed first. If a pipe, a tub or the unit upstairs is still leaking, call a plumber before you call us, or the new patch will get wet again.

Wet drywall goes soft and stains, and the paint starts to bubble or peel. We cut out the damaged section back to solid material, check that the framing and insulation behind it are dry, then install new drywall, tape it and finish it. A brown stain that’s dry and solid can often be sealed with a stain-blocking primer instead of being cut out. If you see mould spread over a large area, have it looked at by a mould specialist before any repair.

Do you repair plaster walls in older Montreal homes?

Yes. Plaster on lath is still behind the paint in a lot of plexes in the Plateau, Rosemont, Verdun and Villeray. It cracks as the building settles and when the heating dries the air out in January, and sometimes the plaster comes loose from the lath and sags.

We screw loose plaster back to the lath with plaster washers, fill the cracks with a setting compound, tape them and finish the wall smooth. Regular drywall filler alone tends to crack again on plaster. When a section is too far gone, we cut it out and fill the opening with drywall at the right thickness, so you get a flat wall. We evaluate the condition of the wall first and tell you honestly whether plaster work or a drywall patch makes more sense.

How much does drywall repair cost in Montreal?

We charge by the hour instead of quoting per patch or per square foot:

• Labour is $60 per hour, with a one-hour minimum.
• There’s a $50 travel fee per visit.
• Materials like compound, tape, corner bead and drywall are bought for the job, and you pay the store receipt.
• No tax is added to the hourly rate. You can pay by cash or e-transfer.

As an example, a doorknob hole and a few nail pops in one hallway might take about two hours of labour, so $120 plus $50 travel and the materials. Bigger repairs that need a second coat the next day mean a second visit and a second travel fee. Send us photos of the damage and we’ll give you a free estimate of the hours. For more on hourly pricing, see our guide to handyman costs in Montreal.

How long does drywall mud take to dry?

Regular premixed joint compound usually needs about 24 hours per coat before it can be sanded. Thick coats and a damp basement take longer. Setting compound, often called hot mud, is mixed from powder and hardens in 20 to 90 minutes depending on the type.

That’s why small patches can often be finished in one visit with setting compound, while a big repair or a skim coat over a whole wall usually takes two or three visits. Once the last coat is dry, we sand it, prime it and it’s ready to paint.

Can you repair drywall and paint on the same day?

Sometimes. A few small patches done with fast-setting compound can be sanded, primed and painted the same day. Larger repairs need to dry overnight first. Either way, it’s the same person doing the drywall repair and the painting, and we can match and repaint the whole wall so the patch doesn’t show. See our interior painting page for how we paint.

Should I fix drywall myself or hire a contractor?

Nail holes and small dents are a fine DIY job with a tub of filler and a putty knife. Call a drywall contractor or a handyman for holes bigger than a fist, ceiling cracks, damaged corners, plaster walls, water damage or anything that needs a skim coat. Those repairs are hard to sand flat, and paint shows every ridge.

Whoever you hire, ask how they protect the floor, the furniture and anything fragile, how they handle the dust generated by sanding, and whether the cleanup is included. We cover floors, contain the dust as well as we can and leave the room clean.

Which areas do you cover?

We’re based in Saint-Laurent and do residential drywall and plaster repair across Montreal, plus Laval, Brossard, Longueuil, Pointe-Claire and nearby areas of Greater Montreal. We work in English and French. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, and weekend or same-day visits are sometimes possible when the schedule allows.

Drywall repair in Montreal: frequently asked questions

Ready to book? Call +1 (514) 757-1985 or send photos through our contact form. While we’re there, we can also handle baseboards and other carpentry or small home improvements.