Drywall Repair and Skim Coating in Santa Barbara

Drywall Skim Coating and Wall Repair

When new drywall is installed, it needs to be taped and mudded to achieve a seamless finish. We provide professional drywall services and offer a range of textures, including knockdown, orange peel, and skip trowel, to create the perfect finish for your walls.

We also provide a range of services to repair damaged drywall. If a piece of existing drywall is badly damaged, we will skim coat over it to present a newly finished wall surface that matches existing surfaces surrounding it. Our team of experts will take care of everything from start to finish, including priming and painting the wall corner-to-corner.

What Is Skim Coating?

It’s the process of applying a watered-down joint compound over cracks or texture inconsistencies to create a smooth surface, and can level uneven drywall seams.

Cracking is one of the biggest problems you’ll have to face with drywall. Ignoring it could lead to splitting paint and widening gaps over time, potentially allowing moisture to intrude deeper into walls. Homes expand, contract, and shift with foundation movement, temperature or humidity, which is why small hairline cracks often indicate movement beneath the surface.

How We Repair a Drywall Crack

1. Open the crack slightly and reinforce the joint underneath with compound.
2. Sand smooth.
3. Prime before repainting, essential for creating a uniform surface.

Doing this on the entire wall instead of patching is called skim coating.

What’s Included

• Taping and mudding new drywall for a seamless finish, in knockdown, orange peel or skip trowel textures
• Skim coating over badly damaged drywall to match the surrounding surfaces
• Patching holes and caulking open gaps and joints
• Restoring damaged drywall as close as possible to the original texture
• Sanding patches and spot priming so they do not flash once the paint dries
• Skim coating ceilings after popcorn removal, then priming them for paint
• Skim coating walls after wallpaper removal, for a smooth surface ready for painting or new wallpaper

Related Drywall Services

• Popcorn Ceiling Removal We carefully remove outdated textures to reveal smooth, modern ceilings you’ll love.
• Wallpaper and Wallcovering Installation Expert installation for seamless drywall and perfectly aligned wallpaper, every time.
• Interior Painting Beautifully finished walls and ceilings that set the tone for a clean, polished space.

New Drywall

As painting contractors, we expect all new drywall surfaces to be prime and paint-ready. The drywall company should have sanded and dusted the surfaces before installation. Our role in painting newly installed drywall generally includes:

• Re-dusting all surfaces to remove any remaining dust.
• Applying PVA wall sealer to all new drywall surfaces.
• Sanding all primed surfaces and then dusting them again.
• Caulking all corners wherever two pieces of drywall meet.

Frequently asked questions

Do you install and remove wallpaper?

Yes. We install commercial and residential wallpaper and vinyl-backed murals, from small bathrooms to large dining halls, and skim coat and prime the walls first when needed. To remove wallpaper we score it, loosen the adhesive and scrape or steam it off, then skim coat the walls. We don’t recommend painting over wallpaper, because the seams can peel. See our residential projects.

How do I get an estimate?

Send the estimate request form on our contact page, call (805) 448-1241 or email estimates@purplepainting.net. We’ll meet to discuss your options and prepare a fair and transparent estimate, and once you accept it, we get started right away.