Drywall & Plaster Repair in NYC
Holes, cracks, anchor craters, doorknob dents — patched, sanded, painted, and vacuumed like it never happened.
· usually within 2 days · exact quote from a photo, before the visit · minimum $90
Drywall repair in NYC costs from $140 flat for a patch plus paint — that covers cutting out the damage, a new patch, compound, sanding, primer, and paint. Larger jobs and prewar plaster repair run $75–95/hour with a flat quote from photos before I arrive. Evenings and Sundays available; cleanup included.
Text me a photo of the hole next to something for scale — a credit card works — and you’ll get a flat price back from me personally, usually within the hour.
What’s Included in a Drywall Repair Visit
A patch that shows is a patch done wrong. Here’s the process:
- Assess and open up. I cut back to solid material. A crumbly edge under new compound is a crack waiting to come back.
- Proper backing. Anything bigger than an anchor hole gets a real drywall patch with backing strips — not a wad of spackle and hope.
- Compound, sand, repeat. Usually two to three coats, feathered wide so the repair disappears instead of announcing itself under your lamp light.
- Primer and paint. Patching without painting is a job half done, so paint is in the $140. Bring your leftover can for a perfect match, or I’ll get it matched.
- Cleanup included. Sanding dust travels. I use dust catchers while sanding and vacuum before I go.
Common jobs: doorknob holes, anchor and screw holes, TV mount holes (often right before I do a new TV mounting two feet to the left), cracks over doorways, tape seams letting go, water-stain repairs after the leak above you is fixed, and full-wall smoothing before a repaint. If the wall needs more than a patch, painting touch-ups start at $150 per room.
Prewar Plaster vs. Drywall: Know What Your Wall Is
Huge NYC distinction. Postwar buildings and renovations have standard drywall — predictable, easy to patch. Prewar buildings, brownstones, and older walk-ups have plaster over wood lath or over brick: harder, thicker, and it fails differently. Plaster cracks in long diagonal lines, delaminates from the lath in bulges, and laughs at regular spackle.
Plaster repair in NYC apartments means setting-type compounds, sometimes plaster washers to pull loose sections tight to the lath, and wider feathering. It takes longer than drywall, which is why plaster work is quoted from photos rather than one flat number — but the result on a 1920s wall, done properly, outlives both of us.
Building logistics are handled too: co-ops and condos often have their own paperwork and quiet-hours rules, and I plan the visit around them — patching is mercifully low-noise work anyway. Fifth-floor walk-up? Fine. My compound buckets have seen worse stairs.
Move-Out Repairs: Cheaper Than Losing Your Deposit
Moving out of a rental? Landlords in this city deduct aggressively for wall damage. A single visit — patch every hole, paint over every scuff — typically costs a fraction of what disappears from a deposit. I do a lot of these, often on Sundays right before a Monday walkthrough, because that’s when everyone remembers the gallery wall. Landlords and property managers doing turnovers: there’s a page for you too.
What I Don’t Do
- Skim-coating entire apartments or hanging new drywall for renovations. That’s a multi-day plastering crew job, not a repair visit.
- Water damage where the leak is still active. I fix the wall after a licensed plumber fixes the pipe — patching a wet wall is just scheduling the next repair. (Small stuff like a running toilet or faucet swap I do handle.)
- Mold remediation. Surface staining I can treat and seal; actual mold behind the wall needs a remediation specialist, and I’ll tell you honestly if I see it.
- Anything structural. A crack that keeps growing or a sagging ceiling gets an honest “call an engineer,” not a cosmetic cover-up.
Prices (Flat, From)
- Drywall patch + paint — from $140
- Room touch-up paint — from $150
- Tub re-caulk — from $120 (see caulking & grout)
- Heavy mirror or shelf re-hang after repair — from $60–90
- Larger plaster/drywall work — $75–95/hour, flat quote from photos
- Minimum visit — $90. Materials extra.
Full list on the pricing page. The number I text you is the number on the invoice.
Why One Guy Beats an App
Platforms send whoever grabbed the job — and drywall is a craft where “close enough” shows every time the light hits the wall. With me, the same person quotes it, patches it, paints it, and answers the phone if anything ever needs a touch-up. 30-day warranty on labor in writing, evenings and Sundays, dust vacuumed. Send the photo. Get your flat quote.
Letters to the desk — answered
How much does drywall repair cost in NYC?
A standard patch with paint is from $140 flat. Bigger or multiple repairs are quoted at $75–95/hour, and I'll give you a flat number from photos before the visit. Minimum visit is $90.
Can you repair plaster walls in a prewar apartment?
Yes. Prewar plaster over lath needs different materials and more patience than drywall, but it patches beautifully when done right. Send a photo and I'll quote it flat.
Will the paint match my wall?
If you have the leftover can, perfect — exact match. If not, I can get paint matched at the store from a chip or use a standard landlord white. I'll be straight with you about how invisible the result will be on older, sun-faded walls.
Can you fix all the holes before I move out so I get my deposit back?
That's one of my most common jobs. Anchor holes, TV mount holes, gallery wall scars — patched and painted in one visit, usually a few hours. Way cheaper than what a landlord deducts.
Is there a warranty on the repair?
Yes — 30 days on labor, in writing. If a patch cracks or the paint lifts because of how the work was done, text me and I'll come back and fix it.
How long does a drywall patch take?
A small patch with fast-setting compound is done and painted in one visit of 2–3 hours. Larger holes sometimes need a second short visit so the compound can fully cure before paint.