Fixing holes in your walls-sheetrock-ceilings wall repair Syracuse New York Donigan Painting

 We've all done it one way or the other and hit a hole in are walls-ceilings that needs to be repaired.  From a doorknob hitting the wall, a lacrosse ball going through the ceiling, or someone with a misguided fist.  Repairing a damaged wall or ceiling may be easier than you thought.  The tools you need are pretty basic and usually available one way or the other.  Here's a list of what you will need and the steps to putting it in action.

Tools-Materials:

1.  Sheetrock: Depending on the size of the hole-area you may need more or less sheetrock.  For small repairs you can buy a tiny piece of sheetrock in your big box painting section that are pretty inexpensive. They're about the size of a floor tile or 1'x1'.

2.  Straight edge:  a ruler-level-book-something that has an even straight edge to draw a square to replace the old sheetrock.  

3.  Measuring tape:  to measure the length x width to get your surface area to cut the new sheetrock.  It doesn't have to be fancy or big just something to get the right number in inches to cut the new sheetrock.

4. Utility knife:  A sharp utility knife is what you will use to cut the new sheetrock after you have measured the new dimensions for the replacement. You will have to repeatedly cut the same line on the sheetrock until the knifes blade goes all the way through for each sides cut.  Knives are cheap.  Everything you need can be bought at Harbor Freight on the cheap.

5.  Coarse Sheetrock Screws:  Buy a small box of 1.5 inch to use for fastening the new sheetrock and wood to the hole

6.  Drill with Philips head bit:  Using a power drill will significantly lower the headache threshold of using a screwdriver to complete this job.  Buy one or borrow one you won't regret it.  

7.  Joint Compound:  For smaller patches you will need nothing more than a gallon which are readily available at any hardware store.

8.  Joint compound blades or knife 4 inch minimum.  The four inch width of the blade is usually sufficient to apply joint compound to smaller patches evenly.  

Once you have gathered the tools-materials it is time to get to work.  

Step 1.  Remove the damaged sheetrock using your utility knife.  When removing the damaged area draw an even square around the damaged area so it is symmetrical.  Once drawn simply repeatedly cut on the same line or side of the box you have drawn until the blade goes all the way through.  You will know its through because it will become much easier to move the blade.  Do this on all sides until you can cleanlily pull the bad piece of rock out.  The damaged section should almost fallout because it's been cut so loose.

Step 2.  Find or buy a small piece of wood that will fit in the hole you have cut on each side of it inside the wall.  This part can be a little tricky but if you have a helping hand have them hold the piece of wood inside the wall while you fasten it with the sheetrock screws.  Note:  The piece of wood should be narrow enough to fit through the hole but long enough to extend a bit on each side when placed inside the wall to fasten it. So for instance, if you have a 3x3 patch to replace you are going to want about a 4-5 inch length of wood that can fir trough the 3 inch hole and extends beyond the length into the old sheetrock so it can be fastened. 

Step 3. Measure and cut the new piece of sheetrock slightly smaller than the hole so it fits without cramming it in. To get the proper dimensions measure the length and width of the hole with your measuring tape and using your straight edge and utility knife draw a box in this case that is a little under 3x3 inches and cut out your new piece of sheetrock. 

 Step 4.  Place the new piece of sheetrock in the hole against the wood you installed to back it and fasten it.  Put a few screws into the sheetrock to fasten it to the wood backer.  

Step 5.  Open your joint compound and apply a thin coat filling in the cracks around the new piece of sheetrock and leveling out or making the area inside your patch even with the rest of the wall.  You may need to apply at least two0thre coats depending on your skill level  

 Step 6. Once the patch has dried sand it flush-even with the existing area-prime -paint.

* Here's a video I did that gives you a better idea.  It's a quick watch and if you are anything like me I'd rather see it so I have a better idea.  Good Luck! 

https://youtu.be/viisfjdpUDI?si=n1rV9J6ZKZxJcvsw

Donigan Painting EPA RRP Certified

224 Ross Park

Syracuse New York 13208

315-313-3254

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Repairing water damaged ceilings and walls, ice dams, water leaks Syracuse New York Donigan Painting

 This time of year, thaws and freezing temperatures combined with melting water can cause some headaches.  Alot of times water will find its way into your ceilings and walls when snow begins to melt and happens to seep into any crack and work its way as far in as it can often staining sheetrock with yellowish stains that can be very stubborn to remove.  No problem there are a few ways to handle these pesky stains.  First off wherever the water is seeping in needs to be found and repaired.  I have worked on plenty of these leaks and the smallest crack or hole can cause huge problems.  During the winter it can be fixed but likely will cost you due to the difficulty and danger working on a roof in freezing temperatures and getting the roof repair to stick literally.  After the hole is sealed fixing the stain is the easier and less costly of the two procedures.  Typically, when addressing a water stain, I start with basics first.

1.  If the stain is only on the surface of the sheetrock and has not wet rotted the area you are in luck.  Often times a 50-50 mixture of bleach and water in a spray bottle will neutralize the stain ending the problem after it dries and fades.  If the wall or area is painted anything other than flat white you're going to need to touch it up and hopefully have some old paint around. The bleach and water may need to be applied a few times to achieve the best results.  In some case the stain will not go you can buy a spray can of specifically oil primer to seal the stains.  Oil primer does the trick not latex so buy oil.  If the stained area is discolored chances are you will have to paint the entire ceiling to match unfortunately.  Job done

2.  If the stain has rotted the surrounding sheetrock, no matter the size, it will have to be cut out and replaced with a new piece of sheetrock.      This requires some skill and basic tools.  This type of repair is called a California Patch.  Basically, you squarely cut out the damaged section as evenly as possible.  Using a straight edge of some sort you can draw a near perfect square that will be replaced.  Cut out the damaged area with a utility knife or drywall saw. Place a small piece of wood on the inside of the hole and fasten it with sheetrock screws to each side of the hole.  Measure and cut out a near identical square to what was removed and simple screw it into the piece of fastened wood and tape-mud-sand-paint. 

3.  The third scenario is if it has been a prolonged leak that has caused serious rot.  Typically, this type of damage will take quite some time to develop.  The procedure is the same as the second case above but will involve removing rotted 2x4's , installing in new wood, new blocking to fasten the new sheetrock. If you have not done this type of more extensive wall repair now is the time to call a professional. Someone who does this regularly will be able to save you days of work and the headache that comes with not knowing if you are doing it correctly. 

 

Please call us for a fast-free quote!

Donigan Painting 

224 Ross Park

Syracuse, New York 13208

315-313-3254 

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Top questions when hiring a professional painter, painting contractor, painter Syracuse New York 2026

 So you have decided to hire a professional painter for your next project.  Here are some basic questions I have heard over the course of 30 years that may help you thin the herd.  Before listing them, I recommend getting at least 3 quotes so you can see the range of "professionals" you can choose to work with.  The nice thing about this approach is that you will be able to see them as in do they appear professional, do they sound knowledgeable, fit the role.  Next you will see the range of service you can get from one pro to another.  Undoubtly you will have some low bids, middle of the road bids and thru the roof bids.  Each have pros and cons.  If you have a small budget the low bid may be appealing but keep in mind with the low bidder materials are often much lower quality, the skill of the workers may not be what you expect, the job will not last as long.  With the middle of the road quotes you will see significantly more prep work, better materials, a higher level of skill, the job lasting longer.  With the high bids you will see multiple coats of primer-paint, extensive prep work and high-quality paints used and a warranty. Also, they should provide a typed quote with all the details of the job from materials, time frame, setup-prep-finish protocols. So let's get started.

With interior or exterior painting projects you want to make sure you are spending your money with the right company. Your home or property is more than likely your largest asset so why not spend the money to get it what you want. Painting your home is a cost-effective way to increase the value of your property without breaking the bank.  Paint jobs increase value.  In order to hire the right painting contractor ask some probing questions like:

* How long have you been in the business?

* Are you insured?

* What products do you typically use?

*Can you provide examples of your work?

* Do you warranty the job?  If so for how long?

*Are you doing the work with employees or subcontracting the work?  

* Whats your availability?

* How long can we expect the work to take?

* What can we expect during the process?

When it comes to choosing a professional painting, contractor do your diligence.  Professionals return calls promptly, show up on time, look the part, deliver results, stand by their work-reputation.

Donigan Painting

224 Ross Park

Syracuse, New York 13208

315-313-3254

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Interior Exterior House Painting Contractor Painter Syracuse New York

Donigan Painting recently completed an interior repaint in Syracuse New York.  a long time property investor and friend just bought a home to flip in Eastwood and needed it painted-cleaned.  We met at the house to walk thru and hash out the details.  I gave him an on the spot quote that he accepted and signed off on in the contract. Work started the nest week.  We began with setting up which included covering all the floors, masking windows-hardware, removing switch0-outlet covers.  Next we prepared all the surfaces for painting by sanding the walls-molding smooth with hand-machine sanding, repairs were made to dings-dents-scratches with joint compound was cleaned-primed.  Once prep work was finished we sprayed two coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar Ceiling paint.  All doors were removed and setup in a temporary spray area in the basement.  Two coats of Purcell's Benjamin Moore Advance Urethane were applied with a fine tip sprayer.  The walls were given three coats of paint using Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec in eggshell finish.  The doors were rehung with new hardware and knobs, each room was reset and we cleaned up.  Thank you for all the work Joe!

Donigan Painting

224 Ross Park

Syracuse, New York 13208

315-313-3254

https://doniganpainting.yourwebsitespace.com/

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Donigan Painting Syracuse New York

 Donigan Painting of Syracuse New York, the northside-Eastwood just completed an interior repaint on Wendall Terrace.  Teresa needed her first floor repainted.  The space had not been updated in decades, and she wanted to freshen it up.  The living room, kitchen, dining room and sunporches furniture was centered and covered with painter plastic.  Adjacent surfaces not being painted in each room were protected with painters paper.  All the floors were covered with clean drop cloths, switch-outlet-vents removed, curtains-blinds removed and stored safely.  Repairs were made to ceilings and walls using spot primer and joint compound to fill dings-dents-holes.  Next one two coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar Ceiling were applied using a brush and roller application.  Following this the walls and molding were lightly sanded to remove the sheen and promote maximum adhesion of the enamel.  Two coats of Purcells Regal Select in a light grey were applied to all the walls.  To wrap this one up two coats of Benjamin Moore Advance Alkyd were applied to all the molding.

Donigan Painting EPA RRP Certified

224 Ross Park

Syracuse, New York 13208

315-313-3254

Donigan Painting Interior Exterior Painting Contractor Syracuse New York

 Recently Donigan Painting completed an interior kitchen cabinet repaint in Syracuse New York.  Chad wanted to update his dated oak kitchen cabinets with ta new color instead of buying all new ones.  Once the quote was accepted, we began work shortly after.  We started by removing all the cabinets doors-drawers and setting them up in a makeshift spray booth in the customers basement.  All the old hardware was removed and discarded.  We sanded the faces of the cabinets-doors-drawers to remove the shiny gloss finish.  Next we cleaned the dust-grime of the cabinets before spraying them with Purcell's PPG Seal Grip Primer.  After setting up over night we lightly sanded them and they were cleaned once again.  Following this two coats of Purcells Benjamin Moore Advance Alkyd Enamel were applied.  Once the paint had dried long enought new hardware was installed and the cabinets were putback together.

Donigan Painting

224 Ross Park

Syracuse, New York 13208

315-313-3254

Donigan Painting Interior Exterior Painting Contractor Syracuse New York

 Donigan Painting completed an interior repaint in Syracuse, New York last week.  Kevin and Jen just bought a new home in Sedgwick and needed to have the interior repainted before they moved in. after accepting the quote work began promptly a few weeks later.  We started with setup that included covering all the hardwood floors-carpeting, taping-masking windows-cabinets, removing switch-outlet covers.  Prep work involved sanding all surfaces to smooth, cleaning these surfaces, repairing damage to the walls etc, caulking-filling holes on the molding, removing hardware.  Once prep work was completed, we sprayed two coats of Sherwin Williams ProMar Ceiling paint befor applying two coats of Purcell's Benjamin Moore Regal Select in an off-white eggshell finish.  The doors and all th molding were sprayed twice with a fine tip for factory finishes.

Donigan Painting

224 Ross Parjk

Syracuse, NY 13208

315-313-3254