Should I hire a handyman or a drywall contractor?

For a few nail holes, a doorknob hole, a hairline crack or one water-stained patch, a handyman is usually the practical hire: the work is small, mixed with other jobs, and priced by the visit. Call a drywall or painting contractor when the job is a whole room, a ceiling, a new section of drywall, a textured surface to match, or a wall that has to look flawless in strong light. In Virginia the size of the job also decides who may legally take it on.

When a handyman is the right call

A handyman fits the small, mixed list: three holes in the hallway, a towel bar that pulled out, a cracked corner bead, and the sticking closet door, all in one visit. The repairs are short, the drying time between coats can be fitted around other tasks, and you avoid paying a specialist's minimum for each small item. If you want to try the simplest repairs yourself, see how to patch a small hole in drywall.

When a drywall or painting contractor fits better

Specialists earn their price on large and visible work: hanging and finishing new board, replacing a ceiling section, matching orange-peel or knockdown texture, or making a long wall look uniform. Finish quality has limits even for experts. USG's own guidance says that, depending on the finisher's skill, the light and the paint, distinct shadows at the joints may be visible even when completed by the most highly skilled professionals available in the industry.^[7]

Light and sheen raise the bar. USG says the standard Level 4 drywall finish is not recommended under non-flat or dark paints or where critical lighting is present,^[8] and that skim coating the entire surface, a Level 5 finish, will minimize these imperfections.^[8] If your living room has a wall of west-facing windows and you want satin paint, that is a finisher's job, and it is worth saying so in the request.

What Virginia requires

No one may engage in contracting work in Virginia without a licence,^[2] and the Class C licence covers a single job worth over $1,000 but less than $30,000.^[1] DPOR's consumer guide says that if the work is valued at $1,000 or more, a valid Virginia contractor's license is required,^[5] and a whole-house repair and repaint can pass that line quickly.

The licence also has to fit the work. The Board for Contractors has a drywall contracting (DRY) specialty for installing, taping and finishing drywall, and a painting and wallcovering (PTC) specialty that includes the surface preparation, caulking and sanding before paint.^[3] The broader home improvement (HIC) specialty also covers both kinds of work on a house,^[3] which is why many licensed handyman businesses hold it. But the HIC specialty does not cover electrical, plumbing, HVAC or gas fitting,^[3] so moving an outlet or a pipe inside the opened wall is a job for a licensed tradesman.

DPOR's consumer guide warns: "A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor’s license is valid."^[5] Look the business up. Hiring licensed has practical benefits too: Virginia law requires licensed contractors to give a written contract for residential work,^[5] and the state's Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund can pay claims up to $20,000 to consumers who win a court judgment against a licensed contractor for improper or dishonest conduct.^[5] For more, see whether it is illegal to hire an unlicensed contractor.

Older homes and fire-rated walls

In a home built before 1978, anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home must be certified in lead-safe work practices, and that includes sole proprietors.^[6] That applies to a handyman and a drywall contractor alike, so ask for the certification before work starts.

A wall or ceiling that is part of a fire-rated assembly is a special case. Virginia's building code requires a permit for the repair or replacement of any required component of a fire or smoke rated assembly,^[4] and USG notes that a fire-rated repair must use like materials to restore the assembly to its original condition.^[9] A business that does that kind of repair will know the permit and the board type; one that shrugs at the question is the wrong hire for that wall.

Comparing quotes

DPOR's guide recommends at least three written bids using the same specifications, and not automatically accepting the lowest,^[5] and a deposit of no more than 10% of the price or $1,000, whichever is less.^[5] Ask each business the same questions: how many coats and visits, which primer, whether they repaint the whole wall or touch up, how they control dust, and what happens if they open the wall and find water damage. See what drywall repair costs in Virginia for what moves the price.

Stop and call a pro if

• The drywall is wet, sagging or stained from above. Stop the water first, then hire for the repair.
• Cracks keep reopening, run diagonally from door and window corners, or doors have started to stick at the same time. That is a question about the structure, not the patch.
• The repair is on a wall or ceiling that is part of a fire-rated assembly, or would mean moving wiring, plumbing or ductwork inside the wall.
• The house was built before 1978 and the job means sanding or cutting old paint or texture.

Find someone

Browse drywall and paint services and drywall patching, find handyman businesses or painting businesses around Blacksburg, or read the other handyman answers.

When you know what you need, describe the drywall repair once and local businesses quote it.