How to cover a bad drywall job?
Short answerDo not hide a bad drywall job. Walk the wall with the customer under raking light, name the flaw, and redo the affected coats instead of painting over it. Cover-ups such as thick texture or heavy primer usually show later and cost the relationship.
The explanation
Most bad drywall comes from rushed drying, thin mud, poor sanding or uneven seams. Raking light, such as a work lamp held flat to the wall, shows ridges that normal room light hides. Use it first to judge how bad the problem really is.
Then choose the honest fix. Small ridges can be skim coated and sanded. Cracked tape needs to be cut out and retaped. Large waves may need the board re-hung. Tell the customer what you will do, how many visits it needs, and when the wall will be paintable. Do not charge for fixing your own defect.
Afterward, record the fix. Take before and after pictures, note the cause, and change the step that failed, such as more drying time between coats. A calm, specific repair visit often earns a better review than a flawless job nobody noticed.
What to watch for
- Using texture or thick paint to disguise flaws.
- Arguing about whether the customer can see it.
- Rushing the repair coats before the mud has dried.
In drywall contractor
Drywall defects usually appear after paint goes on, so schedule a short follow-up visit after the first coat of paint to catch flaws while the crew still has tools and mud on hand. All drywall contractor scheduling questions.
How Apex does it
Rolling out
The screen and the rules are built and tested. Saving real customer data is not connected yet. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex is designed to keep notes and photos on each customer record and set a follow-up call task after a job, so a repair visit and its cause are written down in one place.
- LD13Notes and activity history per customer(Built)
- LD14Attachments / photos on customer or job(Rolling out)
- CM21Follow-up call tasks(Built)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
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