How to Handle Poor Drywall Work on a Flip
TLDRA pro drywaller should know to use corner beads and the right tape in corners. Pay for the work you can keep, subtract the cost to fix the bad work, and give him one chance to fix it before you bring in someone else.
Table of Contents
The Situation
A member sent me a video of a drywaller’s work and asked if he should pay the guy. My answer was no. The work still needed someone else to fix it.
The problems I named were basic: mesh where corner tape belonged and missing corner beads. These were not special design requests. A person who says he is a pro drywaller should know them.
Fifteen years in, my view was blunt: this is sloppy work, and bad work is not complete work.
What Fair Actually Looks Like
I habitually pay a contractor more than he should get when the job goes sideways. I would rather be fair teetering on the edge of unfair to myself than cheap. But there is a floor, and this is it.
Start with what the job has cost you so far. In the response, I guessed at about $2,500 in labor and a few hundred dollars of material. I did not know the real total. Use the labor you paid and the price for another drywaller to fix the work.
The math is simple:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sample labor already paid | about $2,500 |
| Sample material you bought | a few hundred dollars |
| Sample cost to fix the work | about $2,500 or more |
| What is fair to pay the original guy | Original labor minus the fix cost |
If the fix costs as much as you already paid, the original guy gets nothing else. If the fix costs less, he gets the difference. You eat the materials because you bought them and they are in the walls.
The MathFind out what another drywaller will charge to fix the work. Subtract that cost from the labor balance. The source does not set a holdback rate or one pay plan for every job.
The Conversation
This is not a speech. It is one-on-one, short, and direct.
Tell him the work is not what a pro drywaller should turn in. Name the mesh in the corners and the missing corner beads. Those are the basics Ross named in the response.
Give him two options. He can fix it the right way, on his own dime, and then you settle up. Or you hire somebody else and the cost of that fix comes out of his pay.
Keep It FactualName the bad work, the fix it needs, and the two choices. A person who sells himself as a pro owns the basics of his trade.
He can fix it, or someone else can. The source does not say how most contractors will react.
The Quality Line
The source does not say why the drywaller did bad work or call it a scam. It shows the result: wrong tape in corners, no corner bead, and work that needed a fix.
Ross names the right corner tape and corner beads. He does not give a full drywall spec, a coat count, or a full check list in this short reply. If you cannot judge the rest, ask a good drywaller what must be fixed.
Take clear photos of what you can see. Ross said the member should not feel bad about holding the line on work that was not done right.
FAQ
What if I already paid him in full and then saw the bad work?
The source does not cover how to get money back after full payment. Take photos and get a price to fix it. Do not assume the contractor will give a refund or that a court will rule for you. Your contract and local law matter.
I am just starting out and do not know what good drywall looks like. What do I do?
The short reply names corner tape and corner beads, not a full check list. Ask a good drywaller to show you what is wrong on this job before you price the fix.
Should I pay before I understand the repair cost?
No. First find the real cost to fix the work. Give the first drywaller one chance to fix it, or subtract that cost from the pay still due.
What if the drywaller threatens a mechanic’s lien?
Ross said to save photos of the bad work and not fold just because court was threatened. He did not explain lien law or promise who would win. Do not ignore a lien notice. Save the contract, payment proof, photos, texts, and repair price, then get prompt advice from a local construction lawyer.