Buchan Consulting's Drywall Procedure

During the installation of home automation, network and audio-visual components, Buchan Consulting occasionally makes small holes in drywall in order to run wire in an unobtrusive fashion. This is especially true in instances of older homes, and gives us necessary access to studs, joists, attics and more. We follow the procedure outlined below in order to make our work as inconspicuous as possible, and have resources available for homeowners that wish to take furthers steps in altering their drywall after we've finished restoring it.

Our Methods

When working on a project that requires us to cut drywall, we use professional tools to make small, clean-edged holes. After the cut is made, we sweep, vacuum and wipe down electronics in order to clean up the fine layer of dust that usually accrues after working with drywall.

After we've finished running the wire for the project, we use the existing pieces of drywall to patch the hole. We mud over the drywall using the thinnest layer of mud possible, since too much mud results in a hump on the wall that is hard to sand smooth. The mud takes a full 24 hours to dry before it can be sanded.

Once we've patched the drywall, we do a final sweep of the immediate area for remaining dust and pack up.

Additional Steps

We do our best to be unobtrusive and precise when cutting, cleaning and repairing drywall. However, as in any home repair situation, small amounts of dust may remain after we depart. We do our best to clean the area, but mopping, steam cleaning and other procedures that guarantee total elimination of the dust are professional cleaning measures that we don't include as part of our installation fee. We're happy to point our clients toward services that specialize in fine grit removal if that's desired.

If the homeowner is interested in applying additional layers of mud or altering the drywall we've reapplied before painting, we recommend using a professional service or using resources like your local hardware store. We've also found a variety of useful resources on the web, including the video posted below, which walks you through the tools and techniques you can use to touch up your own drywall:

As always, if you've got concerns about the cosmetics of a repair or install, don't hesitate to reach out to us - we're happy to work with you to get your space restored to your satisfaction.