Lansing Elite Drywall: Drywall Contractor for Repair, Installation & Replacement in Lansing, MI
Lansing Elite Drywall is a drywall contractor for homes and commercial buildings across Lansing, MI. We hang and finish new gypsum board (Sheetrock to most homeowners) for basements, additions and remodels, and fix what is already there, from a single nail pop to a ceiling a leak brought down. Each room gets the board it needs, from 5/8-inch Type X over a garage to moisture-resistant panels in a bathroom.
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Some homes in Lansing were built before 1940, and most of them contain lath and plaster. Before giving a price, we'll determine if it makes more sense to fix it rather than remove it.
- We start from a written agreement on the scope and costs
- Assess the condition before starting any demolition work
- Inspect the old skim coat before sanding
- Allow each layer to dry before applying the next
- Sealing of doorways and removal of construction debris
At a glance
| Small repair visit | $400 to $490 for a hole, crack or water stain |
|---|---|
| Board replaced | $5.15 to $6.30 a square foot |
| Hole or nail pop | 1 to 2 hours of work, plus drying between coats |
| Water-stained ceiling | 1 to 3 days, once the framing is dry |
| Michigan license | Needed for jobs of $600 or more in labor and materials |
| City permit | $120 minimum; plan review, where required, 10 to 15 business days |
Residential Drywall Repair, Installation and Replacement
Drywall Repair and Patching
We cut back to firm board, then tape and coat in thin layers spread wide, so light from the side does not show the edge. The drying time between coats, not the hour of hands-on work, is what makes a small patch take a second visit. Honestly, you may not need a pro to patch a small hole in your garage. But consider calling even for a small hole in a very visible place that you're not confident to mask well. A small repair visit usually runs $400 to $490, with an hour or two of work spread over the drying time.
Drywall Installation
Fresh sheets get screwed at the spacing Table R702.3.5 of the residential code sets: 16 inches apart on walls framed at 16, and 12 on ceilings. Ceiling sheets run across the joists, which the code requires once joists sit 24 inches apart. Hanging is the fast part. Taping and finishing take longer. We hang and finish the new board; walls usually run $2.30 to $2.80 a square foot, and a whole house takes 3 days to 2 weeks.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Acoustic popcorn comes off wet, one section at a time, and the ceiling underneath usually has to be skim-coated before it's ready for paint. In a house built before 1980, a small sample is tested first, and the result decides how the ceiling comes down. We scrape and skim the ceiling, which usually runs $1.50 to $3.15 a square foot, about 1 to 5 days.
Drywall Replacement
Some walls are past patching. Board that stayed wet for days or cracked across most of its face comes out to the studs, and new sheets go in with fresh tape on every seam. Replacement usually beats repair once damage covers more than about 60 percent of a wall, and an open cavity is the moment to swap soaked insulation. We tear out the bad board and hang new; that usually runs $5.15 to $6.30 a square foot, about 1 to 3 days for a water-damaged ceiling.
Ceiling Crack Repair
Most ceiling cracks follow a taped seam where the tape has let go. We cut out the loose tape, re-tape the joint and coat it again, because more compound over a failed seam just cracks a second time. Sagging sections come out. A crack that keeps coming back points to settling or seasonal swings in humidity, and we say so before patching it again.
Water Damaged Ceiling Repair
Lansing gets about 50 inches of snow a year and 142 days with a low at or below freezing. That is how ice dams and split pipes end up as brown rings. We find the edge of the damage with a moisture meter. The ceiling is closed only once the joists above have dried. We'll never patch the water damage area without ensuring the root-cause of the leak has been fixed. Patching and painting with a pipe still leaking makes no sense for your wallet.
Drywall Taping, Mudding and Finishing
We start with paper tape pressed into the compound, then a fill coat and a finish coat. Each coat is sanded and dries 12 hours or more. In an unheated garage in January that takes longer, so we bring heat. Most rooms get a Level 4 finish, the industry standard for flat paint.
Lath and Plaster Repair
About a quarter of Lansing homes were built in 1939 or earlier, with plaster spread over thin wood strips. A crack or bulge usually means the plaster's grip has broken while the surface is still sound. Plaster washers (wide screws) pull it back tight, and a thin coat hides them. If the wood strips are rotten, the plaster comes out and drywall goes in. In a house built before 1978, that tear-out falls under the EPA lead rule and needs a lead-safe certified firm. We check whether the plaster can be re-anchored before we price a tear-out.
Drywall Texture Matching
A patch in the wrong texture shows across the room, even after paint. Knockdown, skip trowel, orange peel and sand swirl each need their own tool and mix. We spray or trowel a sample on a scrap of board and hold it to the wall in the room's own light, then adjust the spray tip or the mix until the two look the same. Most people are good enough to get the fix done but to make it actually invisible, it's more about mastery and the right equipment.
Basement Drywall Installation
Usually, basement drywall needs board that handles damp air. We keep the bottom edge off the concrete floor and use mold-resistant panels below ground level. For some historical reference, the Grand River at Lansing reached almost 15 feet in February 2018, past its 13-foot moderate flood level.
Put a number on the damage
Describe the room and what happened to it. We call back with what the repair or hang probably involves and which details push the number up or down.
Commercial Drywall Installation and Repair
Commercial and multi-family work in Lansing goes through the same Building Safety Office as a house, plus a plan review fee of 56 percent of the permit fee when drawings are required. Most of it happens after five.
Office Drywall Partitions and Suite Build-Outs
Metal stud partitions and demising walls between suites. Walls between tenants often have to be a rated assembly, so board type and layer count follow the drawings. Suite build-outs usually need plan review. We order the board once the permit arrives.
Retail and Restaurant Drywall
Storefront build-outs downtown and in Old Town, both National Register historic districts, plus back-of-house walls in restaurants. Kitchens take moisture-resistant or tile-backer board near sinks and dish stations. We sequence the work around your opening date.
Medical and Dental Office Drywall
Exam rooms need smooth, washable walls and sound control between them, so partitions get insulation in the cavity and 5/8-inch board on both faces. We order lead-lined board for X-ray rooms to the shielding plan before framing closes.
Apartment and Multi-Family Drywall
Walls and ceilings between units follow rated designs. We book turnover repairs around move-out dates, which is usually a short window.
School and Church Drywall Repair
Classrooms and gyms take abuse-resistant board where carts and balls hit the walls. We schedule most of this work over summer and holiday breaks. Plaster in older sanctuaries and school halls gets the same re-anchoring as plaster in a house, washers and all.
Specialty Drywall Services
Skim Coating Walls and Ceilings
Skim coating means troweling a thin layer of joint compound across a whole surface. It rescues plaster covered in fine spiderweb cracks and ceilings left rough after popcorn comes down. Walls stripped of wallpaper get a sealing primer first. We trowel two thin passes rather than one heavy one.
Level 5 Drywall Finishing
Level 5 is the top grade in GA-214, the Gypsum Association's finish standard. After a full Level 4 finish, a thin skim coat goes over the entire surface so the paper face and the taped joints take paint evenly. We suggest it under critical lighting: strong side light from windows or surface-mounted fixtures. Level 5 drywall finish cost runs higher, since the whole wall gets coated.
Fire-Rated Type X and Garage Drywall
Type X board has additives in its gypsum core that raise its fire resistance. Section R302.6 of the residential code calls for at least 1/2-inch gypsum board on the garage face of the wall it shares with the house, and 5/8-inch Type X overhead when a bedroom sits above the garage. Furnace rooms and walls between attached units take it too, and we build them exactly to the listed design.
Moisture Resistant Drywall for Bathrooms
Bathroom walls outside the tub or shower take moisture-resistant board, and the code allows water-resistant board on bathroom ceilings. Inside the shower, section R702.3.7 bars it over a Class I or II vapor retarder and keeps it away from direct water, so we set tile there on cement board or a waterproofed backer.
Soundproof Drywall
Sound crosses a wall by shaking it, so heavier board and a break in the path stop more of it. We hang 5/8-inch drywall on resilient channel, which keeps the board from being screwed straight to the studs, and seal every edge with acoustic caulk. It suits shared walls in rentals, and in East Lansing about six in ten occupied homes are rented. In your own house, definitely invest in soundproofing insulation for your bedrooms. It's one of those things you never knew you needed until you hear the difference it makes.
Why Choose Lansing Elite Drywall
Every job follows the same order, from one patch to a whole basement.
From the first call to the final sanding
- You tell us what happened and when the house was built, since pre-1978 homes bring lead-paint rules.
- Someone comes out. Stains get a moisture meter; loose plaster gets pressed.
- You get the scope and price in writing, permit included if the job needs one.
- Plastic goes up and floors get covered before anything is cut.
- Sheets get hung, taped and coated, with full drying time between passes.
- A work light held flat to the wall shows what is left to sand. The scraps leave with us.
Lansing Building Permits and Michigan Contractor Licensing
The city’s Building Safety Office is at 316 N. Capitol Ave., Suite C-1. Remember that a remodel needs a building permit before work begins. Trade work, such as moving an outlet during the remodel, needs its own separate permit as well. When plan review is required, it usually takes 10 to 15 business days, which matters for a basement or an addition. The state licenses residential contractors through LARA.
How Long Does a Drywall Job Take?
Most of a drywall schedule is waiting for compound to dry.
| Drywall job | Typical time | What sets the pace |
|---|---|---|
| Small hole, crack, nail pop | 1 to 2 hours of work | Drying between coats |
| Larger patch with new board | 2 to 5 hours of work | Patch size, texture |
| Water-damaged ceiling | 1 to 3 days | Framing dries, then coats |
| Popcorn ceiling removal | 1 to 5 days | Size, method, lab result |
| Whole house | 3 days to 2 weeks | Size, layout, finish level |
| Plan review, when required | 2 to 3 more weeks | 10 to 15 city business days |
Times are national figures; plan review is Lansing’s own estimate.
How Much Does Drywall Cost in Lansing?
Small repairs cost more per square foot than big ones because of labor minimums.
Lansing Drywall Prices
| Drywall job | Lansing range | Priced per |
|---|---|---|
| Small repair visit | $400 to $490 | Visit |
| Plaster wall repair | $410 to $500 | Repair |
| Hanging drywall on walls | $2.30 to $2.80 | Sq ft |
| Hanging drywall on ceilings | $2.80 to $3.45 | Sq ft |
| Taping and finishing joints | $1.25 to $1.55 | Linear ft |
| Skim coat on existing walls | $1.15 to $1.40 | Sq ft |
| Popcorn ceiling removal | $1.50 to $3.15 | Sq ft |
| Drywall replacement | $5.15 to $6.30 | Sq ft |
| Lath and plaster removal | $4.25 to $9.25 | Sq ft |
Ranges are market figures for Lansing zip code 48912, checked in September 2026 and rounded, not our price list. The small repair visit covers a hole, a crack, a ceiling patch or a water stain: each range carries a four-hour labor minimum, so several repairs in one visit cost little more than one. Replacement includes the tear-out. Your real number comes after a walkthrough.
Drywall Repair or Replacement
We patch when damage is in one spot, a hole or a cracked seam, on board that is still firm. We replace when the board is soft or moldy, or when damage covers more than about 60% of the wall. Replacement costs $5.15 to $6.30 a square foot in Lansing, while hanging new board on open studs costs $2.30 to $2.80. The difference is the old board coming out first.
Where We Hang and Finish Around Lansing
Lansing Elite Drywall hangs, tapes and repairs walls and ceilings across Lansing, MI, out into the towns of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties.
Ingham County
- East Lansing
- Holt
- Okemos
- Haslett
- Mason
- Williamston
- Webberville
- Leslie
Eaton County
- Dimondale
- Grand Ledge
- Potterville
- Eaton Rapids
- Charlotte
Clinton County
- DeWitt
- St. Johns
Shiawassee County
Ionia County
East Lansing's housing is younger than Lansing's, with a median build year of 1975 against 1959, so there is more drywall and less plaster east of the city line. It also rents more. Around 61 percent of occupied homes there are rented, and the city's Rental Housing Division licenses them.
Lansing Drywall Questions, Answered
Do you work in East Lansing, Okemos and the towns around Lansing?
Yes. East Lansing is about 4.6 miles from central Lansing, Okemos 7.5, Mason 11. We work in a 20-mile radius, to St. Johns and Portland, but give us a call; we could make an exception if you're a bit past the line.
How much is a building permit for drywall work in Lansing?
It's $120 for work valued up to $2,000, $175 up to $10,000, then $220 up to $15,000. This city fee took effect in July 2026. Residential jobs over $3,000 add plan review at 20% of the permit fee.
My house was built before 1978. Does that change a drywall repair?
Yes. Paint from before 1978 may contain lead, so a paid contractor who disturbs more than six square feet of paint in one room must be an EPA-certified firm. Two jobs in the same room within 30 days count as one.
Can old joint compound contain asbestos?
Yes, especially from the mid-1940s until 1977, when asbestos was added to joint compound at 3 to 15 percent. Sanding turns it into dust in the air, so we need a lab test on a small sample before anyone sands.
Can I fix a nail pop myself?
Yes, if it's one or two. Drive a new drywall screw next to the popped one, sink the old head and cover both with spackle. A long row of pops along one ceiling line is different: it points to the framing.
Should basement drywall be replaced after the Grand River floods?
If river water reached the board, then yes: cut it out to a line above the wet part. 13 feet counts as moderate flooding, but there were bigger floods, such as 1975, which crested at 15.4 feet.
Should I repair plaster or replace it with drywall?
Repair it while the plaster still holds to the wood strips behind it. One plaster repair runs about $400 to $500 in Lansing, and stripping old plaster costs $4.25 to $9.25 a square foot; new drywall is extra on top.
Do drywallers need a license in Michigan?
Yes, the state requires the contractor to hold one on residential jobs of $600 or more in labor and materials. The state licensing department is LARA. LARA's own advice to homeowners: never pay for the whole job up front.
Let us see the room first
Cracked plaster, a stained ceiling and a bare basement all look different in person than in a phone description, so the firm price comes after the visit.
Request a quote
Ringing (517) 940-8317 gets you a first figure fastest. Otherwise fill in the form and expect a callback.