If you are really perfectionist types but don't want to pay a painter, maybe try to find a drywaller just to come and do those repairs. If he's only there under and hour it may not even cost more than 100 dollars. 6 estimates is too many to get when you are looking for painters. Try asking friends if they know any that did work for them. That is the best way. Yes, painting is a loser a job that anyone can do, but still these guys at least want to make a living, even though it may not be enough to raise a family and all this, they still want to pay the rent. There are however rip off contractors and gougers out there too so I understand that and this is true of any business.

Anyway, what I do with drywall repairs when there is tape coming loose is this: first, I address the repair and decide if I want to use mesh tape or real drywall tape. Mesh tape is easier for a DIY'er because it will stick by itself because it has adhesive on it. Drywall tape has to be embedded into a layer of wet drywall mud. I would buy both at the store and use what you like best...both are cheap. First, you cut out the failing tape with a very sharp utility knife. I always make sure to make the cut perfect and totally through the paper so that when you pull on it to remove it you don't end up pulling out a bunch more than you want. If it is a seam in the center of a wall or ceiling, it's easy to just cut out the bad, then sand the area to remove any debris, use a drywall knife/blade to fill the area with drywall mud, and then embed the tape into that and skim over lightly. This will be your first coat. After this is dry, you can lightly sand again and lay on another coat of mud. Remember that the tape is sitting on top of the drywall, unless there is a real seam there, so you may need to 'float' the drywall mud over the top of that tape to disguise that there is a hump there. This is where the pro really shines and the homeowners get lost because they may put way too much mud on and then have to sand forever to get it all smooth and of course it rarely comes out looking perfect. Just keep in mind that whatever mud you are applying, this will need to be sanded and sanding creates dust and isn't a very fun job so the idea is to minimize the sanding step if you can by applying the mud properly. If the failing tape is in a corner, sometimes I may just use my utility knife to cut out just the portion that is failing and then just fill that with mud and skip the taping step entirely. It depends on the size of the repair and the integrity of the tape. Every repair is different. Also, there is no guarantee that the tape will never fail again. If there is movement behind the wall in the studs (which there always is) any repairs you do can come back and you may have to do them again. Every house has these recurring nail pops, cracks, etc. where even if the repairs are done perfectly, they can still return. Some repairs do stay repaired forever though. It just depends on a bunch of factors as always. Good luck!

Please stop speculating, I haven't consumed much labor hours at all, I own a business in this miserable economy and work in my home. I can see people all day long if i choose. No time lost, only info gained. We fiance people call that an investment. Quotes as low as 4000 and ones as high as 8000 don't float my boat, people who can't look me in the eye and people who don't want to put anything in writing, references that don't work out and visits to see what my prospects have done and I have found some of the most crooked lines ever, and wall paint lines going into the ceiling and he wanted the most! if you wish to earn 50/hr as a small business owner either do good work or hit the road!. We live on budget street and shop for fair prices and people who want to work correctly and guarantee it.

Now the dude above actually gives info we can use. We may be on the hunt for a drywaller. We will start work tomorrow, We'll check back.

I think you are doing the right thing in getting someone to come in and fix the drywall. I know people who can build a whole house but leave the drywalling to experts.

It is an art that you can learn to some degree of proficency, but it's a messy process, and more messy when you are an amateur, as paintguy has explained.

And for the record, you would be using drywall compound, not spackle. Spackle is for filling small holes in drywall, while drywall compound (aka drywall mud, aka joint compound) comes in larger containers and can be spread across a wall.

Listen to paintguy. You can take his advice to the bank.

Man i thought I would get a good answer about this and Paintguy was pretty good with his answer. Even though the question was poorly written.

I agree a contractor has to have the proper tools and truck to do a job and its his business but hes not suppose to charge every customer his entire truck payment for a month. But my question is when a painter bids a job doesn't that bid include the prep work? I do understand if there is other work to be done it will cost more like wallpaper removal patching fist holes. But aren't they suppose to fill nail holes and not paint over the nails. and the sand the spackle down and caulk and wipe the dust off the baseboards? That is all part of prep work and being a good painter.

Believe me when they bid a job they charge for all that, prep work isn't extra its part of the job. I had a 1350 sq ft. house in Tucson painted and wall paper removed in 2 bathrooms she had a crew with 4 people they were done in 3 days and charged 2800.00 and did a great job.