Textured Ceiling & Wall Repairs
Knockdown, orange peel, swirl and stipple matched across a patch so the repaired area reads as original.
Textured Ceiling & Wall Repairs › Drywall service
Stucco Ceiling and Wall Repair in Niagara
St Catharines Elite Drywall repairs interior stucco, stipple and textured ceilings and walls for homeowners throughout the Niagara Region. Cracks from settlement and seasonal movement, water stained sections, texture that has lost adhesion and fallen, patch areas left by pot lights and vents, and previous repairs that no longer match the surface around them.
One clarification first, because two different searches land on this page. In most Ontario homes stucco means the sprayed interior texture on your ceilings, closely related to stipple and popcorn finishes. That is what we do. Exterior stucco and parging are a separate trade, and we will tell you so rather than waste your time.
Texture matching is the technical heart of this service and we are straight about what it can achieve. A good match lands around 85 to 95 percent, normally invisible in room light. Where that is not good enough, retexturing the full ceiling or removing the texture for a smooth finish are both genuine options. More than twenty years, over 1,500 completed jobs, fully insured.
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- 20+
- years in the trade
- 1,500+
- jobs completed
- $2M
- liability insurance
- WSIB
- fully covered
Interior stucco, and what we do and do not handle
Two different people search for stucco repair, and they mean two different things.
In most Ontario homes, stucco means the textured finish on your interior ceilings, and sometimes your walls. It is the rough, sprayed-on surface that a lot of people also call stipple or popcorn. That is what this page covers, and it is what we do.
The other meaning is exterior stucco, the cement-based cladding on the outside of a building. That is a separate trade with different materials and different failure modes, and we do not take it on. If that is what you are dealing with, you want an exterior stucco or parging contractor, and we are happy to say so rather than waste your time.
Everything below is about interior stucco on ceilings and walls.
Stucco problems we repair
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Cracks from settlement and seasonal movement
Most often running out from a corner, along a ceiling-to-wall junction, or in a line that follows a framing member underneath.
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Water stains and damaged sections
A leak from above leaves a ring, and the texture in that area often loses adhesion even after it dries.
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Sections that have fallen or lost their grip
Texture that has come away in patches, or that sounds and feels loose when pressed. Common in older homes and in rooms that have seen sustained humidity.
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Patch areas left by fixtures, vents or renovations
Pot lights relocated, an old ceiling fan removed, a vent moved, or an access hole cut for wiring. The hole gets patched flat and the texture around it does not get put back.
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Texture that no longer matches after a previous repair
A repair done without texture matching, or matched badly, which now reads as an obvious rectangle.
Matching existing stucco texture
This is the technical heart of the job and the reason people hire a specialist rather than a general handyman.
Texture is not a single product. It varies by the era it was applied in, the aggregate size in the mix, the spray pressure, the nozzle, the distance the operator held the gun, and how they moved their hand. Two ceilings in the same subdivision, sprayed the same year, are often visibly different.
On top of that, your ceiling has aged. It has been painted, possibly more than once, and decades of settled dust and light exposure have changed how it reads.
So an exact match is rarely achievable, and anyone who promises one has not done enough of this work. A good match from someone who knows what they are doing typically lands between 85 and 95 percent, which in normal room lighting is usually undetectable. Under strong raking light from a window, it can occasionally be noticed by someone who knows where to look.
We would rather tell you that at the quote than have you discover it afterwards.
Repair, retexture or remove
Once you understand the matching limitation, you have three genuine options. Which one is right depends on your ceiling and your budget, not on what we would prefer to sell.
A small patch on a large ceiling usually blends acceptably. Three or four patches, or one patch right where the afternoon sun crosses the ceiling, often justify doing the whole surface for consistency.
If you are leaning toward the third option, see popcorn ceiling removal.
| Option | What it involves | When it makes sense | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair and blend | Fix the damaged area, match texture to the surrounding surface | One localised area on an otherwise sound ceiling | Lowest |
| Retexture the full surface | Repair, then re-spray the entire ceiling in one consistent pass | Several damaged areas, or a patch in a high-visibility spot under strong light | Moderate |
| Remove the texture entirely | Scrape, skim coat, sand, prime to a smooth finish | You dislike the texture anyway, or the surface is in poor condition overall | Highest, but it also updates the room |
Stucco on pre-1990 ceilings
An important one, and it applies to stucco exactly as it applies to popcorn texture, because they are frequently the same material.
Interior texture applied before the early 1990s in Canada may contain asbestos. It is not a hazard while it sits undisturbed. Scraping, sanding or cutting into it is precisely the disturbance that matters.
If your home predates the 1990s, the texture needs testing before anyone works on it. We do not skip this step and we will not quote a scraping job on an untested pre-1990 ceiling.
Full explanation on our popcorn ceiling removal page and in Asbestos in Popcorn Ceilings.
What stucco repair costs
What moves the number: the size and number of damaged areas, ceiling height, whether the texture has been painted over, how distinctive the existing texture is, and how much furniture and protection the room needs.
Small jobs carry a minimum call-out, which is why bundling several repairs into one visit is worth doing. See the Niagara drywall cost guide for the full picture.
| Scope | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Single patch with texture matching | $300 to $600 |
| Several patches in one visit | $500 to $1,100 |
| Retexture a full ceiling, average bedroom | $600 to $1,200 |
| Retexture main living area | $1,500 to $3,500 |
Get a stucco repair quote
A photo tells us far more than a description for this service. Send one showing the damaged area and, if you can, a wider shot of the whole ceiling so we can see the texture pattern.
Stucco Repair on a Niagara jobsite
A few stages from recent work. Every job ends with a raking-light inspection before we call it finished.
Frequently asked questions
Do you do exterior stucco as well?
No. Exterior stucco and parging are a separate trade. We work on interior stucco, stipple and textured finishes on ceilings and walls.
Can you match my existing texture exactly?
Realistically, no, and neither can anyone else. A good match sits around 85 to 95 percent and is usually invisible in normal light. We will show you what to expect before you commit.
Is stucco the same as popcorn ceiling?
In common usage in Ontario homes, largely yes. Stucco, stipple and popcorn all describe sprayed interior texture, and people use the words interchangeably. Popcorn usually refers to the coarser variety.
Why does my stucco ceiling keep cracking in the same spot?
Because something is still moving. A crack that reopens is a symptom rather than damage, and filling it again will buy you roughly a year. The joint underneath usually needs to be opened up, re-taped and rebuilt properly.
Is it better to patch or retexture the whole ceiling?
One small patch on a big ceiling, patch it. Multiple patches, or damage in a spot with strong side light, retexture the surface. We will tell you which situation you are in.
Could my stucco ceiling contain asbestos?
If the texture was applied before the early 1990s, it needs testing before anyone disturbs it. That is true regardless of who does the work.
Related work
Services that often go with this one
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Stipple and popcorn texture removed, ceilings skimmed flat and left paint-ready. Asbestos testing first on pre-1990 texture.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal ›
Plaster Repair
Lath and plaster in century homes fails differently than drywall. We repair it as plaster, not by patching it like board.
Plaster Repair ›Get a free quote on stucco repair
Tell us what you are dealing with and roughly where in Niagara you are. For repairs, a photo is usually enough for a number without a site visit.