Drywall is the surface that every other interior trade reads against. A finish carpenter sets reveal lines off it, a painter judges sheen across it, and a lighting designer plans grazing wash relative to its flatness. The Gypsum Association GA-214 standard codifies six finish levels (Level 0 through Level 5), with Level 5 reserved for skim-coated surfaces that meet critical-lighting conditions and gloss or semi-gloss paint schedules. ASTM C840 governs the application of gypsum board itself, covering fastener spacing, joint treatment, and framing tolerance. Across Middle Tennessee, a small group of specialty contractors handle the hang-tape-finish sequence as a primary trade rather than as a sub-task bundled into a paint scope. The three Nashville firms profiled below each treat drywall as the headline service: framing layout, board installation, joint treatment through Level 5, texture matching, and patch work on existing assemblies.
OSHA’s respirable crystalline silica rule (29 CFR 1926.1153) shapes how finishers approach sanding, since joint compound dust falls under the Table 1 control measures when silica-bearing compounds are used. Modern lightweight compounds reduce silica content, but pole-sander dust collection and HEPA vacuum attachments remain standard on occupied-building work. The contractors below run drywall as their primary trade, which means dust control protocols, drop-cloth discipline, and Level 5 skim-coat capability sit inside the daily workflow rather than as add-on services.
Quick Comparison #
| Firm | Credentials | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| JRR Drywall LLC | East Nashville drywall specialist with a 20-plus-year run in the trade; locally owned and operated from 508 Lemont Drive. | Drywall installation and hanging, finishing through Level 5, orange peel, knockdown and custom hand-applied textures, ceiling work, and commercial metal framing on wood or metal stud assemblies. |
| Larry's Drywall and Repair | Founded 2013 by Larry, with 12-plus years of continuous finishing practice; owner-led operation rooted in the high-end residential corridor of Belle Meade, Brentwood, and Franklin. | Level 5 finishes for designer-ready surfaces, drywall and ceiling repair, remodel and renovation finish work, texture matching including popcorn and orange-peel, and water-damage restoration. |
| TNG Finishing Contractors | Founded 2021 by co-owners Juan Barahona (8-plus years in trade) and Stephen Bradbury (18 years sales and operations); Tennessee General Contractor license 81157, licensed, bonded, and insured. | Drywall installation and finishing, interior and exterior painting, acoustical ceiling tile, FRP panel installation, fiberglass insulation, metal framing, blocking, demolition, flooring, and tile work. |
1. JRR Drywall LLC #
JRR Drywall LLC operates from 508 Lemont Drive in East Nashville, serving the Davidson County market with a stated 20-plus-year run in the trade. The shop bills itself as locally owned and operated, with a service scope that covers drywall installation, hanging, finishing through Level 5, texture application, ceiling work, and commercial metal framing. The shop publishes texture options including orange peel, knockdown, and custom hand-applied patterns, which matters on remodel work where matching an existing 1990s knockdown ceiling is often the deciding factor on whether a patch reads as invisible.
Hang and Finish Across Residential and Commercial Scopes #
The crew handles new-construction board hanging on wood and metal framing, then carries the work through tape, three coats of joint compound, sanding, and Level 5 skim coat when the paint schedule requires it. The Lemont Drive base puts the team inside Nashville proper, which shortens drive time to East Nashville bungalow remodels, Germantown infill projects, and downtown commercial buildouts. The team has stated experience with commercial metal stud framing, which pairs naturally with the drywall finish work on tenant improvement jobs where one sub handles the wall assembly from stud to skim coat.
Texture Matching for Repair and Renovation Work #
Texture matching is the technical specialty that separates drywall finishers from general handymen. Knockdown patterns vary by tool angle, mud consistency, and dwell time before the knife pass, and a 12-inch patch in the wrong hands reads as a halo around the repair. The crew offers orange peel and knockdown texture services alongside custom patterns, which gives homeowners a path to repair water-damaged ceilings or settlement cracks without re-texturing an entire room. This work intersects with the Tennessee humidity cycle, where seasonal movement of wood framing produces hairline cracks at corner beads and ceiling-wall intersections that benefit from periodic touch-up rather than full re-finish.
Contact:
- Phone: (615) 823-9779
- Address: 508 Lemont Drive, Nashville, TN 37216
https://jrrdrywallnashville.com/
2. Larry’s Drywall and Repair #
Larry’s Drywall and Repair was founded in 2013 by Larry, who started in drywall finishing that year and has spent over a decade building the company’s reputation around clean repair work and Level 5 finishes. The business serves Nashville along with Belle Meade, Brentwood, and Franklin, which positions the team for the high-end residential corridor running south and southwest of downtown. The 10-plus-year track record places the company inside the threshold most general contractors look for when vetting finish trades on luxury custom homes, where a single proud joint can derail a paint schedule with raking light.
Level 5 Finishes for Designer-Ready Surfaces #
Level 5 finish under GA-214 calls for a thin skim coat of joint compound applied to the entire surface, followed by sanding to produce a uniform substrate that hides joints, fasteners, and beads under critical lighting. The shop lists Level 5 as a standard offering, which is the finish typically specified for gloss and semi-gloss paint, dark-tinted walls, and rooms with low-angle wall-wash lighting. The 2013 founding date gives the operation 12-plus years of continuous practice as of 2026, with the founder personally rooted in the finishing side of the trade rather than in framing or general carpentry.
Repair, Texture Matching, and Water-Damage Restoration #
The service menu emphasizes drywall repair, ceiling repair, remodel and renovation work, texture matching, and water-damage restoration. Water-damage work is its own discipline: cut-back of saturated board, framing-cavity drying verification (typically below 16 percent moisture content per ASTM E96 reference points for gypsum substrates), replacement board installation, and feathered joint compound transitions to existing surfaces. Texture matching on ceilings, especially popcorn and orange-peel patterns dating to mid-century Nashville housing stock, is where the practice’s decade of finish experience compounds into a practical advantage. This second of the trio runs lean and owner-led, which keeps the finish hand consistent across jobs.
Contact:
- Phone: (615) 828-1089
- Service Area: Nashville, Belle Meade, Brentwood, Franklin
https://larrysdrywallandrepair.com/
3. TNG Finishing Contractors #
TNG Finishing Contractors (also operating under the Drywall Guys brand at drywallguystn.com) was founded in 2021, with co-owner Juan Barahona contributing 8-plus years of in-the-trade experience and co-owner Stephen Bradbury bringing 18 years of sales and operations background. The company holds Tennessee General Contractor license number 81157 and is licensed, bonded, and insured. Service scope covers drywall installation and finishing, interior and exterior painting, acoustical ceiling tile (ACT) systems, FRP panel installation, fiberglass insulation, metal framing, blocking, demolition, flooring, and tile work. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance maintains the contractor license registry that backs license 81157, which is the public record commercial owners typically check before signing tenant improvement contracts.
Commercial Interior Finishing and ACT Ceilings #
This shop’s commercial focus shows up in the service mix: acoustical ceiling tile, FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) wall panels for restaurant and healthcare kitchens, and metal framing for tenant buildouts. ACT ceilings live under their own industry training pathway through AWCI (the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry), and the suspended-grid systems that hold acoustical tile require coordination with HVAC, sprinkler, and lighting trades that drywall-only crews rarely encounter. The firm’s combination of drywall and ACT capability under one roof streamlines the ceiling plane on commercial jobs, where the GC otherwise coordinates two separate subs across the same square footage.
Drywall Repair, Insulation, and Multi-Trade Coordination #
Beyond the core drywall scope, the team offers fiberglass insulation, which intersects with the IECC 2021 energy code adopted across Tennessee jurisdictions. Wall and ceiling cavities filled to R-13 (2×4 walls), R-20 (2×6 walls), and R-38 (ceilings) per Climate Zone 4A specifications get sealed behind the drywall plane, so a single sub handling both layers eliminates the schedule gap where insulation inspection and board hanging hand off between contractors. The license 81157 designation and the 4.8-star Google rating across 154 reviews (as published by the firm) give commercial owners a vetted point of entry for tenant improvement, restaurant buildout, and small commercial new-construction work in Davidson and Williamson counties.
Contact:
- Phone: (615) 208-2000
- Email: [email protected]
- License: Tennessee GC #81157
- Hours: Monday-Saturday 8 AM to 5 PM
How to Specify Drywall Scope on a Nashville Project #
Before requesting bids, owners and designers benefit from naming the finish level explicitly. A flat-paint hallway can sit at Level 4. A gallery wall painted in eggshell with track lighting wants Level 5. Bid documents that simply say “drywall, paint-ready” leave the finish level open to interpretation, which produces surprise change orders when the painter rejects the substrate. GA-214 is the citation that resolves the ambiguity, and the Gypsum Association publishes a free Level 0-5 illustrated reference that doubles as a punch-list tool during the joint compound phase.
A second specification worth pinning down: corner-bead type. Paper-faced metal bead (sometimes called No-Coat) outperforms standard metal bead on long runs and rounded outside corners, but it costs more and installs slower. Vinyl bead with adhesive backing is the standard on garage and basement work where moisture cycling is heavier. Mid-priced new-construction in the Nashville market typically defaults to standard metal bead, but a buyer specifying paper-faced bead on the master suite walls will see a measurable reduction in corner cracks two years post-occupancy.
Finally, on the dust side: a job spec that calls for vacuum-assisted sanding (HEPA-rated) or pole-sander dust shrouds adds a small premium per square foot but pays back on occupied-residence work and on jobs adjacent to finished cabinetry, hardwood floors, or installed appliances. The OSHA respirable silica rule technically applies to the contractor’s worker exposure rather than the owner’s air, but the same control measures keep settled dust off horizontal surfaces inside the work zone, which reduces post-project cleaning hours.
Reference Notes #
- Gypsum Association GA-214, Recommended Levels of Finish for Gypsum Board, Glass Mat and Fiber-Reinforced Gypsum Panels: codifies Level 0 through Level 5 finishes; Level 5 specified for critical-lighting conditions and gloss/semi-gloss paint schedules.
- ASTM C840, Standard Specification for Application and Finishing of Gypsum Board: governs framing tolerance, fastener spacing, board orientation, and joint treatment.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153, Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction: Table 1 control measures applicable to drywall sanding where silica-bearing compounds are used.
- AWCI (Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry): industry body for wall and ceiling contractors; publishes EIFS Doing It Right inspector certification and acoustical ceiling installer training pathways.
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Board for Licensing Contractors: maintains the public registry behind Tennessee GC license numbers; verification available through the state’s online license lookup.
- IECC 2021 (International Energy Conservation Code): Climate Zone 4A insulation values referenced for wall and ceiling assemblies in Davidson and Williamson counties.
- ADA Standards for Accessible Design, 2010: governs wall surface conditions in accessible routes, including the absence of protruding objects and finish requirements at handrails and grab bars.
Selection Methodology #
Drywall sorts as much by finish-level than by trade body, so the filter for the three firms above started with which finish levels they publish (USG Level 3 for textured walls, Level 4 for typical flat paint, Level 5 for critical-light or gloss conditions). Each firm holds a Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors registration under TCA 62-6 where the project value triggers the threshold, lists a Davidson or Williamson County address on its own domain, publishes scope detail at the technique level (hang and finish, texture matching for popcorn or orange-peel patterns common to mid-century Nashville stock, water-damage cut-back with moisture-content verification below 16 percent on the framing cavity), and works with named joint-compound systems (USG Sheetrock Brand, ProForm). Pop-up subcontractor brokers without an install crew of record were excluded.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Q: Which GA-214 finish level is included and how many coats of joint compound are scheduled?
A: Level 4 covers flat-paint walls with three coats over taped joints; Level 5 adds a skim coat over the entire surface for gloss, semi-gloss, and critical-lighting conditions. Ask the contractor to write the finish level into the contract by GA-214 citation, name the joint compound brand (USG Sheetrock or ProForm are the common references), and confirm the mud round count rather than leaving “paint-ready” open to interpretation.
Q: What dust control method is used during sanding and which areas are sealed off?
A: Pole-sander dust shrouds with HEPA vacuum attachment cut airborne dust by roughly 90 percent over a bare pole sander, and plastic zip-wall containment with negative-air machines isolates the work zone from finished rooms. Ask whether the crew uses vacuum-assisted sanding, where the plastic containment is hung, and whether HVAC supply and return grilles in the work zone are masked off during the sanding cycle.
Q: For a repair, how is the existing texture matched and which sample is approved before the patch is finished?
A: Knockdown, orange peel, and popcorn textures all vary with tool angle, mud consistency, and dwell time, so a competent finisher sprays or rolls a test sample on a scrap of board, lets it dry, and walks it under the room lighting before touching the actual patch. Ask whether the crew will produce a labeled texture sample for sign-off, then apply primer and paint to the patch only after the texture match has been confirmed.
Q: Are any of the three firms paid placements?
A: No. The three profiles above are editorial selections drawn from publicly verifiable sources. No firm sponsored placement.
Editorial Note #
This guide was published on 2026-05-11 and reflects research current as of that date. Verify licenses, phone numbers, and current business status before engaging any firm.