For questions about drywall (aka plasterboard) installation, repair & finishing.
1
vote
1answer
34 views
How can I hang my cupboard on a stud wall?
I have a storage cupboard in which I'd like to put some shelves. No problem with brick walls as normally I'd just have wooden battens on 3 sides, srewed directly into the wall with rawlplugs, then ...
0
votes
0answers
50 views
How can I block off my stairs while I repair the walls?
I have an epileptic son that I have to keep off of our stairs. We have some great childproof stair gates installed currently. I have redone all of the drywall in the house except the stairwell ...
3
votes
1answer
116 views
How should I repair drywall seams that have developed cracks?
The second floor of the house was built 17 years ago. Every seam has fiber tape, and every seam on the ceiling and wall cracked. It's only the second floor that's cracking.
Can I just Spackle the ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
How can I figure out what material my row home's interior and party walls are made out of?
I'd like to hang some shelving on the wall in my kitchen that separates my home from my neighbor's. How can I figure out what material this wall is made of? The home was built in 1950. The party wall ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
How do I prepare a ceiling for restomping?
I had to cut access panels in the ceiling of a 7' x 11' room to make several plumbing repairs. The ceiling has the slapbrush/stomp texture:
I have patched the drywall and I plan on restomping the ...
3
votes
2answers
113 views
How do I locate studs in my wall?
First, I'm not the handiest of men, but can usually figure this sort of thing out. I just moved into an apartment in Manhattan and we're wanting to mount shelves, desks, and televisions to the wall to ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What techniques are there to smooth out or remove textured (knockdown) drywall?
We have knockdown texture on the drywall in one of our bedrooms that we're turning into a nursery. We'll be repainting the walls and want like to apply some wall decals so we need to have a smooth ...
1
vote
2answers
156 views
How do I replace a 7' drop ceiling so it matches an 8' ceiling with 2 layers of drywall and popcorn texturing?
I would like to remove a dropped ceiling and give the room an 8 foot ceiling. The great room ceiling has 2 layers of drywall already. I need to repair many areas of the ceiling (remove an attic fan, ...
5
votes
3answers
114 views
What type of primer should be used on moisture resistant drywall?
What type of primer should I use my basement bathroom walls? New moisture resistant drywall has been installed, taped and sanded, and is now ready to be primed.
3
votes
1answer
73 views
How do I paint over a textured ceiling without removing the texture?
A painter I had at one time painted the textured drywall mud ceiling (off white color) in a different part of the house. He had to change to a sprayer because he said the drywall texture was coming ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
What is the purpose of a vapor barrier?
I live in southern Brazil and I don't really know if I need a vapor barrier, mainly because I'm still confused about its purpose.
The house in question have brick exterior walls and interior drywall. ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
How can I insulate my attic conversion, without pulling down the plasterboard?
I recently purchased a house, and it has an attic conversion. Once winter came along we found out that there is no insulation between the roof and the plasterboard.
Does anyone know of a way I can ...
16
votes
11answers
2k views
What should we look for when buying a fixer-upper house?
My fiance and I are considering buying a fixer-upper house rather than an apartment when we get married.
Obviously things like location, neighbors etc. are important, but; what should we be looking ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
What consistency should drywall mud be?
I've been reviewing various drywall videos and documentation but I haven't found clear details on what kind of thickness the joint compound should be. Is there a definitive answer for this? Or does ...
3
votes
2answers
201 views
What should I do after mistakenly using moldy paint on drywall?
I was painting my basement and used a six year old five gallon bucket of paint. It had about 4 gallons of paint in it. The surface was black, but it didn't smell bad. I thought it was the dye ...
0
votes
0answers
55 views
What should I consider when purchasing a good quality primer/sealer for new drywall?
We recently mudded new sheetrock, followed by orange peel texture: it was our first time doing this so did not get a perfect outcome. We wish now that we had primed/sealed it before texturing, but ...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
How long does setting-type joint compound have to dry before priming?
I put the final skim coat of 90-minute hot mud on the walls this afternoon, how long should I wait before priming? I've seen everything from overnight to 3 days, and the manufacturer's website ...
4
votes
1answer
118 views
How do I seal a leaky roof and repair the minor ceiling damage it caused?
We recently had some very heavy rains and during the worst of it we had some leaks. When I noticed the problem, I went into my attic and found out that the leak was coming from around a vent in the ...
3
votes
1answer
42 views
Can I mix joint compounds with different setting times to get a custom setting time?
I'm currently skim coating some really bad looking walls and my 45 minute joint compound is setting too fast for me to get a nice finish.
Can I mix the remainder of my 45 minute Joint Compound with ...
2
votes
2answers
269 views
How do I transition between tile and drywall in a tub surround?
I'm working on a tub surround, which is about to be tiled. And the last piece I need to figure out, is how to transition between finished tile and adjacent wall.
This is how my wall looks right now.
...
2
votes
0answers
39 views
How can I make a smooth transition from granite to drywall?
I had solid sheets of granite installed for shower. Looks good except for the adjoining areas.
First shower does not run width of room - so there is a support wall for the right hand side of ...
4
votes
1answer
97 views
How much movement is normal after mounting a TV on partition wall?
I have a wall that's made of plasterboards mounted on metal studs. I have mounted two DVD cabinets (each 22kg) and an LCD TV (40kg).
To mount all this, I installed 6mm thick MDF panels across 5 of ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
How do I tape a joint between drywall and plaster?
I have old old plaster (on lath) bordering new drywall. Is it better to use mesh tape or just paper?
3
votes
3answers
318 views
How do I fix drywall around wall box so switch plate covers damage?
In my house, there are maybe three or four outlet boxes and switch boxes where there was damage done to the drywall surrounding the box at some point. There are no structural or electrical issues ...
4
votes
3answers
103 views
Can my drywall act as an air barrier?
I am preparing to improve a building in a cold climate zone. Since it does not seem to be properly insulated, I am reading a book about insulating and weatherizing. That teaches me that I should ...
15
votes
8answers
42k views
How much weight can screws in drywall withstand?
I've always had the question of how much weight can a single screw into a drywall withstand?
For instance, I would like to do things like this:
It's hanged with 5 screws. The whole thing weights ...
4
votes
3answers
82 views
How can I paint over an existing paint design without making it permanent?
We have a baby on the way. We are currently designing the nursery. The room currently has a diamond-shaped pattern that we'd like to keep, since it is unique and cool looking, plus it came that way ...
8
votes
2answers
419 views
Are these drywall screws properly driven/countersunk?
Related to this question. Even though I might be cluttering up SE with questions about driving drywall screws, I feel they will ultimately be helpful since I have been unsuccessful in finding images ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
How can I block off a doorway with studwork on a brick wall?
I'm blocking up a doorway in a brick wall. I've decided to block it up using a stud wall as that should be a bit easier than bricking it up.
I know that the bricks are 11cm depth plus approx 2cm ...
3
votes
1answer
126 views
How to tile over shower wall surround flange?
Background
I've been following this guide from Family Handyman on installing a fiberglass tub surround, and am to the point where I need to tile over the nailing flange. They say to put 1/4" tile ...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
How can I hang a heavy mirrored bathroom cabinet?
I purchased a bathroom cabinet today that is 1200 mm wide, by 750 mm tall, and 150 mm deep. When I brought it home, I discovered it weighed nearly 40 kg (88 pound) empty.
I was told that I could use ...
4
votes
4answers
146 views
Is this a good drywall hole cutter?
Has anyone used this: Stanley Drywall Hole Cutter
There are no reviews for it and I can't seem to find any on the web. I like the fact that it has two saws, though since I've never used a cutter ...
13
votes
6answers
4k views
How do I remove wallpaper from drywall?
I know there are a lot of different ways to remove wallpaper, ranging from elbow grease to chemicals and steam machines.
What way(s) work(s) best?
4
votes
2answers
5k views
Can I hang a bathroom shelf with command strips or something similar?
I'm currently living in an apartment that doesn't allow me to put anything larger than a finishing nail sized hole in the wall. I have a small bathroom shelf that I would like to put up that consists ...
2
votes
2answers
135 views
How can I prepare a wall for reasonably heavy tiles in a shower area?
I'm renovating a bathroom in my apartment and would like to fit 12mm Travertine tiles in a bath/shower area. For most of the walls in this area I have used cement board (Hardibacker 500) attached ...
3
votes
2answers
186 views
Will this moisture problem persist after drywall is installed?
we remodeled a trailer home recently, removed the aluminum siding, put up osb in place of the siding, then used the Lowes brand of house wrap. we installed new vinyl siding over that without using any ...
3
votes
2answers
284 views
How can I remove plaster board/drywall rawl plugs?
I have used red head metal plaster board rawl plugs. The kind that flare out flat when you screw the bolt in.
I now need to remove them. Is there a trick to remove them so I can reuse them or take ...
2
votes
1answer
297 views
Is this asbestos in my ceiling drywall?
While looking through a hole in the drywall, I saw this...
Is this asbestos?
18
votes
5answers
3k views
What is the best method to patch a large hole (2-3 inches) in drywall?
I have a large hole where a TV wall mount once was (I believe the hole was used to run power and coax cable to the TV). I have since moved the TV and would like to patch the hole. What is the best way ...
2
votes
3answers
208 views
How do I reduce the number of screw pops in my drywall?
Background:
I'm gluing and screwing 5/8 in drywall on the ceiling in my own home. I'm attaching it with screws and construction adhesive directly to the attic joists -- which are 16 in OC. I'm ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
Is it hazardous to leave a hole in the wall for a week or two?
Yesterday in a fit of manliness I accidentally punched a hole in the wall of my bedroom. I will eventually get some putty to fill in the hole but I'm concerned about the fibrous dust that may be in ...
8
votes
5answers
3k views
What's the easiest way to carry 4x8 sheets of 70-lbs drywall by yourself?
This past weekend, I had some help carrying eight 4x8 sheets of type X drywall up a flight of stairs. It was not easy. I know the sheets couldn't have weighed more than 80 lbs, but it felt like they ...
2
votes
1answer
129 views
How do I mount curtain rods securely into crumbling plasterboard?
I am trying to hang curtains and am using a medium weight wall plug which screws directly into the plaster. I live in an old Victorian mansion block, and every time I try and screw the plug into the ...
2
votes
1answer
199 views
Why is the joint compound cracking around a repaired patch in my ceiling?
Backstory: We had a leak in our roof that damaged some of the ceiling drywall. When we put new drywall up, the pre-existing drywall "sagged" a bit lower than the fresh piece that was screwed into the ...
2
votes
2answers
742 views
How do I repair a drywall ceiling when there is blown in insulation above?
I was finishing the space above a garage. The space was buried in blown in cellulose insulation and we framed in some walls, laid a subfloor, and finished the room. During framing two different ...
2
votes
1answer
127 views
Is it normal to have a bulge along the seam between pieces of drywall?
We are just finishing up (cross our fingers) our first Wisconsin winter in our new (to us) home and the other day notice something strange along the exterior walls. Roughly 4 ft up from the floor a ...
6
votes
2answers
200 views
Is the back section of this house salvageable or should it be knocked down?
My grandfather's house is getting to be in bad shape after years of neglect and more so the back section of the house is falling apart. Now the back section of the house, if I remember correctly, was ...
3
votes
4answers
739 views
How should I remove the texture from the ceiling *without* tearing it out?
We want to get rid of the texture on our ceiling. It's a very ugly stipple effect.
However, there's a foot and a half of insulation over this ceiling. Knocking it down to install new drywall is ...
1
vote
1answer
382 views
What is the proper way to install a exterior door in brick/drywall wall?
A little background: in Brazil drywall is kind of novelty yet, mostly used on comercial building. Houses here are still built only using bricks, with the jambs of door being affixed to the bricks ...
3
votes
2answers
944 views
What's behind my plasterboard?
We've just moved house, and I've never had to deal with plasterboard before. I'm in the UK, and the house is about 10 years old. My understanding was that behind the plasterboard would be a gap ...
