For questions about drywall (aka plasterboard) installation, repair & finishing.
2
votes
2answers
245 views
Tips for texturing ceilings?
I'm getting ready to texture ceilings for the first time using an air-compressor / hopper. I plan to practice first on some old sample sheets of drywall I have laying around but was also hoping to ...
6
votes
2answers
499 views
Wet Room walls, is plasterboard (Gyproc or Drywall) OK to use?
Looking to build a new wet room style bathroom. Is it better to use cement sheeting for the walls that will be tiled, or will plasterboard (Gyproc) just as good to use? Obviously whichever surface is ...
6
votes
3answers
14k views
How do I repair a curtain rod anchor that was ripped out of the wall?
My children managed to pull on the curtains hard enough to yank the bracket which attached the curtain rod to the wall out. What is the best way to repair this?
Here's what it looks like:
3
votes
4answers
3k views
What is the cheapest way to add texture to a wall
The previous home owners used a perforating tool to remove wallpaper, and just painted over all the holes and lines. I am in desperate need of some texture with no budget. I need to put a new baby ...
4
votes
2answers
930 views
What's the best material to patch gaps between moulding and the wall?
I am installing new moulding (aka baseboards, woodwork, etc). A few of the walls sort of dip inward, so a gap is left in between the moulding and drywall. What's a good material for patching this ...
6
votes
1answer
421 views
Paper joint tape VS. Mesh joint tape
What are the pros and cons of each type of drywall joint tape? Are there situations where one should always be used over the other?
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How can I keep leftover drywall mud from drying out in the box?
I'm not quite sure how much drywall mud I'll be using for my upcoming project so I'm planning to buy a box of it. Assuming that I have some left over, is there a technique for not wasting it? Will it ...
2
votes
2answers
347 views
How do I replace ceiling drywall over cabinets?
I recently had some water damage to my ceiling after a storm. For the most part, it's a simple cut out and replace procedure, but I'm stuck wondering what to do in the kitchen. There's about 1'x2' ...
5
votes
1answer
620 views
Why is my (white) painted plaster going brown on the borders of the underlying plasterboard?
We've recently had our spare bedroom ceiling plastered, and there was a loosish bit of plasterboard that was secured by the plasterer before skimming the entire ceiling.
After painting it I observed ...
3
votes
1answer
227 views
Which drywall screws to choose
1 1/4", 1 5/8", 2 1/2", bugle head, trim head, drill point, sharp point, coarse thread, fine thread...
With so many different kinds of drywall screws available, how is anybody to know which type and ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Remodeling a pre-1920's home with planks on the interior walls
I own an older home in central PA; my guess it is pre-1920's and I was going to remodel the living room and insulate the walls and run new wiring. The walls are horse hair plaster; when I removed the ...
1
vote
2answers
4k views
How does wood paneling compare to drywall?
what does wood paneling do better or worse than drywall? For example
cost
ease of installation
ease of modification
maintenance
longevity
fire resistance
noise insulation
heat insulation
etc.
3
votes
4answers
158 views
What to do with small patch of wallpaper in middle of wall?
I have a patch of wallpaper in the middle of a wall I am trying to paint. Its only about 18 inches tall and 6 inches wide.
It doesn't seem to want to come off, I tried using a razor blade to take it ...
1
vote
2answers
283 views
How do I install a 2 gang low voltage bracket?
Purchased varying 1 gang and 2 gang low voltage screw-in type brackets as seen here.
Upon inspection they appeared to simply sit in the wall with the the screws being screwed into the side of the dry ...
2
votes
1answer
316 views
Garage Fire Wall
I'm in the process of selling my home and the Home Inspector has said the follow:
The fire rating is compromised due to missing drywall at the access opening to the area under the front entry (wood ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Should I replace or patch a plaster ceiling?
My house is about 109 years old, excellent condition, other than cracking in the plaster ceilings. I've had one 3x3 section even fall out in my dining room. I want to replace the ceiling in the ...
3
votes
1answer
327 views
Kitchen Cabinets And Dry Wall Screws
I've got some kitchen cabinets that were hung using 4", course threaded, dry wall screwed. At every stud there is a screw at the top and bottom of the cabinet. Additionally, each cabinet is joined ...
3
votes
2answers
374 views
My kitchen has no real walls. Is this going to be a problem?
I recently redid my kitchen, which included removing the back splash and putting in new tile, but when I went to remove the old tile, I found that the tile is only attached to drywall. Knowing this ...
3
votes
1answer
152 views
How bad is a leak-through?
I replaced a Fluidmaster in a toilet, and I suspect the fill valve was slightly loose because, after about 12 hours there was a small puddle in the bathroom and the ceiling below was damp. I turned ...
10
votes
3answers
292 views
Why are progressively larger drywall knives used after each mudding pass?
I've been researching drywall finishing techniques and have noticed that when a first coat of mud compound is used, a smaller 6 inch taping knife is used... then on the second mud application, a ...
2
votes
2answers
552 views
How can I mask water damaged ceiling drywall with faux painting?
My tub upstairs leaked a large portion of water directly above the middle of the kitchen ceiling. The ceiling drywall doesn't have a hole in it, and the paint isn't bubbling. However after I fixed the ...
3
votes
1answer
597 views
What wall material should be used behind the Kerdi system in a tub/shower?
I know from my previous question that in most cases a cement board of some kind needs to be used. However, when the Kerdi membrane system is being used behind the tile, is it still necessary to use a ...
6
votes
1answer
773 views
Will my pocket door affect my installation of a tub surround?
My wife and I have decided to install a tub surround around our tub (best place to put it!). We are planning on removing the tile and the drywall behind the tub and installing one of the surrounds ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do I repair a canned light that's falling down?
I apologize if the term is not "can light", but I don't know what these types of lights are called.
Anyhow, the "can" of one of our lights has fallen out from the drywall ceiling (just a bit), and ...
3
votes
2answers
676 views
How do I install drywall when the door is too close to a concrete wall?
I'm looking for suggestions to finish one of the walls in my basement. I've included the pictures of the wall below. As you can see the doors are right up against the wall on both sides. There's ...
5
votes
1answer
216 views
What material to use to patch a hole near a heater?
The previous owner installed a base-board heater in the bathroom, but did a really poor job. Below the heater, there is a hole in the drywall where the wiring goes into the wall about the size of ...
5
votes
2answers
784 views
Can water-damaged drywall be repaired, or does it have to be replaced?
We have a basement bathroom that has water damage from the bathroom above. The damage is old, so it has completely dried, however it has bubbled the paint so the damage is obvious.
Mold is not a ...
5
votes
1answer
414 views
How do I splice a drywall metal outside corner bead?
When re-finishing my ceiling (formerly popcorn, now smooth) I had some trouble with the edge of the tray ceiling in the master bedroom. Since the length of the tray was longer than a standard metal ...
5
votes
2answers
877 views
What are the pros and cons of rolled-on wall/ceiling texture paint?
I just recently learned that some wall/ceiling textures can be applied with a paint-roller and special texture "paint".
Here are a couple examples from Home Depot:
I was hoping to get more ...
4
votes
2answers
369 views
How should I repair drywall where heating registers used to be?
We recently had an asbestos abatement crew remove heating ducts in our house that had asbestos-lined duct insulation. Part of the process required them to remove the duct registers in the wall as ...
3
votes
1answer
508 views
How do I replace missing drywall strips after an asbestos abatement?
I'm getting ready for my first major DIY project (about a week away). Here's a summary:
We confirmed the presence of Asbestos in our house heating vent insulation and acoustic ceilings. We're ...
2
votes
5answers
886 views
Should I install baseboards before or after skimcoating?
My bathroom walls were a mix of plaster and drywall with various layers of paint, primer, and skim coating. I attempted to skim coat the walls myself to prepare for priming and painting, but I wasn't ...
3
votes
5answers
286 views
What quick and dirty tool/method should I use for cutting scrap drywall?
I have a pile of drywall scrap that's been sitting in my garage for a few years after a remodel, "just in case". My buddy came up with the idea of turning it into "karate boards" for our kids to ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
What are some alternatives to wall anchors?
I've used these anchors in the past...I really like them for heavy duty mounting in drywall (for things such as vertical standards for shelves).
However, these make pretty big holes in the drywall. ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
What kind of wall material should be used in wet areas in a bathroom?
I'm replacing a one piece fiberglass tub with a two piece (tub + surround) unit. In the bathroom right now, there's just drywall, no special material. Should I replace the drywall with greenboard, ...
5
votes
4answers
991 views
How can I finish this “peeled” drywall?
While doing some work in my bathroom, one thing led to another and paint started peeling. I found that under many layers of paint was some wallpaper so it seemed natural to pull...
I started peeling ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
What should I do about a gap between hardwood and drywall?
First-time home-owner - house less than 1 year old.
We had our home built last December, and have been discovering all sorts of problems with it. The latest was a trail of ants within our kitchen ...
2
votes
1answer
265 views
Installing a shelf on a stucco-covered wall
We have a wall in the workroom next to our kitchen where we'd like to put a long, shallow shelf. The wall is stucco, and I'm a little concerned about the wall crumbling or cracking around the pilot ...
10
votes
4answers
8k views
What are the different types of drywall anchors, and what are the advantages of each?
I recently put up wire shelving in my pantry, and spent forever figuring out what type of drywall anchor I should use. I even found several types that I didn't even know existed. It might be good to ...
3
votes
4answers
3k views
Why does the plaster crack beneath the window sill?
Sorry if this is an obvious question.
Can anyone tell me why the dry lined plaster in our house so frequently cracks beneath the edge of the windows?
At first I thought it may be relating to the ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I find places to nail/screw into walls of ICF (insulated concrete form) home?
The home I bought has exterior walls made of ICF (insulated concrete form). I don't know the brand or type, I just know that somehow the builders attached the drywall to the styrofoam/concrete.
I'm ...
4
votes
1answer
794 views
How well do metal inside corner beads work?
I'm currently doing some drywalling in my basement, and the biggest PITA for me is always finishing the inside corners.
Recently I saw at Home Depot they have these metal inside corner bead pieces. ...
15
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I find studs when stud finders won't work?
I was trying to hang my TV at my new place, on an interior wall (between living room and a bathroom). Using the stud finder on other walls worked fine, but on this wall I got some very strange ...
