Patch 4-inch gap between two uneven drywalls

Question

We recently removed a reach-in closet from the bedroom, leaving three 4-inch gaps on the drywall (left, right, and top/ceiling). We would like to patch the gaps and install a IKEA PAX system.

There are two-by-fours in the gaps so it should be easy to just put new drywall sheets on them. However, the drywalls of the gap on the left are uneven. Closer insepction shows the studs behind it are misaligned.

How are we supposed to fix the gap on the left? Please refer to the photos to see the situation.

Additional info

• The depth of the PAX system (58 cm or 22.875 inch) is the almost the same as the width of the closet wall , so the PAX won't be deep enough to cover the gap.

• The drywalls on the left side are misaligned in a way that:

  • the drywalls near the top are aligned (room wall and closet wall on the same level)
  • the drywalls near the bottom are misaligned (as shown in the picture)
  • only the top half of the closet wall is nailed to the stud while the bottom half is just dangling around because there is no stud behind it

This is what the top-left corner looks like. The stud is not connected to the horizontal 2x4:

This is what the bottom-left corner looks like. The stud on the right is rotated a bit, and the stud on the left is half-extruded. It cannot be pushed in even if the nails are cut, because the stud on the right is blocking the way:

I'm considering cutting the nails and pushing the stud in to make it align with other studs, but I'm not sure which is better:

• reducing the dimension of the stud next to it to make way
• detach the drywall from the stud, move the stud a few cm's to the left, and attach the drywall back

Update

I checked and found out that one of the misaligned studs was not actually supporting the horizonal beam -- I can insert a plastic card into the top of the it and there were no nails/screws connecting the stud to the horizontal 2x4. The bottom part was also not connected. I disconnected the stud with the drywall and removed it. Now the main room wall can be pushed in to be aligned with the closet wall. The issue is much easier to fix now.

Answer 1

A few options:

A. Pad the closet wall out. Determine how much extra material has to be added to the left wall to make it flush with the room wall. If you're fortunate, one of the different available thicknesses of drywall sold locally will just be enough. I have seen 1/4", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4" thick drywall spoken of by contractors and/or seen in big box stores. It could also be possible to add a layer of something else, like laminate etc, to make up an extra 16th of an inch (mm) etc under the new drywall piece. Tape and mud the joints.

B. Remove the drywall from the left side of the closet. Add furring strips to the studs to bring the stud edges out to the studs of the main room. Apply new drywall of the same thickness as the room drywall. Tape and mud the joints.

C. Ignore it. Cover the exposed stud as reasonably as possible with drywall/tape/mud. Use the Ikea furniture to cover over the difference as much as possible. Store long clothing on the left side so the difference won't get noticed most of the time. No problem seen, no solution needed.

Answer 2

Unless I'm missing something, it seems that all you have to do is add trim to that frame. Part of the purpose of wood trim is to cover the transition between two walls (or two materials, or whatever). When one wall is at a different level, you just add a piece of wood to fill the difference.

Answer 3

On the right side a strip of drywall and tape and mud is all you need.

On the left side, the difference between the drywall surface in the old closet and the room wall is 1 inch.

A simple solution would be to purchase one 8 foot 5/4 decking board. (the thickness is 1 inch) Rip it in half. (doesn't have to be perfectly straight or pretty, it will be covered.) Cut sections equal to the depth of the old closet.

Find the studs in the old closet. Attach the deck boards horizontally at the top, bottom and about every 16 inches.

Measure and cut the drywall and attach to the wood that is now even with the left side stud. Tape, mud, sand, prime and paint.

Now you have 2 walls that are straight to the back of the old closet.

No need to tear anything out, add extra shims, do double layers...Done.