5

I own two adjacent condo units and I opened a small doorway (24"x80") on the common wall for convenience.

Now I've sold one of the units and need to close the doorway. I recall the wall was simply double drywall on both sides.

My question is: How to close such a large opening? If I can still use drywall, how to secure the pieces to the rest of the wall?

One extra bit of info: one side of the wall was covered by large mirror glasses, and I can easily reattached one glass piece to conceal whatever I do with the doorway (I won't leave it open, of course). But other side of the wall is simply wall-papered so I have to come up with a good way.

Improve this question
4
  • Does double drywall mean that there were two layers of 1/2" drywall? Did you have a door, or was it just an opening through the wall?
    – Niall C. ♦
    Jun 5, 2011 at 14:18
  • @Niall C: yes, there were 2 layers of drywall on each side, so in total there were 4 layers. I have a door now.
    – Geoffrey Zheng
    Jun 5, 2011 at 16:14
  • 1
    as shirlock states, if this is a party wall, you need to do it properly and to code. You MIGHT be able to get away with using firedoors if you want to later re-open it, but that's going to cost more than putting the wall back.
    – DA01
    Jun 6, 2011 at 1:25
  • 1
    in most localities, doors, even 1 hour fire rated doors are not allowed between units. This rule is to eliminate any chance of an individual trying to escape a fire and running into a locked door. I have had to remove such doors in older apt houses. Get rid of the doors, Amen.
    – shirlock homes
    Jun 6, 2011 at 18:20

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
13

First off, opening a common wall between two separate living units is fine if you occupy both units. It is however against most fire codes to have such a doorway between separate units. Now that you are selling one, you will need to reframe the opening and cover BOTH SIDES with the proper fire rated sheathing, ie: 5/8 or two 1/2 inch pieces of drywall.

To do this, you should frame the opening with 2X4's on sides, top, and a center stud. Attach the drywall as you would for any other interior wall. Tape the seams and use joint compound to smooth the joints. Refinish/paint etc. This will restore the wall to it's original specification. Anything less than a proper fire rated repair should/would be picked up by a competent home inspector and will have to be repaired properly before you can close on the sale anyway. Good luck.

Improve this answer
1
  • I found a drywall book in Home Depot with a section showing similar instructions (sans the Good Luck part). Maybe Mr. homes was the author to begin with :)
    – Geoffrey Zheng
    Jun 7, 2011 at 12:59

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.