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One of the first things the do-it-yourselfer realizes when learning how to build a drywall ceiling is that no man is an island – unless he uses rented equipment! Because the panels are big, bulky, and awkward, hanging drywall on a ceiling entails one or the other: the help of another person or renting a drywall jack from your local home improvement center. The cable mechanism on drywall jacks is not difficult to operate, and jacks do an excellent job of holding the drywall in a secure, flat position enabling you to more easily attach it to the ceiling.
Drywall repair is a project that most homeowners will have to face at one time or another. It encompasses a wide range of problems that include everything from nail pops to holes from doorknobs to major repairs like water damage and cracks caused by a settling foundation. Whatever your problem is, it’s important to understand the scope of the repair so that you don’t get in over your head if you’re a do-it-yourselfer.
here are few home improvement tasks greeted with more dread than finishing drywall. If you’re like most people, you hope that you’ve already done your last finishing job. Unfortunately, if you enjoy working on your home, you are bound to be confronted by this task again. So it’s worth your while to check out the tips and techniques we discuss here.
You want to wallpaper – or put new texture - but it’s not smooth enough. Some helpful steps to skim coat and prepare for a beautiful paper, or texture, job.
Easy way to protect baseboard and drop cloths when applying a “skim -coat” of drywall mud to walls.
Q: What can i use to repair my drywall which was ripped down to the brown paper during the much needed wallpaper removal process? I just want to be able to paint the walls – I am not going to be re-wallpapering. Do I just get a can of Gardz? or do I need something else in addition to the Gardz?
A: I taught myself to repair drywall with the assistance of people on the gardenweb forums. It is a DIY project, but there are a couple tricks you need to know about, especially since you are going to be painting. First, paint the damaged drywall with oil based primer. Then skim coat with drywall mud, sand, skim again, sand again, and maybe even a third time. Once it is smooth and the way you want it, prime again with oil based primer.
But most of the on-line advice fail to tell you about the importance of using the oil based primer, and using it twice. It acts as a shield, first between the damaged drywall and the drywall mud, and then the second time as a shield between the drywall mud and your latex paint. If you don’t use it, you can end up with the repaired area having a slightly different sheen from the rest of the wall.
A: Here’s some more advice he gave me when I could not face the prospect of removing the tightly applied wallpaper (someone did a good job on that!) from a very long narrow hallway, especially after the first few strips I took down damaged the drywall as you described. He said to sand down the torn edges and seams of the wallpaper so it’s flush, then apply Gardz. He then skimcoated. Then I added another layer of Gardz and painted. After we were done, you couldn’t tell there was ever wallpaper there. After all, drywall itself is basically paper, and if you can prevent the wallpaper from buckling and coming down from the moisture, why not. Gardz supposedly makes a hard seal on the surface.
Source:
Gardenweb.com
Does your home contain contaminated Chinese Drywall? This testing advice from the New York Times can help a homeowner determine if he or she is one of the thousands in over 30 states with the poisonous plasterboard.
Some ways to tell if you have Chinese Drywall in your home:
– Sulfuric smell. (Also a sign that you have descended into the less-favorable Afterworld. It’s best to inspect for fire, brimstone and the tortured souls of the eternally damned to eliminate this possibility)
A sheet of drywall, while relatively strong, only consists of a layer of gypsum plaster between two thick sheets of paper. It’s then kiln-dried to ensure rigidity. This basic construction allows the drywall to be both inexpensive and easy to use. On the downside; it is also easily damaged.
In most homes, there are usually one or two nicks, dings or holes in the walls that need attention. If the damage doesn’t extend all the way through the drywall, then the fix is simple. Just remove any loose plaster or paper around the edge and apply some drywall spackle. Wait for it to dry, sand the area and apply another coat if needed. Sand it again when dry and that will do it. Read more…
Drywall is now a common element you find in modern homes. Otherwise known as sheetrock or Gyproc, it is composed of gypsum materials sandwiched between two pieces of heavy paper. It is a very versatile material that you can manipulate several different ways. It is so versatile that it can be glued, nailed or screwed. To cover up the drywall, you can also use paint or wallpaper. The possibilities are endless. You can do a lot of things with drywall and it won’t break the bank because it is relatively cheap. Read more…
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