Cut Rate Construction
|
Drywall Repair & Installation.
Drywall covers roughly 85% of the interior space inside your home and holds over 90% market share of interior building materials! Properly installed and decorated, drywall can add real beauty and value to a home or business. Bad finish techniques, improper installation or poor color and decorating choices can have a negative influence on the appeal of your living or work space and will be costly to correct.
|
|
Hire the right contractor |
I can’t emphasize this enough. Do your research on the companies that will entertain your proposal for the work to be done. Get three estimates from different contractors, ask for references, photos along with proper licensing and insurance. Make sure you get what you pay for by communicating clearly about what you want, look over the contract before signing it be certain your request has been fully articulated and that all descriptions of verbal agreements match what’s in writing.
|
Do It Yourself
|
If you plan on doing it yourself here are a few ideas to make your drywall job go smooth.
When replacing drywall the most common type of drywall used is the ½ in 4x8 gypsum panel that can be applied to frame work which is 24 in O.C. or roughly 24 inches wide. For better sound proofing and fire rates go with 5/8 in 4x8 panels if the job allows. There are different lengths and thicknesses of drywall panels so choice accordingly. Use ¼ in drywall in 8ft or 10 ft lengths for applying over solid surfaces or curved surfaces with a long radius. It’s recommended that you use ¼ in drywall on framing spaced no more than 16 in .O.C as a double layer application. Moisture resistant drywall is designed to minimize moisture issues thus it should be used in bathrooms, the wall behind a kitchen sink, or used for ceramic tile. This type of drywall should not be used for high-moisture areas such as a shower enclosure or a wall above a tub unless it will be covered with tile or tub surround, even then I prefer to use hardie backer or cement board for the shower. Moisture resistant drywall should not be installed over an existing vapor retarders if it will be finished with other vapor retarding materials such as ceramic tile, vinyl wall paper or oil paint to avoid trapping moister in the wall. Tools for the job Cutting with a drywall router is easy but often dusty so if keeping dust to a minimum is important then a drywall saw, or utility knife will do and don’t forget the rasp to smooth out edges and make adjustments. Taping knives or trowel, to spread and smooth drywall compound and a bucket or hawk to hold the compound as you work. When installing drywall think of ways to reduce the amount of unnecessary joints, this will make finishing the rest of the job much easier. Don’t butt the seams instead stagger them. A butted seam is a joint crated when two panel ends are joined together on the same stud. With drywall you can afford to cut a little short for most applications, fitting drywall panel or pieces that are too tight or big will break apart the gypsum panel if forced into place. Most joints can be filled and corrected with joint compound. For attaching drywall use a screw gun with course threaded screws for wood and fine thread screws for metal frame work. Make sure the head of the screw does not break the drywall paper when pushing on the screw gun to drive the screw into the drywall if it does you went too deep and will need to install another screw just slightly below the surface of the panel face to keep from breaking through the drywall paper. If you don’t do this the panel will come loose over time and cause all kinds of headaches. Apply your first coat of compound to the joints/seams apply your paper tape then re-coat with joint compound and smooth, if using mesh tape apply the tape to bare wall then install your first coat of joint compound over the tape and smooth with taping knife. Repeat this process two more times going with a wider knife each coat to overlap the previous coat. Once your third coat is dry it’s time to sand with preferably a sanding sponge or a pole sander. Use the pole sander first with 120 grit sand paper to get the joint compound level then use your sponge sander to feather out the edges of the seams by hand. Texturing drywall is a skill that can be learned with some perseverance and practice but don’t expect a perfect finish your first time around, be patient use the right tip then adjust the pressure and angle of your hopper gun when spraying on your popcorn or knockdown textures. Use a practice board adjusting your technique until you can closely match the existing texture. When sanding your repair before texturing make sure to eliminate all seams to feather or blend your repair with the rest of the wall or ceiling. This will create a prime surface to apply your texture finish to. Hand applied textures such as your skip trowel texture or venation plaster will require some practice and a little know how before achieving the desired results. Remember practice make perfect. |