A little bit of drywall help, please.......

[Paultergeist]

Greetings!

I think this might be a couple of easy questions........

Working on the garage, I ended up removing the previous interior wall coverings. Those coverings were a combination of pegboard, lath plaster, drywall, cardboard, and even some posters which were used to cover up large holes. It really had to be seen to be -- ahem -- appreciated. Just gutting the interior wall made everything look better.....then came re-wiring, insulation , and drywall (Sheetrock). The garage really looked a lot better once the drywall was screwed into place. The wife even suggested just leaving the un-finished drywall in place (and just painting it), as I have never done mudding, taping, or texturing before........

......but I have to try to tape/mud the drywall, as I want to learn, and no room in the house will be as forgiving to my beginner mistakes as the garage. Things do not have to look perfect in there, but I do want things to be solid and secure. On to the questions....

1. Regarding the fasteners (screws) holding the drywall panels in place: do the screws need tape? (I am already taping all of the panel seams). Some sources do not seem to indicate that taping over the screw heads is required (just mud); other sources (books) show tape runs over the linear runs of screws, then mud over that tape.......thoughts?

2. Regarding texture: I was going to try something which I believe may be called "skip trowel" texture? I have seen this done (by pros) on the interior of the house; the joint compound is essentially applied by 12-inch trowel in large swaths across the drywall surface, in random directions. The idea was to try and simulate tht look of the (original) 1940s-era plaster. I think I can pull it off to a reasonable degree, but maybe I'm fooling myself. I am curious what those with more experience than I would say.......

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[soapii]

No need for tape over the screws, just mud them. Make sure all the screws are countersunk into the drywall just enough as to not break through the paper on the drywall.

--Joe

 

[my68spit]

i have never come across anyone putting tape and mud over screw holes in drywall. Seems unnecessary as there is no expansion or other significant movements at those locations. You can mud over them and it will be fine.

I can't offer any insight on the texture for the walls. My gut instinct would be to not bother if you have never done it before. The other part of me thinks, hey...why not give it a try? Worst case scenario, you don't like the looks of what you have done and you can sand it all back down and go smooth. Just start on a small area or even try it out on a large piece of scrap drywall you might have left over from the job.

Whatever you do, good luck!

 

[Paultergeist]

Thank you both for the replies!

 

[DekeT]

Textured walls and ceiling eventually become a major PITA. Maybe an interesting look at first but later you will wish it was flat. Its a dust collector and a ***** to paint. Lots of good instruction on drywall finishing on youtube. Any reasonably careful person can do it. A little practice and you can get a good results. Most beginner mistakes are trying to get the perfect surface on the first coat. Don't try to do that. Fill and move on. You get more ridges and bumps by fiddling with it and subsequently more sanding. Sanding is a not fun.

 

[nolimits76]

The other guys covered you on the screws & mud/tape issue.

I have to agree with DekeT....smooth walls would be my preference too. However, the reality is that texturing is used to cover up mistakes. In fact, if building a new home, it will cost MORE for smooth walls because it takes longer to make it right. Being an amateur the tape/mud process may not go as well as you hope. This is where the texturing process will make your work look good regardless.

The good thing is you can try your hand at smooth walls first, and if you aren't happy, then do the texturing.

Whatever you do....decide on type of texturing, etc first. It's not fun sanding it down and re-doing it. FYI, I think Home Depot and/or Lowe's has some drywall classes so you could get in a little practice before starting on your own walls. They used to be free, I presume they still are.

 

[Paultergeist]

Thank you!

 

[raceman17]

also, when you go to tape your seams, use a 4 inch edge to lay the tape in your mud. Try to make it as smooth as possible. Then switch over to an 8 inch edge for your next layer. You can also thin your mud out with just a bit of water to make it go on smoother. You dont want to just go and cake on layers of mud. Try to make it as flat as possible and then you can feather out the edge nicely. A good mudded seam can be up to 12-16 inches wide. If you do it right and get the hang of it then you dont have much sanding to do. You run into problems when you start building up your seam without feathering it out.

 

[elav]

No need for tape over the screws, just mud them. Make sure all the screws are countersunk into the drywall just enough as to not break through the paper on the drywall.

--Joe

To build on Joe's feedback, the screws need to be below the surface of the sheetrock. You should be able to run a 4" putty knife over the area with the screws and not have the putty knife catch the screw heads - a good check for someone starting out...

 

[Cobra6]

There are several good videos on You Tube that show how to hang and mud drywall - that's how I learned.
There are good examples on there of taping joints and how to use the wide blades.

The texture is a PITA and more of a PITA to remove.

 

[gunguy]

There should be plenty of Utube videos to get you started.

I am no professional but a couple of hints that seem to help me.

Before beginning any mudding, run your 4" knife over every screw or nail checking for high ones. The knife will "snick" or ring when you find one. Drive the high ones a little deeper.

When using paper tape, I wet the tape before bedding it in the mudded seam. It helps to prevent any bubbles under the tape as it dries. I don't soak the tape, just pull it through a bucket of water.

Know that mud shrinks as it dries which is why two or three coats of mud are normally required.

When sanding, feathering is as much by feel as by eye. If you can feel an edge or a ridge, you will see it after its painted.

And yes, a garage is a great place to learn drywall finishing skills. Go for it!

Jim