drywall question

[Snappy]

What do you guys use where the drywall meets the floor so it doesn't soak up water ( melted snow) ? I was thinking about rubber base moulding glued to the wall with a bead of caulk along the floor.

 

[Motofixxer]

Well the drywall shouldn't be sitting flush on the floor. But sure that would work. Keeping the water on the floor not the wall.

 

[Snappy]

Yep, whoever built the garage drywalled it that way. The wall really soaks up the water.

BTW: Love your new home,Motofixxer !

 

[Sammy7]

If there's already water getting sucked into the drywall, have you checked it for mold?

 

[tcianci]

You need to leave a gap between the bottom of the drywall and the floor, whatever trim you install at the base is just for cosmetics. If you have no gap, cut one.

 

[ron in sc]

You could make molding using treated 1x6 and use calk like you indicated at the bottom. In my garage we used a router to get the top of the molding the way we wanted it.

 

[50mercfan]

I'd get a good utility knife and some extra blades and trim off the bottom the drywall a 1/2" or so. Cove base (the rubber base molding) would work well, It's a little costly though. Make sure you get the proper cove base adhesive to attach it to the wall.

 

[little d]

You need to leave a gap between the bottom of the drywall and the floor, whatever trim you install at the base is just for cosmetics. If you have no gap, cut one.

+1, lay a 1by on the floor, take a utility knife and cut the bottom of the rock off. if your rock is "wet", let it dry out first, then like you said, take some commercial base trim(rubber), glue it on, silicone where it meets the floor, and you should be golden.

 

[Gary S]

Drywall is a poor choice for a garage. If it sits on the floor it will wick up water and destroy itself. If it sits up an inch or two, the wood sill will wick up the water to the drywall and destroy it anyway.
The real solution is to never use drywall. I built a garage back in '92. I used drywall on the walls. That was a mistake I'll never make again.
I built another garage in '04. This one has OSB walls. Now, small amounts of water no longer cause problems.
Solution=ditch the drywall.

 

[ddawg16]

My drywall is 8" from the floor.....it sits on top of the stem wall...and I paited it with out door paint.....

 

[idunnosh#t]

gud xcuse to go buy 1a them there new fangled whatchamacallits duzs everthink from removin tilz to opennin yur beer jes dontin lit ur wiffe get her hands onnit

 

[Dan0myte]

gud xcuse to go buy 1a them there new fangled whatchamacallits duzs everthink from removin tilz to opennin yur beer jes dontin lit ur wiffe get her hands onnit

I agree with this guy.

 

[idunnosh#t]

gud xcuse to go buy 1a them there new fangled whatchamacallits duzs everthink from removin tilz to opennin yur beer jes dontin lit ur wiffe get her hands onnit

I'm just having a little fun mocking my brother-inlaws girlfriends ex stepdad twice removed ....wtf...????...who's sitting in the other room stuffing his face and
'wow"ing the crowd with his brilliance as I'm typing this. Gotta love the Holidays and all the Wacko's that go with em.

 

[tcianci]

Drywall is a poor choice for a garage. If it sits on the floor it will wick up water and destroy itself. If it sits up an inch or two, the wood sill will wick up the water to the drywall and destroy it anyway.
The real solution is to never use drywall. I built a garage back in '92. I used drywall on the walls. That was a mistake I'll never make again.
I built another garage in '04. This one has OSB walls. Now, small amounts of water no longer cause problems.
Solution=ditch the drywall.

Drywall is not a poor choice for a garage. Even though lots of guys use OSB for their interior wall finish, its' use seems to be left to those who are afraid of drywall for what ever reason. Drywall, properly installed is an inexpensive, easily repaired, and aesthetically pleasing wall finish that can be used to meet fire codes and does not outgass formaldehyde for the first few years of its life. OSB installed the same way as the OP's drywall would exhibit all of the same limitations as drywall, i.e. wicking, mold and delamination. Drywall is also superior for its' sound absorbing qualities.

It is also a regional thing, here in the northeast, it is rare to see OSB used as an interior finish. In fact, the most popular wall finish in this area is veneer plaster over blueboard.

 

[Steevo]

Snappy,
An easy to trim that drywall up off of the floor woudl be to use a jamb saw. You can rent them at most Home Depot ro tool rental places. You can set a height and depth and slide it along the floor against the walls and cut off 1/2" or 3/4" to get that rock away from the slab.

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

Go to HD and get the plastic base board. They have a few sizes. It wont **** up the water. Put it on and calk it to the floor. This will keep most water from wicking up, unless you really spray it all the time.
Forget the rubber cove. That stuff is a pain to use and hard to get a seal on the floor.

 

[g_k50]

Why is the floor getting wet? Preventing that would be first on my list. Second would be having a 1/4" gap between the floor and the drywall. Gap is filled with a sealant.

 

[Snappy]

I'll have to check for mold,'cause that wall has been soaking up water (& salt) for a while. I just wanted to mention that this is an interior wall between the garage and utility room. I think cutting the bottom of the wall would help. Thanks guys !

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

Drywall is a poor choice for a garage. If it sits on the floor it will wick up water and destroy itself. If it sits up an inch or two, the wood sill will wick up the water to the drywall and destroy it anyway.
The real solution is to never use drywall. I built a garage back in '92. I used drywall on the walls. That was a mistake I'll never make again.
I built another garage in '04. This one has OSB walls. Now, small amounts of water no longer cause problems.
Solution=ditch the drywall.

So how come virtually every new home built gets drywall in the garage?

 

[Motofixxer]

It's fire code for drywall on dividing wall of garage and house, in most areas. In most other cases it just looks nicer and "more finished"

 

[Snappy]

I cut a piece of the wall & didn't find any mold. The paper covering peels right off though from all the water soaking into it.I think I'll be replacing the bottom section of the wall at least.

 

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

yeah you need to replace it. whats the question here

 

[aabirdman]

Drywall is still the most used material out there. Most of the time its required by code. If the water is getting to the wall board from the floor surface then by all means cut the board off the floor and chauk. If its soaking in to the floor and then up into the board and studs then chauking may not do the job. You might need to concider sealing the floor then chauking the gap between the floor and wallboard. Mold will only occur if the surfaces have a constant source of moisture. By the way the studs can be source of mold also as the have more organic material then the wallboard. Keep it simple, remove the wet board, dry it out and then prevent it getting wet again.

 

[Kevin54]

What's the board on the floor with the putty knife on it? Looks like it has been wet also.
If it were me, I would cut the drywall 4' up and replace it just to be safe. For one the wet drywall has deteriorated somewhat. After a few times of getting wet it is not as compressed or strong as new drywall. Then you could always put the first few inches at the bottom with cement board, then sit the drywall on top of that. Then cover with the vinyl trim and caulk. You don't want ANY water wicking up on the sole plate and take a chance on rotting it out.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Simple thing to do would be to bleach that and let it dry. Put some FRP, paneling or finished masonite that looks like tile or beadboard. Use PL construction adhesive and tiny nails. Seal it to the floor. get any kind of baseboard and seal that. Trim the top and have a nice wainscot.

There are a million ways to skin that cat. I doubt I would put ordinary drywall back there, seeing what the old stuff looks like. Green board would be my minimum. Still, if it was bleached and dry, you can go right over it with waterproof panels. No trash, no cutting or demo, no taping and possibly no painting. Seal it to the floor well, and it is immaterial what is behind it. Seal it at the top too. Then in the spring you can pressure wash the floors and lower walls.

What fun.

 

[Snappy]

What's the board on the floor with the putty knife on it? Looks like it has been wet also.
If it were me, I would cut the drywall 4' up and replace it just to be safe. For one the wet drywall has deteriorated somewhat. After a few times of getting wet it is not as compressed or strong as new drywall. Then you could always put the first few inches at the bottom with cement board, then sit the drywall on top of that. Then cover with the vinyl trim and caulk. You don't want ANY water wicking up on the sole plate and take a chance on rotting it out.

I was using the board on the floor to kneel on. It has some black paint on it.
Thanks for the ideas

 

[sharpshooter]

Replace all damaged sheetrock and make sure the new stuff isnt laying on the floor... Leave a gap, and if your concerned about looks then put down some of the rubber molding

 

[travisd]

If you're going to be replacing wallboard, maybe consider using the moisture resistant stuff used for bathrooms? Not water-proof, but will still stand up better to some occasional high humidity situations.

 

[Costner]

Drywall is a poor choice for a garage. If it sits on the floor it will wick up water and destroy itself. If it sits up an inch or two, the wood sill will wick up the water to the drywall and destroy it anyway.
The real solution is to never use drywall. I built a garage back in '92. I used drywall on the walls. That was a mistake I'll never make again.
I built another garage in '04. This one has OSB walls. Now, small amounts of water no longer cause problems.
Solution=ditch the drywall.

The drywall isn't the problem - the method of installation is. Drywall or OSB or plywood doesn't matter... none of them should sit where they can come into contact with moisture, because eventually they will rot and/or fall apart.

In this case he simply needs to cut away the drywall so it cannot come into contact with water. Since there is wood framing behind it, then chances are that will be a problem too if left long enough or exposed to moisture over a period of time. It simply is a poor design - the framing and drywall should have been raised up to prevent moisture from reaching them. He can cut out the bottom inch or so of drywall and then cover the gap with trim, but if water gets behind the trim and hits the wood framing there will eventually be problems.

In my area drywall is the standard for homes and OSB would never meet code because it is not a fireblock. However, around here the garages always include a poured concrete stemwall which is between 8 - 12" tall. The framing goes on top of the concrete and the drywall covers the framing, so there is no way the drywall would ever come into contact with the slab itself and thus it cannot wick up moisture.

I believe modern codes require some type of a concrete curb where garages meet the house because it also prevents fluids that may leak from a vehicle from getting into the house - not to mention the obvious advantages when it comes to water issues. Since this garage was likely built before those codes were in place there aren't a lot of options, but I would look at PVC trim with a bead of silicone where it touches the concrete to hold back the water. It will act like a dam although if the amount of water is significant or if the slope of the slab is in the wrong direction, eventually water might find a way past it and into the framing.

 

[tcianci]

The reason for the curb is to block the migration of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is heavier than air and therefore sinks to the garage floor. The thinking behind this regulation is that if you have an automobile running in the garage the gasses would sink and exit out the door opening before they could build to the point where they would enter the house.

 

[c5golfguy]

The lighter brown spots in the white area of your rock looks to be a form of mold as well as the smaller black spots to the left of the white area towards the bottom where the two sheets meet up. I would just remove it up 2/3' and replace with the mold resistant rock and install properly as others have suggested.

 

[Costner]

The reason for the curb is to block the migration of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is heavier than air and therefore sinks to the garage floor.

I did a little research and found carbon monoxide was one of the original justifications for requiring such a curb (along with flammable fluid spills such as gasoline or oil). However I also found where the curb actually became a problem due to the AMA requirements due to issues with wheelchairs and disabled people negotiating it, so apparently the code requirement was dropped.

I do know it still exists in some local codes, but apparently not on a national level. It was found to not be necessary apparently - which makes sense since the slab should be sloped to the exterior anyway, and air currents (even those produced by automobile exhaust) would be enough to push carbon monoxide over a curb very easy.

I still wouldn't consider building a garage that had framing directly on top of the slab however - but it is more of an issue with concerns over water than anything else. Not that it matters - every house I've ever lived in had at least a couple of steps up to the house from the garage and they all had concrete around the perimeter.

 

[walrus]

I still wouldn't consider building a garage that had framing directly on top of the slab however -.

Neither would I but for different reasons. In Maine you can get a build up of ice and snow around the building, it then rains and water backs up and runs right across the floor of the garage. Have 2 garages that do that on occasion so this time I put down one course of block

 

[little d]

snappy, go up 2' and see if the rock is in good shape, if it is, lay a 1by on the floor, measure 2' off of that, snap ya a chalkline on what needs replaced, if not do the same at 4'. I'd take a utility knife and cut it off, you could use a saw, but be careful of electrical wires and plumbing. now check and see if its 5/8 in stead of 1/2, it should be for code. take a pencil and mark where your studs are, on the floor, so when ya put up the new rock ya know where to nail. cut your new rock in halve(2'),or leave it at 4'. factory side up, cut side down. nail, or screw( ya want it just below the surface, but ya don't want to tear the paper) tape(cheese cloth, not paper), mud, first coat just covers tape, with a 6" knife, second coat covers first coat and feathers out any imperfections with a 12" knife,split over the tape(24" total), third coat is a skim (finish) coat, water down your mud and make sure its clean, any particles in it and it will drag in your mud and leave lines. sand, cut the top and bottom edges where it feathers into the sheet rock(sander horizontal), sand the rest as flat as possible with out getting into your tape( if ya get into the tape, just go over the spots again with a light skim coat),(sander at a 45 angle). primer, paint(flat hides the most, high gloss shows the most), trim out, caulk, and set back and smile at the job ya did!. good luck, if ya got any q? pm me, little d.

 

[katit]

Interesting discussion here. I'm about to finiish my garage. In my previous house (frame construction) I had mentioned curb and existing wall frame to drywall against. So, there was such issues.

Currently I have masonry construction and there is no curb. I will have to frame on a slab. Is it OK or should I consider pouring that "curb" around to raise new framing? How is it done in basements? I doubt I will have water in garage, but still worrying..

 

[little d]

katit, we have used cca bottom plate for YEARS on concrete with no probes. the only thing done wrong with snappys house is they dropped the rock to the floor, if they had not, there would not be any issues.