I know nothing about drywall/sheetrock....

[EarlyBroncoGuy]

So, is it a waste of time and money for me to try and tape/float/texture new drywall?

After my shop was built, I enclosed one corner of it as an office/mancave. Simple stud walls, 8 feet tall, about 20x14 feet, 3 doors, 2 windows. A friend of a friend brought some guys over and they put up drywall, screwing the sheets to the studs. Looks like they did a pretty good job, no major gaps, but they ran out of time, got another big job, and can't come back to tape/float/texture it.

I've got a few quotes from local remodeling guys, but the prices are pretty far out of line with my expectations and priorities (I don't really need the room finished out anytime soon, but it would be nice).

Seeing as how I admit I don't know anything about drywall, don't have any tools for it, and would probably make a huge mess, is it worth it for me to give it a shot on my own, or **** it up and pay to have it done? I know it's not rocket science, but there is a skill set to it that I know I can't learn in a day or two.

 

[ItsNemo]

It will take more than a day or two...using normal mud, not any hot mud (quick setting) stuff you basically do one coat a day and for someone inexperienced it will take 4-5 shots at it to get a good finish.

That said, it really isn't anything complicated and you can't botch it that badly. The difference between someone good at it and someone new at it is just how long it will take.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Yes, all mistakes come down to the sanding step, where you can sand down your own lack of skill. And after you do it yourself you may spot flaws in all your "professional" drywall as well.

Keep the joints as few as possible.

Never done ceiling drywall though. That looks like a *****!

 

[Falcon67]

It's not that hard, more of a pain in the ASSprin bottle. You just need some paper tape, about 3 different tape knives and a bucket of mud. Get a small bucket of pre-mix mud to start, do a small section and see how you do - before you go buy anything substantial. Usually three passes is all it takes and little sanding. If you end up with it clumpy and ruff on the wall, just tell people it's adobe style texture.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I didn't have a drywall drill so I just screwed in 90% and then hand screwed the rest of the way to get flush screws that didn't rip the paper. It worked pretty good and wasn't too hard.

 

[Falcon67]

The drywall bits come in packs of 4, cheap. Fit right in a 1/4 magnetic extension. Use a regular drill - I used the bits with deck screws and OSB.

 

[ChaseDE]

Yeah mudding can be a DIY thing and you can learn. My dad is quite awesome at mudding drywall, me, not so much, but we get pretty close to the same end result....mine just takes longer.

 

[ddurrett896]

I got an outrageous quote (which was probably the going rate at the time) so I did it myself. Looks great and done a lot since.

My suggestion is to skip the 5 gallon bucket of premade mud and go with some easy sand 45. Make small batches that you can work in 20 minutes and apply. This lets you sand and repeat problem spots vs waiting a day for it to dry.

 

[gungatim]

When I first decided to learn to do drywall, I got a cheesy VHS on drywall done by the chick on "Hometime" from PBS...it was actually pretty good. I started in places that were not as noticeable, closets, basement shop, etc. by the time I was done I was pretty darn good at it.

I know lots of people that **** at it. most don't have the patience and want to get it done quickly in one shot and overwork it, put it on too thick, think they'll just sand it all out, or are just plain too **** about it being perfect. kinda like bodywork.

you have to ask yourself if you can be patient enough and not expect 100% perfection immediately, and practice enough to get decent at it or not. if you really look, a lot of homes are not perfect from contractors/pros either, you just don't notice as much after paint & primer.

also, a nice texture on the ceiling makes that part sooo much easier and forgiving.

as with anything, quality tools quality products go a long way to getting a quality job. they won't make up for poor skills, but will allow you to develop decent skills much easier/faster than working with junk premix, plastic trays, and crappy knives. invest in all the sizes good goldblatt or equiv. learn to mix properly and read the compound...

hope that helps.

 

[PugetDude]

It's drywall in a garage, not the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.
Watch a couple of videos (hundreds online for free) and dive in.
The tools are cheap (6" knife, 10" knife, mudpan, and pole screen sander will cost you less than $50.
You can use the premixed mud, just cream it well before you put it on.
Mesh tape is a lot easier to use than paper tape. Bed it in hot mud and it shouldn't crack.
Take your time, don't sweat the small ridges left by the knife- they'll scrape right off before you do the next coat.
A little practice goes a long way- start in the most inconspicuous place on the project.

Approach it like any other new project you tackle in the garage- any opportunity to learn and see how well you can do.

Good luck.

 

[TK-421]

It's not like it's super difficult, or that you have to be a pro to do it, it's all about patience, and having realistic expectations.

Watch some videos on youtube to see if it's something you think you can handle.

If you decide to do it, which I personally think you should, start somewhere that nobody will see but you, so that you don't feel too self-conscious if you screw it up, and that way you should have less stress and less of a rushed feeling.

Even without any prior experience, I bet you can do it. It'll take a bit, so don't think it's something you can do in a weekend, but you should be able to do it and do a fine job too.

 

[ratdoggy]

As been said before it's a garage...But you still want it to look good.
Think of it as practice for when you need to do it in the house...Where it HAS to look good..
If you don't try you'll never learn

 

[Git]

Just remember - it is easier to add more mud than it is to sand off if you have too much

Take it slow, try to avoid creating ridges, or gobs. At a minimum your shooting for 3 coats

 

[DalyArcher]

I think the hardest lesson for people to learn when mudding drywall is when to stop messing with it! People try to get it perfect the first shot out, not wanting any dimples, bumps or imperfections in the wet mud. In doing so, they work the mud into a thickened, playdoh consistency that will not lay smooth. Overworking it is far worse than leaving it alone, sanding it out and applying a follow up coat.

 

[MrElectric03]

I just installed 16 sheets of 5/8" Firecode and insulated the corner of my garage that will be built into my reloading area, eventually I will finish the rest of the garage. Prior to this I knew nothing about drywall and while it isn't perfect, I didn't expect it to be. As long as you don't expect perfection I think you will be ok. Lots of good info already on this board that helped me out a lot. The tools really aren't that expensive, I just picked up a 6" and 10" spreader, some tape and a good size bucket of mud at HD for about $40 and already have most of the sanding materials. If you want to stay on the cheap I used to see these tools quite often at swap meets and yardsales as well.

 

[ChaseDE]

Like I said earlier my dad taught me when I was young and I'm still not great at it but get the job done. My dad-in-law is not handy but is cheap and wants to do it all himself. He finished his attic which is a really nice space in his 3 story in pa but refused to let me help. he did an ok job hanging the drywall but his mud job was disastrous. it looked like he literally didn't even buy sandpaper, it was so bad the first time i walked up there and he had already painted it i felt physically uncomfortable looking at it haha.

 

[DCarr2]

If you go with dry mix you want it the constiancy of pancake mix

if you go premix buy the dust control stuff in the grey bucket, than add like 3-5 drops NOT gobs, drops, of dawn dish soap, and mix it up by hand... a cpl drops goes a VERY long way and will make the mud spread super easy!

I personally HATE drywall. Everything about it *****. I prefer real plaster...

but heres a crash course:

apply about 3/8 of mud to all seams and but joints, then lay your paper tape, then use your knife to squeeze some, but not all mud out from under the tape, when you wrinkle the tape, smooth it back out with your fingers, then smooth it out with your knife.

let dry.

corners: same idea, only add a little more mud, do ONE side of the corner at a time. start in the middle and work your way to the top/bottom'ends of the corner

when you do the ceiling, wall, wall corner, do each corner serprately. do one wait 6-8hrs do the other, and then the other. till they are all taped. this will save you mountains of headaches

next, screws: apply just enough to cover the heads.

3 coats, try to sand off the ridges as you go along...

the last coat, if your feeling adventerous, connect all the screw heads together in one long sweep, its a little more work but will better hide the screws.

then...

prime with drywall pant, and paint it with any latex paint, id suggest sherwin williams promar 400 flat for the cieling, and 400 eggshell for the walls.

oh one last thing, alot of guys swear by the drywall pan, its this little trough you hold in your hand, I cant use them. Instead i used a hawk. its a 1' squre piece of flat metal with a round handle in the middle. works great.

 

[Hearse85Caddy]

It's not a terrible job to do. Like everyone else has said, start out with pre-mix and take your time. For me, mesh tape is the easiest. Expect it to take 3-4 passes of mud and sanding to get it looking good. And the less mud you put on at a time, the quicker it dries and is ready for the next step. Good Luck!

 

[go4donuts]

I think there is a bit of a knack to it - some people catch on quickly and others don't. The people that don't have the knack need proper methodical training. I'm self-taught and I've done a few home jobs myself and I kinda enjoy doing it, and don't find it difficult. Other friends of mine that tried it found it extremely frustrating and made a mess of it.

One mistake that first-time DIY guys make is gobbing on too much mud. Their thinking is that "mud is soft, it sands easily, so I'll just slop on lots of mud to make sure I fill the hole, then I can sand off the excess". Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Sanding off many spots (the screw holes), or long seams of thickly applied mud is EXTREMELY labor intensive. It is MUCH less work to do an extra coat or two than to sand off excess mud from a overly thick coat!

Another labor wasting mistake I've seen DIY'ers do is sanding between coats. Before you start the second and third coat, just scrape the walls quickly with your trowel to knock of the ridges and specks from the previous coats. It's much quicker, easier and doesn't make dust. You only need to sand it after the mudding is finished and before you paint. As you're doing the preliminary coats, don't worry about making it look perfectly smooth and nice - your objective at that stage is to roughly fill the joint to make a base for the finish coat. Just make sure you don't put on any broad areas of excess mud that rise above the finished level, because you'll have to sand it off.

Watch some YouTube videos and give it a try. It helps a lot to learn and understand what you're trying to accomplish at each stage of the process. You might want to try doing one small wall all the way to completion, and make your mistakes on a small scale, before tackling the whole job.

 

[reader2580]

Biggest issue for most is putting the mud on too thick. It gets easier with some experience.

 

[Rickster55]

YouTube is your friend!

 

[Kevin54]

I didn't have a drywall drill so I just screwed in 90% and then hand screwed the rest of the way to get flush screws that didn't rip the paper. It worked pretty good and wasn't too hard.

The drywall bits come in packs of 4, cheap. Fit right in a 1/4 magnetic extension. Use a regular drill - I used the bits with deck screws and OSB.

You don't need a drywall drill. Like falcon said, get a pack of drywall bits. They set the screwhead at the right height so it is countersunk just the right distance. What happens is when you hit the correct height, the bit will slip in the head of the screw.

 

[killahog]

Do it yourself ,your garage is a place to learn new skills.

 

[MrElectric03]

^^^Good point, these work great. I bought the DeWalt four pack for about $5 and after 400+ screws the first one is still going strong.

 

[Kevin54]

Doing drywall tape and mudding properly, it will take about a week depending on the size of the project. Day one, you put down your mud and tape, and mud your screws. Don't use a corner trowel, but use a regular trowel to do your corners. And on day one, you will only have a very thin coat. Do not try to fill everything in. And on day one, only do one side of your corner. You will be using a 6" knife to do all of this.

Day two......lightly sand any globs or high spots you may have. Just a very light sanding, if you even need any at all. Do your other side of your corners. The first side of the corner already has dry mud, so you won't be digging into that. You will do this using your 6" knife. Next, switch off to a 9" knife, and put a light coat of mud on all of your seams. You will be able to tell how much pressure to put to the knife. Again, you are only trying to bring things in just a shade below flush.

Day three....lightly sand any high spots or globs you may have so they are smooth. Taking your 9" knife, go over your corners, only doing one side of the corner. Switch to your 12" knife and go at it on your seams. Bring things up to level or a little above. Go over your screw heads again.

Day four..... Go at your corners, filling in what is low, using your 9" or 12" knife. You shouldn't have too much to do by now. But before you attack the corners, take your pole sander or hand sander and sand everything thoroughly. This should be bringing everything out level. Then go over what you have done with another light coat of mud.

Day five......final sand everything. You may have to fill in a few spots and sand after it is dry.

Also....when you start out, be sure to use Joint Compound. Your last and final coat should be using Topping Compound. The topping Compound is a finer material and will fill in any pinholes that you have.

The main thing about doing taping and mudding, it to NOT get in a hurry. You may only spend an hour or two a day on it, stretched out over a weeks time, but it will be easier sanding in the end, which is the worst part of mudding. Take your time, relax, and don't try to fill everything in at once, and you'll be good.

 

[PugetDude]

One more thought- for a lot less less than the cost of calling in a pro, (under a hundred bucks) a few big cans of orangepeel spray texture are a great way to make the job look professional. Use the lightest setting, keep the can in a constant circular motion and take your time. Lightly bounce a 10" knife over the texture when it is dry to knock off the bumps and you are ready to prime and paint.

 

[thickhead]

I also taught myself to hang, tape and mud really well by doing, but hiring out drywall hanging and finishing is one the very few things I love to do. Maybe it's because I love not to do? To do not have to do?

Smooth with eggshell finish for the win!
Looks the best and simple to patch versus texture.

 

[fastjohnny]

Prefill with hot mix, any gaps, improper cut outs around outlets, etc.
All purpose with 4" knife to bed tape
Corner trowel for corners. Works great.
6" knife for next coat, then switch to topping coat with 10 or 12" knife, then light sand. Don't sand to the paper tape or it will show.

 

[go4donuts]

>You don't need a drywall drill. Like falcon said, get a pack of drywall bits...

Yes. This! These are worth their weight in gold. I wouldn't do a drywall job without one. Although I don't know why you'd need a pack of them. I've had the same one since 1983.

 

[petee_c]

Best tip for diy drywall mudding. If you are using a mud tray or trough, add maybe an Oz or 2 of water to the mix a tablespoonful at a time.

You want the mud to thin a bit, about the thickness of smooth creamy mashed potatoes. It will go on smoother and for me feather out easier.

Good luck.

Lots of videos on YouTube.

I've done lots of walls and ceiling in my basement. A home theatre room and a wood workshop.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

 

[38 Dodge Coupe]

It may have been mentioned earlier, but I suggest you buy the highest quality drywall blades or knives that you can afford. I have a 4", 6" and 14" knife in my kit. Make sure you like the feel of the handle in your hand. I also bought a stainless mud pan. After some practice you will get to the point of not needing much sanding at all. I also recently bought the sand and Kleen sanding block that hooks up to a bucket and then to your shop vac to control the drywall dust. Actually works pretty well.

 

[BFBOB]

Go for it. Really!
Drywall is one area where an amateur really can do as good work as a full time pro ... if he's willing to spend the time. You'll take five times as long as a pro to get good results, but if like me you have more time than money, it's very rewarding to stand back and look at a wall and think, "Yeah, I did that."

 

[rharman]

>You don't need a drywall drill. Like falcon said, get a pack of drywall bits...

Yes. This! These are worth their weight in gold. I wouldn't do a drywall job without one. Although I don't know why you'd need a pack of them. I've had the same one since 1983.

You'll probably lose/misplace a couple along the way. The 10-pack is pretty cheap.

 

[gungatim]

It may have been mentioned earlier, but I suggest you buy the highest quality drywall blades or knives that you can afford. I have a 4", 6" and 14" knife in my kit. Make sure you like the feel of the handle in your hand. I also bought a stainless mud pan. After some practice you will get to the point of not needing much sanding at all. I also recently bought the sand and Kleen sanding block that hooks up to a bucket and then to your shop vac to control the drywall dust. Actually works pretty well.

Forgot about those, I use them more than screens. the one with the 45 deg. edge on one side is great for corners and ceiling joints. they last forever and are easy to clean. 3M makes good ones as well.

 

[n20junkie]

People forget that you need a plane of reference when sanding, and that plane is established by the mud and surrounding drywall surface. If you put the mud on too thick, you will lose your reference and you will have a mess.


Also you want a very coarse grit for your sanding! If you have a coarse paper, and move fast you knock the highs off without getting into the lows. With a fine grit paper you will just follow the contour of the mud and not level it.

I like a random orbital sander, 1/4 orbit which is agressive with a 50 grit pad to level the first 2 layers and then maybe i will finish with a 150. But many times I leave the mud at 50 and just use a wet cloth to remove the dust before paint and that will smooth out the mud plenty for paint.


The nice part about mud work is that you can quickly get the tools and a bucket of premix and do a bit every night. Once all of it is layed, get the sander and a fan out and makd a mess. Repeate over a week or two and boom! Its done. If painted brite white, it can be less than perfect but still look damn good.

 

[texasranger]

I've done 3 drywall projects now, learned by watching YouTube videos and reading a few articles online.

Mistakes I've made:
1-Used premix right out of the bucket. The project looked OK in the end but takes way more force to get it smooth and I ended up redoing some of the tape joints because the thick mud makes it hard to get the air bubbles out. My last project I added water to the premix and used a drill mixer. So much easier this way.
2-Added mud on top of the tape on the first coat. This is partly because of #1, I though this was necessary because the tape wrinkled a few times without being lubricated by the mud. After thinning the premix squeezing the bubbles without getting wrinkles was way easier.
3-Using mesh tape on a **** joint I ended up sanding through the mud which caused the mesh tape to show which required more mud to hide. Probably also to do with #1 because I was using too much pressure to get the mud smooth which thinned it too much over the tape. I used mesh tape on more recent projects with much better results.
4-Mud both sides of an inside corner at the same time. You mud both sides when taping, but the 2nd and 3rd coats you should do one side then wait for the mud to dry before doing the other side. I wasted a lot of time trying to do both at once and ended up doing a lot of sanding to make it look OK.

The most recent project I also experimented with hot mix. I found that I'm not good enough to use 20 minute for anything. I can't get it mixed correctly before it starts setting up and then it is too clumpy to use. The 45 minute worked much better. Allowed me to mud both sides of an inside joint in an afternoon which was my main goal. If you're just learning I'd stick with premix so you don't have the added pressure of curing time to rush you.

For sanding I personally like the sanding sponges that have 45 degree corners. I use them everywhere.

Tried the big orange/white sponges that you dip in water, wasn't impressed. Obviously you get very little dust but it took way longer and I didn't like the result as much.

When you finish your 3rd coat and do your finish sand, you'll probably find some pinholes and small imperfections that need touch up. Tint your final coat of mud with some blue chalk from a chalk line. That way you know exactly where you have to sand the next day before painting.

Lots of other little things you'll pick up along the way, but its not difficult. Just takes time. Watch several YouTube videos to get the basics.