What's so hard - drywall

[Concrete Video]

Hey guys, the wife and I are looking to buy our first house (with a garage...or space for one). Anyway, we really like one imparticular, but we want to make a few changes. That got me thinking...how hard can it be? I bought a book at lowes, and it seams pretty simple, but I know people make a pretty big deal about it. what's up with drywall?

 

[Major Ramifications]

It's certainly far from Rocket Science, just messy and not much fun.

 

[GearHead_1]

The only thing hard about it is that it really is hard work. Especially hanging vaulted ceilings.

 

[wythors]

And mudding is something of an art form. Making a wall smooth enough for paint takes a lot of work and practice.

 

[rjspitz]

And mudding is something of an art form. Making a wall smooth enough for paint takes a lot of work and practice.

Unless you don't mind sanding, and sanding, and sanding...

 

[Richie Carbone]

If you're good enough you don't have to sand!

If sanding is necessary just use a warm wash rag to smooth the dried joint compound, it will give you a better result and you won't be breathing in any dust.

 

[NHCharger]

As stated above, it's not that hard, but as with every profession it takes some practice. And your right, those how to books make it seem so simple.

 

[armoredsaintt]

If you're good enough you don't have to sand!

If sanding is necessary just use a warm wash rag to smooth the dried joint compound, it will give you a better result and you won't be breathing in any dust.

+1 or use a big wet sponge, the dust gets everywhere!

 

[OH-MAN]

As stated above, it's not that hard, but as with every profession it takes some practice. And your right, those how to books make it seem so simple.

If you have time, tools, and don't mind hard work. Go for it .
The best way to learn is to jump in.
The guys that do it all day have learned the secrets to a good job with the least amount of wasted time. Like any profession you are paying for knowlege as well as work.

 

[Major Ramifications]

Like most trades, you can do just as good a job (or better) as a professional with some good research, patience, and a little practice. It just takes us Do-It-Yourselfers a hell of a lot longer than a pro. The pro is doing it for a living, so time is money. In my house, it's my house, so I am very patient and do not try to rush things (just ask my wife!).

 

[SK2003TypeS]

Pretty straightforward. Just takes time and patience.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

Very Very simple to do, It is a total PITA though.

 

[Vincent Vega]

As with any job the right tools make a difference.
A cordless drill will work, but a screwgun with a clutch is better.
Taping knives can get pretty expensive depending on brand. You'll need a minimum of three widths.
A sanding stick is a must for ceilings.
Mud Pans are pretty cheap
If you have outside corners a corner bead tool is very handy
A t-square makes cutting easy
A roto zip for electrical cutouts is nice, but a drywall knife will work.
A utility knife with about 20 spare blades should do it.
Buy the largest sheets you can handle. 4 X 12 or 4 X 14 will save you some taping over 4 X 8.
Buy the 5 gallon buckets of premixed mud. You will still want to stir it before using it. Sometimes you'll need to thin it with a little water.
Practice on some scraps to get an idea what it's like to work with. Do closets and areas that will be covered by cabinets first. You'll learn a lot. If you make a mistake it's easy to cover it up.
Keep a bucket of water with an old paintbrush around to clean your knives as you go.
It's not all that hard. As said before, sanding is very messy. It will kill your shop vac if you're not careful. I like to sweep up as much as possible to minimize shop vac use.
It is very rewarding to look at when done.
Remember the rules:
Measure twice, cut once
Do your best, caulk the rest.
Good luck.

 

[hades02]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but it is along
the same lines.
What are some good brands of taping knives?

 

[tcianci]

Post #13 has some excellent advice but I would reccomend trying setting type compound as opposed to bucket mud. You need to mix it and you have a choice of working times 5, 20, 45, 90 minutes. The setting type compound is especially useful for corner beads and your first pass over the taperd edge joints as these tend to eat up a fair amount of mud and take a while to dry. You can hit the beads with 20 minute comopound, for instance, and hit them again the same day. The setting type compound also doesn't shrink anywhere nearly as much as the bucket mud either.
With either type of compound, less is more. It is always easier to add more compound to a seam or a corner than it is to sand it off. Reasearch some DIY videos and practice in closets. You will be a pro by the time you're done.

 

[rsanter]

its not so hard as it is a pain to do.

I recomend that you try it and then if you cant stand doing it call someone in

bob

 

[StumpXJ]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but it is along
the same lines.
What are some good brands of taping knives?

Lol... hard to hijack a 4 year old dead thread. I like how everyone else just kept telling the OP how easy or hard it is to put up drywall.... 4 years later.

~James

 

[hades02]

Stump,

Thank you for pointing out that it was a 4 year old thread however
I needed info and of course you provided none.

 

[Mike83]

Marshalltown. Good quality, price reflects it.

 

[StumpXJ]

Stump,

Thank you for pointing out that it was a 4 year old thread however
I needed info and of course you provided none.

You're welcome. I'm here for you.

~James

 

[beartoothweb]

You can limit sanding by using a multi-knife process. Start with 6-8" knife, then 12" and then 14"+ for inside. I actually can get away with just the 8" and 12" and very limited sanding. Use the inside and outside corners to save a LOT of time, and use the fiber mesh for the seams.

I bought a hoist on ebay for less than $200 and did 2600ft by myself in my shop (http://picasaweb.google.com/beartoothweb/Drywall#)

By yourself a rotozip for the boxes. Texturing hides a ton of mistakes (harbor freight texture gun).

I'm not a pro, but have hung, taped, and textured 300+ 12' sheets, and I feel confident it'll turn out great.

 

[rburke65]

Do they actually have drywall in 14'lengths? I knew of 8' and 12'.....thanks

 

[beartoothweb]

Do they actually have drywall in 14'lengths? I knew of 8' and 12'.....thanks

Never heard of it either, nor would I want to lift it. I did 5/8" 4x12 sheets in my shop. They weigh 124 pounds EACH. Even with the hoist and the fact I'm in pretty good shape, it'll wear you out. For a newbie, I'd just do more joints and stick with 8' sheets. The 12' 1/2" stuff is really easy to break.

 

[buening]

Word of caution with the setting type compound, don't apply it very heavy because you will learn a few new cuss words if you have to sand it. I'm the type of drywall finisher that applies 5 gallons of mud and sands off 4 The setting type compound does NOT sand very easy. I swear it seems like I've been sanding concrete. And no I'm not to the top coat yet, which I'm using premixed stuff.

 

[hades02]

Kevin,
Thanks for the info. What brand of knives are consider good? Does it matter?

 

[beartoothweb]

Kevin,
Thanks for the info. What brand of knives are consider good? Does it matter?

I bought mine a while back at home depot I think. I like them because they are a softer handle.

One thing about premix is that I always add a little water to mine so it's easier to put on.

When you get your tools, one of those 12" trays (it's 12" long, and about 3" deep and wide,) it makes for easy mudding.

Also, if you've got 8' ceilings, 5 gallon buckets with an old pair of boots screwed to the top make for a great set of "stilts."

 

[e-tek]

Lol... hard to hijack a 4 year old dead thread. I like how everyone else just kept telling the OP how easy or hard it is to put up drywall.... 4 years later.

~James

The OP did what everyone should do - used the search function to find some info, then asked a follow up....what's wrong with that??

Word of caution with the setting type compound, don't apply it very heavy because you will learn a few new cuss words if you have to sand it. I'm the type of drywall finisher that applies 5 gallons of mud and sands off 4 The setting type compound does NOT sand very easy. I swear it seems like I've been sanding concrete. And no I'm not to the top coat yet, which I'm using premixed stuff.

Read Beartoothwebs advice - he's obviosuly done it a few times.

I've also done drywall - many times the wrong way - and now, after watching a pro twice - I do it the 'right' way. You DON'T SAND between coats. Put on your tape and corners and your first layer of mud. Smooth it with a knife and/or sponge (doesn't have to be anywhere near perfect!). Let dry. Slap on another coat to build up further and smoother. Let dry. Slap on a third to build up further and smoother. Let dry. Put on a nice "near-final" coat. Let dry. Sand lightly. Should be pretty smooth already. Very little is sanded off. Get a BIG light. Go around and put a final skim coat anywhere it's needed. A light final sand and you're done. VERY LITTLE SANDING REQUIRED!

 

[ripsnortMN]

Hey guys, the wife and I are looking to buy our first house (with a garage...or space for one). Anyway, we really like one imparticular, but we want to make a few changes. That got me thinking...how hard can it be? I bought a book at lowes, and it seams pretty simple, but I know people make a pretty big deal about it. what's up with drywall?

How hard can it be? Go do the whole garage by yourself (like i did) and then get back to us.

 

[King Me IRL]

I've done drywall too many times and I hate it. Actually the only part that ***** is sanding. everything else is easy. the dust from sanding, even light sanding, gets EVERYWHERE. In your eyes, hair, pores, etc. If you are doing a whole garage, the sponge method is worthless. you could rent a vacuum sander which helps a lot. And use the mesh type sand paper.

 

[IDASHO]

You guys that are bitchin' and moanin' about the dust need to get with the times

It is ALL about dustless sanding.

 

[StumpXJ]

The OP did what everyone should do - used the search function to find some info, then asked a follow up....what's wrong with that??

Jesus H. I never said anything was wrong, it was just funny to me. Sorry make everyone **** hurt.

~James

 

[Mattlt]

I believe it was mentioned to use as big a sheet as possible, but this goes for around windows and doors as well. DO NOT use small pieces around windows and doors, as the joint will likely crack. Always work around these opening with a full sheet.

Also, as was mentioned, use thin coats of mud. Don't slobber it on too thick on the first coat.

Above tips learned from experience...

 

[gesoffen]

Check out http://www.drywallschool.com. I know I learned a few tips from there during and after my projects.

 

[Zeke]

Check out http://www.drywallschool.com. I know I learned a few tips from there during and after my projects.

Plenty of demos on You Tube as well. I don't think You tube was around when this thread got started.

 

[Lhorn]

don't know if it's been mentioned, but the ultra fine dust from sanding can kill a regular shopvac. Don't quote me but I think if you can get a hepa type filter for your vac you might be ok.

 

[wrhenker]

One last thought... The garage should be somewhat heated during the winter, otherwise the drywall will crack from the contracting and expanding. Most people have heated garages, but I only crank the heat in mine when I am out there, seein' as it is 100' away.
Wayne

 

[jmh21586]

You can always tell a do-it-yourselfer job from a proffesional job, IMO.

There are a lot of people out there that do things themselves and then claim that it looks or works great. Mainly because they did it. I admitt. At times I've been one of them. In a garage, who cares, go for it. But in a house, where you would want the best job possible, go with a pro.
I've seen a lot of do it yourselfer jobs where the guy that did it thought it looked great, but really looked crappy. Sometimes the do it yourselfer doesn't know what a good job even looks like. And another thing with tapping. It may look good for awhile, but what it looks like a year from now seperates the pros from the novice.

 

[gesoffen]

Based on my DIY experience, I'd agree with jmh with a few caveats. The benefit of a pro in the case of drywall is that with the same level of quality, they can do 4x the work in the same amount of time as a DIYer. If you have a large area to cover, it may be worth it to you to hire a pro as they can hang, tape, mud and finish a garages worth of drywall in the time it'd take a DIYer hang the drywall only. Also, based on the wholesale sheet prices a pro gets, you may actually come out close to even - in many cases what you pay a pro for materials and labor to get a paint ready room is within a few bucks of what materials run retail.

Now, if you are talking a small area, it pays to DIY as you can pay a bit more attention to detail with out losing an insane amount of time. Also, some basic drywall finishing skills are a good resource for any Harry Homeowner.

The basement of my house was finished by the previous owner, who I discovered was a "good enough for government work" type. The sheets were hung vertically and I'm not sure more than one coat of mud made it on the walls after the taping the job. The benefits is that I don't need a stud finder as I can see the tell tales of every screw/seam. I know my work is not perfect but....