Finishing Drywall

[hulagirl87]

Since you were all such a big help this past week when DH lost his job I have thought to turn to you again. Dis-er's are the best

We have a family room project that has been the bain of my existence for the past almost 6 months. DH and I have done all the work ourselves, but now that it has come to doing the corners of the drywall (the mudding), DH does not feel comfortable with it and feels he will mess it up. We had a few people come out to quote us what it would be to finish up the job but it is like they are quoting us what it would be to do a full drywall job. There is a guy that has done work in our house before and he quoted us a fair price. He had told us back in mid October that he was busy but we had told him that we wanted to go with him. He will now not return our calls. Even a "hey, I'm too busy to take your job call" would be ok with me. I think it's even a one or 2 day job. So between DH losing his job, a sick cat who might need to be put to sleep, and being a SAHM mom to a teething 8 month old, now I need to try to mud corners of drywall

That's where my Dis friends come in Can anyone help me out? There is corner bead in the corners now but there are spots where it is lifting off though, where it looks like the adhesive did not stick down to the drywall. Will that affect the mudding? If anyone is reading this and knows of any drywallers in Rochester that might come fix this for a reasonable amount let me know or if you yourself might want to come look at it Honestly, any help would be so appreciated. I'm reaching my breaking point. I pass the room and want to cry. I want the room done and the house back to normal. I don't want my tv and boxes of stuff in the living room anymore.

Here are some pictures. I don't know if they help or hurt. Thanks for reading this!!

 

[dawson5]

did you use that spray adhesive for the corners? Can't you just respray and hold it down? We only did the outer corners with that, not the ceiling corners.

If you used tape and compound, can't you just put more under and over and skim over it?

Hubby hung the drywall in our basement and I did all of the mudding and finishing of the walls, textured the ceiling and primed and painted. It's easy. If you mess up, re-mud it and do it over.

 

[hulagirl87]

did you use that spray adhesive for the corners? Can't you just respray and hold it down? We only did the outer corners with that, not the ceiling corners.

If you used tape and compound, can't you just put more under and over and skim over it?

Hubby hung the drywall in our basement and I did all of the mudding and finishing of the walls, textured the ceiling and primed and painted. It's easy. If you mess up, re-mud it and do it over.

yes, we used spray adhesive. some spots it stuck, some it didn't and it is peeling away from the drywall in some spots. we are nervous to mud over the corner beading because we think the mud will get under the places where the corner bead isn't adhered to the drywall and look all bubbly. We read not to not use mesh tape.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

It really is easy. Just take your time & if you mess up just sand it down & add more. The joint compound should hold the tape against the wall where it's coming up now.

 

[dawson5]

yes, we used spray adhesive. some spots it stuck, some it didn't and it is peeling away from the drywall in some spots. we are nervous to mud over the corner beading because we think the mud will get under the places where the corner bead isn't adhered to the drywall and look all bubbly. We read not to not use mesh tape.

Take it down and re-do it. That mesh stuff isn't hard at all. It just takes getting used to. If you still have some drywall scraps, practice on it. You used the edging with the metal in it, right?

When I did ours, I was not quick. There was no rush at all. I spent a few hours a day on it, took my time. (I did this while the oldest was in school, middle in pre-school and the youngest was taking his morning nap.) I actually skimmed all the walls with compound. Sanded it all, etc.

 

[RUDisney]

In the wonderful world of drywall, less is more.

I don't care how many coats I have to put on, as long as I don't have to sand off a lot.

Cut out the portions of tape that aren't sticking. You don't want to get the entire room finished only to have tape come up.

Spackling is easy. Take your time and use thin coats.

In our house, my DH is only good for demolition and getting me drinks or food while I do the construction projects. He's also good at holding things up while I hammer them into whatever they need to go.

 

[hulagirl87]

Take it down and re-do it. That mesh stuff isn't hard at all. It just takes getting used to. If you still have some drywall scraps, practice on it. You used the edging with the metal in it, right?

I don't think we would be able to take down the corner bead. We tried to take down one piece but the adhesive is so stuck to the metal while the paper tore away, the metal stayed stuck clear to the corner. I don't know what we are going to do. Perhaps we will just live with an unfinished room. It's been 6 months. What's another 15-20 years.

 

[RUDisney]

Why do you need to take down the metal corner bead? Is that coming up?

You can screw that into the wall and spackle over that. The corner bead won't move once it's screwed into place. I thought only the tape was coming up.

 

[dawson5]

Why do you need to take down the metal corner bead? Is that coming up?

You can screw that into the wall and spackle over that. The corner bead won't move once it's screwed into place. I thought only the tape was coming up.

that's a good idea. Hubby had fun with that stuff. I would rather use the mesh, more room for fixing if I screw up.

OP just get in there and do it yourself. Seriously, if you mess up, you can either sand it or use a wet sponge and wipe it off and re-do. When you get to doing it, you'll wonder why you didn't in the first place.

Or you could have even more fun and put crown moulding up. Covers all that.

 

[Disney Doll]

I vote for crown molding too. Do the best you can with the drywall and then crown molding over it finishes it nicely and covers any little mishaps.

 

[scrapquitler]

The people you are calling to get quotes are giving you high quotes because most likely, they don't want a small job like this. I have found over the years that it is MUCH more difficult to get someone to come do a small project than a large one. Drywall stuff like this is particularly tricky to find someone to do because they type of stuff you need done is "go to the house today, apply spackle for 15-30 minutes, leave. Tomorrow, go to the house, sand, apply second coat for 15-30 minutes, leave. Day three, return to the house, sand"
Its a pain, involves lots of travel and back and forth, etc. Honestly, they probably don't want the bother, its not worth giving up a bigger job to do this.

It's just as easy to do this yourself.

 

[RUDisney]

If you're having problems with the drywall, DON'T attempt crown molding by yourself. It is an art and watching our friend put it up in our dining room made me confident that I never want to have to cope molding myself.

Can you ask friends who know about drywall to give you some advice? (Preferably in your home with some hands on assistance.)

When I did wallpaper for the first time, my BIL came over and showed me how to put it up. It's simple, but having someone show me what to do made the rest of the process go much smoother.

Also, if you call a company that specializes in drywall, they may be able to give you a better price if you ask them about coming Thanksgiving week. Most people don't want construction workers in their house on the week before a holiday.

 

[hulagirl87]

Why do you need to take down the metal corner bead? Is that coming up?

You can screw that into the wall and spackle over that. The corner bead won't move once it's screwed into place. I thought only the tape was coming up.

somebody recommended to take it all down and start over. the corner bead won't come down. we tried to take a piece of it down but only the paper tape ripped apart from the metal and now there is just a metal "v" left in one of the corners. it is the paper tape that is the concern. the metal is bonded, it is just the paper that is coming away from the drywall in certain parts. Should we nail that to the wall and then mud over that?

 

[dawson5]

[raises hand] I suggested taking it down and starting over.

If the metal is in place and not moving, why not just use the mesh tape and drywall compound over it.

ETA: If the paper isn't bonded to the wall, it can bubble I believe. It can also "lift." This is why you make sure it is down and secured. In our present house, we can see where the drywallers didn't do a proper job and I can see separation in the corners and a lift line alone some of the ceilings.

 

[Mom loves Disney]

If you get the corner bead off, just use paper tape folded in half and mud under it and over it. One side at a time! Good Luck!

 

[marlynnp]

I have never heard of anyone using corner bead on inside corners!
Who told you to do that???

 

[RUDisney]

I have never heard of anyone using corner bead on inside corners!
Who told you to do that???

That's a moot point now. What's done is done. I wouldn't have done it this way, but now that it is, we can only advise how to work around it.

somebody recommended to take it all down and start over. the corner bead won't come down. we tried to take a piece of it down but only the paper tape ripped apart from the metal and now there is just a metal "v" left in one of the corners. it is the paper tape that is the concern. the metal is bonded, it is just the paper that is coming away from the drywall in certain parts. Should we nail that to the wall and then mud over that?

Remove only what is bubbling. If there is a 4 inch place bubbling, remove an inch or so above and below and retape and mud that. There is no need to tear everything down.

As long as your metal is adhered to the wall, there is no need to rip any of it down. Just tape and mud over it. If you're using paper tape (which I would use,) spread some mud on the metal and place the tape over it and mud over the paper. Make sure that you have enough mud under the paper and use your spackle knife to press any excess out from under the paper while spreading the mud over the top of the paper.

I like using paper in the corners instead of mesh. The only time I use mesh is when I'm fixing a hole in a wall... not a gouge, but an actual hole.

Your post motivated me to fix the knicks that my DS put in our kitchen wall behind his chair. It came out great and the paint covered it well. Unfortunately, now my DS has found other wall scrapes that he wants me to address.

 

[Colleen27]

I second the drown molding idea. Lowes sells a product that makes it super-easy - rather than wood that needs to be cut to line up perfectly in the corners, this is a semi-flexible foam/plastic-like molding that comes in straight sticks and pre-formed corners. My MIL used it in her den and it went up so easy that even my DH, who is perfectly capable of cutting traditional crown, said he'd take that over wood any day.

 

[hulagirl87]

I have never heard of anyone using corner bead on inside corners!
Who told you to do that???

a friend thought that it would be a good idea

Remove only what is bubbling. If there is a 4 inch place bubbling, remove an inch or so above and below and retape and mud that. There is no need to tear everything down.

As long as your metal is adhered to the wall, there is no need to rip any of it down. Just tape and mud over it. If you're using paper tape (which I would use,) spread some mud on the metal and place the tape over it and mud over the paper. Make sure that you have enough mud under the paper and use your spackle knife to press any excess out from under the paper while spreading the mud over the top of the paper.

I like using paper in the corners instead of mesh. The only time I use mesh is when I'm fixing a hole in a wall... not a gouge, but an actual hole.

Your post motivated me to fix the knicks that my DS put in our kitchen wall behind his chair. It came out great and the paint covered it well. Unfortunately, now my DS has found other wall scrapes that he wants me to address.

Glad I could motivate you! Now I just have to motivate myself!!

I second the drown molding idea. Lowes sells a product that makes it super-easy - rather than wood that needs to be cut to line up perfectly in the corners, this is a semi-flexible foam/plastic-like molding that comes in straight sticks and pre-formed corners. My MIL used it in her den and it went up so easy that even my DH, who is perfectly capable of cutting traditional crown, said he'd take that over wood any day.

Can't really do crown molding. The room was an addition 40+ years ago and when we gutted it we raised the ceiling but the roof jutted out into the room so we had to adjust the ceiling around it so now the ceiling is boxed around it so crown molding wouldn't work. would have been a perfect idea though.

 

[momtoallie]

DiGennaro Inc. Ceiling and Wall Doctor.
385 Holmes Rd, Rochester, NY 14626
(585)259-6207

We used them a long time ago to repair the ceiling after a leak problem. We were pleased with them. I don't know if they just install drywall in a room, but they might be able to recommend someone who does.