I once saw a painter mix what he said was plaster into regular drywall compound. He said it made the compound harder and dry faster. Has anyone heard of this? Is it a good idea? If so, how much plaster should be mixed with how much drywall compound?
I have a lot of repairs to do on a bedroom tray ceiling. There are quite a few nail pops. I’ve always put drywall screws on either side of the nail pop, but in a few places, I see the drywall screw moving the drywall back into place but then, no matter how careful I am, the screw goes through the paper on the drywall. It seems I need a drywall screw with a bigger head, or something like that. Is there any such animal?
Thanks.
Replies
Setting type compound has plaster in it. You can get it in 90 minute mix, and shorter times like 45, 30 and 15.
There are screws available for eifs-stucco installation that have plastyic washers under the head ... same idea as the plastic heads for roofing tar paper installation.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Check the message thread of the last couple of days on D-MIX.
Advanaced Search, upper left hand side.
nobody around here use nails on drywall no more, its all piffen screwed.
I've used it for years. I do plastering and have substituted joint compound many times for the traditional lime putty. You mix it the same way by making a ring of jc, pouring water in the middle and then sprinkling in the guaging plaster (plaster of paris) and letting it soak. It's not as nice to work with as the lime but it sticks a lot better and is more readily available
Last bag of guaging I got, the stuff wanted to float on the water. PITALanguage was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken.
Eric Hoffer
Floating plaster....hmmm. I'll have to think on that one.
if you need something with a wider head, try plaster washers.
thry're available thru several places, but I like the ones from Lee Valley
but they probably won't be quite flush with the surface, but a little bit proud
Three jc to one plaster.
plus add a splash of milk or vinegar to give you a bit more working time.
Be hard :)~
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Thanks, everyone. I’m still not clear on what the advantages of adding plaster to the joint compound are though.
Ed Hilton: What are “eifs”
Bill Hartmann: I had been following thread# 53970.1 with interest, because my house was built in 1991 with green lumber. The result now is very uneven floors, and some uneven walls. I’m sure the drying of this wood is what caused most of the nail pops. I’ll read up more on the D-Mix.
Brownbag: I don't know why nails were used on this house, but they were, and they're popin' out. What are "piffen screws"?
Jer: Is there an advantage to adding plaster to joint compound?
Shep: I never heard of plaster washers, but I’ll go alookin’.
Andy Clifford: Were you serious about the milk or vinegar? There’s so much tongue-in-cheek around here, sometimes I’m not sure…
Thanks again, everyone.
Edited 2/13/2005 3:53 pm ET by OVERKNIGHT
I think I solved my problem of the screws pulling through the drywall.I put a fender washer onto a 1 5/8" drywall screw; this combination pulled the drywall back up to the ceiling joist. Then I put some 1 1/4" screws used for concrete backer board on either side of the washer/screw combo. The backer board screws have a larger head than regular drywall screws. I then removed the washer/screw combo and replaced it with another backer board screw.Thanks for the help, everyone.p.s.: What's a "piffen screw"?
Don't worry about "piffen" screws--they are only available on the east coast and last I heard all the supply on the market was spoken for. LOL--You will hear more about them as time goes by. MIke
When you re-screw next to a popped nail, you should be using a screw gun with a depth limiting head, not a battery drill. Push on the drywall tight to the stud while driving the screws. If the paper breaks, the screws are useless. Piffin screws are a highly guarded trade secret, if someone told you about them...... you know the rest? RIP! Besides, the dwindling supply is kept on a remote island off the coast of Maine. It requires an open ocean crossing, luck and judicious use of a Downeast language, known only to a few old lobstermen and lighthouse keepers, to get a few. Ayuhh!Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
The advantage of adding plaster to compound is you can patch holes (large ones), and be finished within 15 minutes. No sanding. You can skim coat walls and have it paint ready that day. There is no sanding, the same as in plastering.
Try using Plaster Buttons. They are a specially designed washer approximately 1 inch in diameter with some perfs that bite into the surface. They also have a recessed hole in the center for your drywall screw. Very usefull for pulling up sagging plaster/lathe ceilings.
Here is a link to one source http://www.kilianhardware.com/ceilbutplasw.html
I just finished using them on a remodel where a homeowner drywalled over old plaster and nailed the drywall (incorrectly I might add). They worked perfectlly.
Enigma
Thanks, Enigma. I had been advised to try "plaster screws", but the local big boxes don't carry them. Thanks for the link; they look like they might work better than my idea.