DRYWALL MIRACLE TIME…
Folks,
I’m remodeling an office that has a few “tenant improvements” that I am assigned to fix. I like the dangling Romex and BX here and there. Cut off ragged, but hot. Well it was. It shorted to the cover and went off line.
The bathroom is a 5×5 that had that Masonite + a veneer stuff that you find in the lesser loos up to the 4′ level. It’s gone, but the glue lines tore a lot of the drywall paper in going.
It’s rather rough. The stuff above, under it’s layers of gloss paint, is not much better. At least they didn’t do the inside corners. They just threw cheap molding over the gaps.
I proposed to take the room back to the studs and put in fresh DW or sheet over the horror.
The boss wants me to mud over it instead.
How can I make this come out right? The top half is painted, the bottom half is DW scrap with torn paper and gobs of glue. Just fairing up the wall will be way fun.
Do I need a primer on the torn paper? Over the gloss paint? Use all purpose compound or ______. I am open to all sorts of tips. I think
knock down (and drag out) texture over this will be a smart move.
The ToolBear
“Never met a man who couldn’t teach me something.” Anon.
Replies
your boss is thinking of the future, he wants to come back and fix it again in a year.
whatever you do on top of a mix of crap like that is going to crack, peel and drop on the ground. the only thing that i know works in smaller areas is a mixture 45min hot mud and good old Fixall.
find a boss that is interested in doing things right the first time!
5x5 room?
Why knock yourself out? Rip the crap out and start over at the studs. You'll probably save time, money, a lot of hair and the most important, get a better finished product.
kcoyner
Sounds like the mix that was just discussed in another trhread is just the ticket. I can't remember the thread. Read all the recent ones about drywall patching.
blue
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
You had it right the first time. Even if you did all the prep and durabonded all the rough areas, by the time you got things mudded and sanded enough times to look reasonable, you could have re-rocked the whole thing twice. And painted.
But hey, if the boss guy just wants to spend money for no reason, I'm sure a lot of us would be willing to take on chairity status this holiday season.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
I found the thread: http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=51402.1
blueWarning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
" The boss wants me to mud over it instead. How can I make tyhis come out right?"....
ANSWER..................Ask your boss.
Seriously, he's your boss...he told you what he wants done, so say;
" Sure thing boss...but exactly what products do you want me to use? Do you want me to use thinned joint compound or some other product. You think I better use a primer on these walls or just forget it? Exactly what type of finish coat did you want me to do...orange peel...knock down...swirl pattern...roller stipple...what? You name it and I'll do it."
Now whatever product he tells you to use..use it....whatever finish style, do it. Put the "monkey" on your boss's back...not your own.
If he gives you some lame answer like " Toolbear, you figure it out..." then shoot back something like, "I can't figure this one out cause I can't honestly figure doing anything other than ripping the old stuff out and starting over with new....you want me to do it your way, fine...but give me some direction in this matter."
If your boss can't dictate what he wants you to use and how to do it...he's not much of a boss.
But, if you simply take it upon yourself to " go it alone" and try some product and or method without his blessing, he's gonna hold you responsible if the walls don't turn out right. Now if you play innocent and let him dictate what he wants, and you do it according to his plans, and the walls turn out sh_tty, then he's got to take the fall...not you!
My advice, play dumb and let your boss be your boss on this one. Who knows, he may have the right answers on how to repair the existing walls...you'll never know unless you pose this question right back at him instead of at the forum.
If you don't like this advice,... then for the record...I believe you can use a red primer mfg by Thoroseal...paint it on all wall surfaces and then go back over wall with quick-setting drywall mud (45 minute type) this becomes your base coat, then finish off with regular all purpose joint compound. There may be other products that will work better than this solution but this should work.
Just my 2 cents
Davo
Ive done it several times. You need somthing else to do in the building while you work it in. Several things need time to dry.
Pick and scrape everything you can see or feel from the wall. Dont worry about the torn paper, tear some more paper till whats left is tight or as best you can.
Prime the wall a couple of coats with an oil quick dry primer. Kilz or somthin. That will actually soak up the wall and glue the paper back. Thats the biggest purpose .
Come back the next day after paint is cured and pick whats left that didnt get glued and spot prime. Wait an hour . Coat entire wall in strips from floor to ceiling leaving spaces in between of say 9 inches . The 9 inches gets coated over with a 10 later. If any thing bubbles , cut it out . Patch with a 20 minute durabond if it does. The primer is supposed to hold its applied heavy two coats.
In effect you will finish the whole wall, sand , and paint. Its works if you have other work going on in the building. Other wise it would be several trips for that small an area and then I would reccomend replacing it.
Tim Mooney
I'd be guessing, the boss just wants you to open the can of mud and patch it up, yesterday. I don't think he will be very happy if it takes you any thing extra or takes too long. I doubt he is concerned about a first class job. Make it too complicated and you'll probably be looking for a new job. Just knock the remaining glue off with an old taping knife. You can cut back ragged edges of the paper with your utility knife, just make a straight cut a quarter inch from the tear and peal off the edge.
It sounded as if the walls were all one layer of sheetrock and the walls are straight. There was some wainscot on the bottom but it has been removed and left random lines of glue. Some of the glue tore off some paper when the paneling was taken off. Your job is to cover over those areas so that everything can be painted, is that right? I'd keep it real simple. If you're real good with the trowels and knives, you could use a setting type compound for quick drying. Personally, I'd just use ordinary premixed. I'd also probably use the big straight knives since you will almost be plastering in some areas. If you have to compound over glossy areas, just sand first.
A rental bathroom will probably be slathered down by a cleaning company and beat up by the tenants. In six months it will be time for another quick fix. Sometimes, you just have to know how to fudge it in.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Find a really cheap hi-gloss latex and roll it as is. No prep at all. Shouldn't take more than an 15 minutes.
SamT
I have used Tim's method. It works, but is labor intensive. Give the boss an estimate for the repair vs. the replace time. If he is as tight as he sounds, he will choose the replace as the best value for his money.
Dave
All,Thanks for the input. It's 0438 in the AM and I have downloaded the options into Word for a print out I will take with me later. Great overnight service. Breaktime never sleeps? Or - time zones?We will see how good work vs. blow n go comes out. However, landlords and management companies are, shall we say, "thrifty." I bet on B n Go.Once upon a time I mudded over the wall paper glue over plaster in my own bath. After got done, learned that I should have applied Kilz. Job looks smooth - except for where it's cracking. :-(I can never remember if it's oil over latex or opposite. I think latex over oil and not reverse.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Sorry didn't get here sooner but what the hey.
Go buy that white pebblely vinyl 4x8 sheet stuff from the bigbox and make an easy clean wainscot lower wall area around the bath.
Put a prettyboy cap on top where it meets the drywall and plastic bottom garage door trim for a waterproof baseboard. Just trim off the rubber sealer.
Quick, easy, functional and done.
but I WAS born yesterday
FRP, figerglass reinforced plastic panel. Greatest thing in the world for a commercial restroom IMHO. Around $30/sheet retail (Lowes), probably the most cleanable surface I have seen.
BTW, hot (very hot) water and white vinegar remove wallpaper paste from plaster walls. Sponge on, wipe and rinse the sponge.At least some wallpaper paste. I would not bet on EVERY wallpaper paste.
Yeah, if you're just doing a quick, cheap, semi-krappy job, I can't see any point in not just replacing the wainscot with "tileboard" or fiberglass panels. Will save all the patching and be durable and look semi-nice.
Dan,You and I don't think like landlords.
Which is good.The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
Well, if you need a drywall miracle on the wall around the stool then best do some tile, 'cause any paint ain't going to hold up to the flinging flapping flying urine drops for very long.
urine the army now
Yep, tile is the answer for that. I have seen those metal partions disenigrate in less than 10 years from pizz splatters.
Dave