I repaired a ceiling last weekend; one 3′ x 3′ section had started to sag and crack because of a water leak above. (The HO had the leak repaired already.)
I cut the affected section out with a “plaster”, or keyhole, saw. Ceiling turned out to be 2 layers of 3/8″ drywall. The saw did the job but the cabinetmaker in me fussed about the ragged cuts it made. I had to do a lot of fitting of the new piece that I installed. All’s well that ends well & thank the Lord for joint compound and tape, but: what would have been a better way to make those cuts to get a cleaner result?
Replies
Why worry about a ragged cut? Remember that the cabinet maker is working with cabinets, but you're doing drywall. Use a surform or a rasp to clean up the cut and then don't worry about it. The mud and tape (if done well) will cover it.
Your utility knife will cut a perfect straight edged, no fray hole, but the keyhole is faster, and dustier.
sometimes board sometimes knot
A square cut no matter how you cut it is a good idea for starters. I might have used a sawzall with vac hose taped to the side and a plaster blade. No set, not much tear. Plunge at an extreme angle (near parallel to the plane of the area) and keep it shallow so you don't cut anything you're not supposed to. Back cut (with a sharp utility knife) the paper face of the ceiling a little to remove any fuzzed up edge b/4 mudding. Add a couple of 1 x blocks flat to catch more of the perimeter of the board, this allows you to bond the patch everywhere.
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put square against ceiling
score ceiling along square with knife
turn square over, score ceiling again(make the shape you want to cut out)
take keyhole saw and cut inside the score line.
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