I’ll include pictures but basically I was all psyched up to put 2 more pieces of stripped & varnished baseboard in the diningroom. The buttercream colour is finished on all 3 walls & the ceiling (blood red is for the 4th wall up the staircase)& I finished putting in 3 pieces of the baseboard molding on one side of the diningroom. I started hammering another piece of baseboard to the left of the staircase when the nail PUSHED a chunk of the drywall in. I ended up w/a hole about the size of my hand.
Agony & despair! (I have really been working hard on this when possible & this setback just about KILLED me…sigh) but I figured I can fix the hole like I did the one in the ceiling. Luckily the back of the staircase is open, so I moved a box & took alook. There was ANOTHER hole just waiting to happen next to the first one. Apparently, instead of replacing that chunk of drywall or fixing the hole properly, someone just pushed & pushed some kindof drywall stuff into the hole & smoothed it out. When I & my trusty little hammer tried to pound in the nail, VOILA the chunk of drywall/plaster was pushed in.
Soooo, I’ve cut out the bad piece of drywall to a stud. I “think” I have spare drywall in the basement. I KNOW I still have a couple of pieces of Durarock or whatever that waterproof tile backerboard stuff is called. Can I use the Durarock stuff? If so what tool cuts it best (I have a straight handsaw, jigsaw, Skilsaw & Sawzall)? The “good” piece of drywall seems to have a skimcoat of somesort on it. Do I need to do the same on the other piece I put in (either drywall or Durarock)?
All I can say is I am sooooo glad I didn’t use all the buttercream paint. I have enough to paint this piece to match the other walls, once it’s fixed.
Why Germany? Kindereier & Pantofeln THAT’S why.
Replies
Plantlust,
Lacking formatting tools here, I pasted your post and my replies are in all caps. Sorry to shout at you, but it makes it clearer.
You wrote:
I'll include pictures but basically I was all psyched up to put 2 more pieces of stripped & varnished baseboard in the diningroom. The buttercream colour is finished on all 3 walls & the ceiling (blood red is for the 4th wall up the staircase)& I finished putting in 3 pieces of the baseboard molding on one side of the diningroom. I started hammering another piece of baseboard to the left of the staircase when the nail PUSHED a chunk of the drywall in. I ended up w/a hole about the size of my hand.
Agony & despair! (I have really been working hard on this when possible & this setback just about KILLED me...sigh) but I figured I can fix the hole like I did the one in the ceiling. Luckily the back of the staircase is open, so I moved a box & took alook. There was ANOTHER hole just waiting to happen next to the first one. Apparently, instead of replacing that chunk of drywall or fixing the hole properly, someone just pushed & pushed some kindof drywall stuff into the hole & smoothed it out. When I & my trusty little hammer tried to pound in the nail, VOILA the chunk of drywall/plaster was pushed in.
Soooo, I've cut out the bad piece of drywall to a stud. I "think" I have spare drywall in the basement. I KNOW I still have a couple of pieces of Durarock or whatever that waterproof tile backerboard stuff is called. Can I use the Durarock stuff? YOU CAN, BUT IT'S EASIER TO GET A SMALL PIECE OF DRYWALL. HOME CENTERS SELL SMALL PIECES FOR REPAIRS LIKE THIS.
If so what tool cuts it best (I have a straight handsaw, jigsaw, Skilsaw & Sawzall)? JIGSAW WITH GRIT BLADE WORKS WELL, LESS DUST. DUROCK WILL RUIN A REGULAR WOOD BLADE ON ANY OF THE SAWS YOU HAVE.
The "good" piece of drywall seems to have a skimcoat of somesort on it. Do I need to do the same on the other piece I put in (either drywall or Durarock)? YES, AFTER TAPING THE JOINT WHERE IT MEETS THE OLD DRYWALL. IF YOU CAN SAND A SHALLOW DEPRESSION (IN THE SKIMCOAT) ON THE OLD EDGE, THE TAPE WON'T BULGE OUT AT THE JOINT.
All I can say is I am sooooo glad I didn't use all the buttercream paint. I have enough to paint this piece to match the other walls, once it's fixed. AND PRIMED, OF COURSE.
Hope this helps,
Bill
Don't use anything other than a piece of drywall of the same thickness. You could MAKE almost anything work (including Durock), but it's much more work.
I can't tell from the picture, but if you have a taper-to-taper joint, use conventional drywall tape. If it's butt-to-butt, this would be a good place to use self-adhesive or "wet and stick" paper tape. My local paint store sells a paper, wet and stick, drywall crack repair tape that works quite well. Using this tape reduces the bulge that you get with a butt joint. Don't be tempted to use fiberglass tape.
You shouldn't need to skim coat the new piece unless you need to match a specific texture. And before painting, use primer on all new drywall and compound.
Thanks for all your advise. The puppies & I are off to the local ACE for the sticky tape & some drywall. I'm taking the bad piece with me so I can match it more easily.Fingers crossed that I can actually fix it all this weekend.Why Germany? Kindereier & Pantofeln THAT'S why.
You should be nailing through the base into studs and bottom plate, not just through the drywall.
With wood backing it there should be no way for a nail to punch out even previously weakened drywall.
good luck, hope this helps
No, don't use cement board -- it won't finish like drywall (at least not without a lot of effort). Moisture resistant drywall is OK, though it may have a slightly different texture (depending on brand) that will take several extra coats of paint to fix.
If you don't have the scrap drywall, check with any construction projects nearby -- should be some suitable pieces on the scrap pile if it hasn't rained recently. And the big boxes sell small pieces of drywall, so you shouldn't have to buy a full 4x8 sheet.
Apparently, neither ACE nor Home Despot carry small sheets of drywall that are thinner than 1/2inch. Because of course the piece I spent Saturday working on to get JUST right (and it fit in beautifully) is higher than the "good" piece still on the wall. It was 3/8 inch apparently. sighHome Despot was nice enough to cut the ginormous 4x8 sheet of 3/8 in half, so that I can find out it won't fit in my Volksy & then fasten it to the roof and velly, velly carefully drive home praying that the rain holds off & the wind isn't too windy.It did & it wasn't, so now both halves of the sheet are safely inside. It can rain anytime now.'NorthStar' sour cherry & Virginia bluebells in full glorious bloom SW of Chicago!!
Yup, drywall comes in 3/8" and 1/2" and other sizes too. 1/2" is the most common, but a few years back 3/8" was in vogue. I don't like 3/8". It's not nearly stiff enough, but you've got to match what's there.
Save a piece of each for future repairs.