# Lots of damaged drywall - repair or replace?



## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

I have an odd question, and the advice I'm getting from friends etc is not good.. 

Our 25yr old home had bead-board wainscotting glued with construction adhesive to the lower 3 feet of many walls. We've removed it, and it left a terrible mess. The outside paper of the drywall is torn up and pulled off, over 60% of the lower wall is trashed. I've spent some time cutting around the damaged areas and removing the paper where it is loose from the wall, in an effort to prep it for refinishing/repair. 

I've got about 80 linear feet of this mess, and am wondering if in your opinions I should replace the lower sheets or continue my attempt to repair? 

If I replace the old drywall, where should I cut it off? Should I replace the entire 4x8 sheets? This would mean I'm cutting at the old joint. I'm worried that cutting at the old recess joint will create problems getting the new sheet to be flush with the top sheets old joint, since it will be thicker there due to the old sheet having been mudded/taped etc. I hope that makes sense.. =) 

Any opinions?

John


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

1.) Replace it. The labor involved trying to scrape the mess, paper or mesh tape the bad areas, and then attempting to get everything smooth/skim coat (difficult for a DIYer) will not be even slightly worth it.
Remove the sheetrock and start fresh.

2.) Where to cut it: You can cut sheetrock at any point when you are doing a replacement. Snap a chalk line straight and cut it out. It is possible to cut at the 4'-0" mark. You can if you want, you could also cut it at the 3'-0" or the 3'-6" mark and insert your new sheetrock there. I would suggest that you go ahead and remove the lower sheets to the 4'-0" mark. The existing seam edge should clean up fine. Any irregularities at the seam should be very, very minor and may be removed with a utility knife.

Good Luck.


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## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

Perhaps some pics would help. Sorry, should have posted them sooner. I wonder if I'd be OK to repair since the areas I'd have to fill are so narrow.

Still think I should re-sheet?

First two pics are before cleaning the walls up, the last two pics are after some cleanup.




















After cleanup:


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## MyDIYTry (Oct 8, 2007)

Have you thought of skim coating the entire wall and sanding? I can't tell how deep the holes are.

www.mydiytry.com


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## DeeTee (Aug 29, 2007)

*Other Things To Consider*

Like DIY says skim coating might work. You could then also texture to get everything more evened out. You could also do a plaster concept like a Mediterranean knock-down. In both of these cases you'd still need to do the whole wall unless you are going to put in a chair rail.


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## MyDIYTry (Oct 8, 2007)

We skim coated our entire living room when we moved in. It's a bit of work, but the finished product is beautiful. The walls are very smooth and even. This requires sanding also, which is very messy. If you go this route, make sure you cover every surface with a non-porous sheet. It's very messy and the dust is extremely fine.

www.MyDIYTry.com


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## bigchaz (Jun 28, 2006)

In the bottom picture where you see the line in the drywall is that the 8 foot line?


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

Based on the posted pictures, it is skim-coatable. We have skimcoated over bathroom sheetrock with tile ripped off of it.
On the other hand - Is it skim coatable by a DIYer? 
It's possible, give it a try. 
Worse case scenario is that you hate how it comes out and have to rip it all off and start new.

FWIW: When we skim coat an areas like that we use "hot mud" or eazy sand quick dry. When it sets up, we scrape down any ridges and then re-coat.

Just about anything can be skim coated smooth, if done properly and with patience:

Before:









After:









Before sanding:


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

I agree that's very do-able. For a first timer, it might test your patience a little, but just take your time.
When I skimcoat I always set up a strong work light to one side, focused down the length of the wall. It makes it a lot easier to see the high and low spots. Work with your back to the light, but not blocking it, so it doesn't blind you. Good luck!


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## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

bigchaz said:


> In the bottom picture where you see the line in the drywall is that the 8 foot line?


That's the 4-foot line. That's also the top of the sheets, they were layed horizontally.


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## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys. I'll do some googe-ing and give skim coating a try. Worst case, I've wasted my time and rip it all down. =)


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## bigchaz (Jun 28, 2006)

Since thats the 4 foot mark, if the skim coating doesnt work out, I dont think you could ask for a better mark for replacing the sheets. 

Is the area where the line is different thicknesses or is it just a a paint mark?


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## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

I drew the line at the 4-foot mark. It's a bit thicker there due to the two sheets meeting up, and having been taped etc. I'm worried that I won't be able to just replace the lower sheet without this extra thickness becoming a problem. I think I could make it work, just not sure if it's the best approach. I think I'm going to try to repair first, then if need be pull the damaged sheets and deal with having to feather out the difference in thicknesses.




bigchaz said:


> Since thats the 4 foot mark, if the skim coating doesnt work out, I dont think you could ask for a better mark for replacing the sheets.
> 
> Is the area where the line is different thicknesses or is it just a a paint mark?


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## MyDIYTry (Oct 8, 2007)

We've patched a large indent in our ceiling by skim coating. The trick is to lay down a thick layer, wait for it to dry completely, then skim-coat another layer of compound. Repeat process until the area is even. Waiting for it to dry completely before you apply another layer is important.

www.MyDIYTry.com


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

I'd suggest the tear out and replace. I recently re-did a master suite, and the old walls were a paneling / wall paper combo. There was some new rock due to moving some walls. Luckily we used a heavy texture that covered many sins, but I did skim the old walls. It seemed like a good idea at the time to "save the wall" and skim it. Looking back at the labor as well as how much easier it was to texture the new rock, I would suggest the tear out and replace. It's doable and ours looks great, but I still think it would have been easier to start with fresh rock. 

Just my $.02......


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## bmsnook (Oct 16, 2007)

*how much difference in thickness is there?*

I feel your pain. When I was getting our "new" house ready 2 years ago, I started to remove some paneling in our den to-be and as I saw the glue ripping off the drywall paper underneath, I decided to rewind and rethink. I ended up nailing it back in place, painting over everything, and using my router to improvise cheapie replacement chair rail with MDF to cover the ridge (the old chair rail was gone). With about a thousand other projects to finish around the house before the birth of our second child, I didn't need another project of that scale at that time.

For various reasons, I'll probably replace the drywall in that room when I do get around to removing the paneling. When I saw your question, I leaned that way at first, but AtlanticWBConst and others have made a good case for skimming first, if you're comfortable with it. His work looks really good, and ratherbefishin' points out that it's possible for DIY. There's only one way to find out.

If you were to replace the lower section of drywall (and just the lower section):
I can't tell from the photos how much difference in thickness there is. Is it 1/8" or less? 1/16"? Depending on the final paint color and gloss choices, a slight difference could be more or less visible if you replace just the bottom half. If there's a sizable difference and you go the route of replacing the bottom 4', could you improvise some shimming. If there's a big gap (1/4" or more), you could try really thin plywood, cut into strips for each stud, or just use 5/8" drywall instead of 1/2", or if there's just a small difference in drywall thickness, perhaps doubled or tripled (or more) thicknesses of brown work paper, like the kind used to cover floors while doing work, could be stapled to the studs beneath the new drywall to help balance the drywall thickness between old and new in the interest of reducing feathering work? Has anyone tried anything like that, or does anyone have experience making up the difference in thickness?


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

bmsnook, I believe he said the extra thickness he's concerned about is just mud and tape at the joint. jdelisle, you MUST remove the old tape and mud and retape the joint if you decide to hang new rock....no more problem there....:no: 
steve1234, I agree that it's easier to finish new rock, but I also have to consider the time, labor, and cost to demo and dispose of the old rock, obtain, hang, tape and finish the new. It becomes something of a trade-off, or possibly even a loss, on time and increases cost of materials considerably. Then, if a level 5 finish is expected, it has to be skimcoated anyway....:huh: Probably not necessary in this case, though.

My best suggestion is do about a 4' test section and see if you're comfortable with it, keeping in mind you should get a "feel" for it as you go and it'll get easier. You can do it! Just be patient....:thumbup:


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

Agreed. It's a close call, and could go either way depending on the particular situation. In my case there was already a lot going on and a debris box in the driveway. The good news is both ways should get you to the desired result. 

As for "shimming" drywall, you can buy precut pieces of cardboard that are 1-1/2" wide made specifically for shimming. Drywall supply houses or even the big box home improvement stores carry them. Use 1-? to make up what you need. If it gets too thick I would recommend the plywood strips. I recently had to fur out the rock on two walls to allow a bullnose into a kerfed window frame. Strips of plywood worked fine. 

Good luck.


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## jdelisle (Oct 13, 2007)

The repair is going bad. =(

The mud has blisters where the paper was partially loose. We thought we got it all but I suppose we must have missed a lot. If anyone's reading this who's facing the same mess - spend a lot of time on prep, get rid of ALL loose paper.

I'm going to try repairing the repair by cutting out the blistering spots (lots..), and if it gets either too time consuming or annoying, I will just cut the sheets down.

Thanks for all the advice guys, it's been helpful.


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## RemodelMan (Oct 7, 2007)

*Rock On Over for a compromise!*

Have you considered rocking over the existing walls with 3/8th's rock?
This could also be glued for the most part with a fast setting adhesive like Liquid Nails`Heavy Duty, and only partially screwed around the perimeter with a few towards the center. It may alleviate extra time mudding and sanding.
However, you will have to consider the base and trim mouldings. how will you deal with those dimensional changes? 1 Option may be to first number and trace around these mouldings before removing them, then add 3/8" butting up to the traced lines. Replacing same mouldings and caulking between rock and old trim, jambs and bases.


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## localtradesman (Oct 27, 2007)

I have done plenty of these type of projects....This is a job for a true professional that can skim the walls in a hurry......scrape...peel the glue off ect.....you will have bubbling and will have to cut it out on your next coat... tearing it out is crazy.....I could do that job first coat easy.... one man...one day....smooth finish when complete or texture if you have any above the damaged areas to match..... good luck....


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## 595287 (Jan 4, 2010)

A huge problem with going over existing walls that have paint, blisters, pealing paper, cracks, dents, dirt, paint runs, etc., is that each of these kinds of issues requires carefully thinking and planning to get a great result. Professionals have their fair share of boo boos but they do so many jobs over the years that it all adds up to knowledge/skill that enables them to tackle your toughest job.

One tip I learned from reading professionals posting on various forums that really works is to use Zinsser Guardz sealer over existing walls before any patching. It works.

I would recommend cutting out any loose paper and sanding the entire wall down with 80 grit sand paper. The goal is to degloss the surface and remove bits of paper, paint runs, etc., essentially smoothing the walls. If you have holes to patch, now is the time to do it. Keep in mind that you want to cut out your damaged drywall and screw in new drywall to replace the damaged. But do not apply mud at this time. You want the drywall patched areas to be coated with Zinsser Guardz before mudding and taping.

Next, wash the walls with a cleaner that does not require rinsing. I use a product from my local hardware store, though cannot remember the name of it right now. I bought a huge box about two years ago and still have a bunch left. It used to be called Soilax but was bought out by another company. Or you could use one of various recipes on the internet for creating no-rinse solutions for washing walls.

Third, after the walls are completely dry, roll on Zinsser Guardz sealer. It goes on milky and dries clear.

Now you're ready to mud and tape your patches, skim coat your walls, texture, etc. After all this is done and everything is sanded smooth. Vacuum your walls thoroughly.

Finally, apply another coat of Zinsser Guardz over the top of everything.

Now you're ready to paint. Apply two coats of high quality paint. Do not add primer over the Guardz.


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## lrobertstoner (Mar 18, 2011)

i spent years doing rental properties and new home i guess the question is
do you want a mustang or a pinto?
skim coat will fix the wall and is a cheap fix with a lot of work involved and paitence
re hang is the right solution and will retain the value of your home
if you rehand take the whole board out
you concerns with the new and old meeting up need not be a issue if you can finsh
what happens is you make a hip joint 
this is a reasessed joint meets a flat joint or slightly off factory edge
you run this out like a bad butt joint doing the most work towards the field of the new board
if done properly the transistion will be fine 
you might have to bust the bottum of the joint out to 36" or so 
good luck
:yes:


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## beerdog (Dec 10, 2008)

Holly ancient post batman!


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## 595287 (Jan 4, 2010)

Kind of fun to resurrect.


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## beerdog (Dec 10, 2008)

You could become an internet terror. Randomly resurecting dead posts throughout the web.


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