# Backing Repair for Bad Drywall Installation



## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Wow that's pretty much a do over. But if you decide to fill it use hot mud (setting mud such as Durabond) not just joint compound. The hot mud is much stronger than compound. Use it to fill, then use it to set your tape, then use regular joint compound to finish.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Yeah, all the corners are like that. Most of them I have managed to tap in some strips of plywood and shims and are now solid, but this one just sucked. I thought about tearing it out and redoing it, but it's behind the vanity and it's the last bit that needs fixing.

Off to the Despot to get some durabond then. I'll also pick up a Powerball ticket. Maybe if I win, I can do this repair right (get $5 of gasoline and a match and buy a mansion).


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

TC, when the tape pulls like that in your first picture it indicates the framing that formed the corner has shifted, meaning corner studs that should form the nailing surface for each side are missing or not securely fastened. It is the nailing corner formed by the framing that will hold the drywall in place. The gap is just a pain, but once filled it would not go anywhere if there was a proper corner to start.

Just filling it with mud may not secure things like you want.

A thought, it the wood is back there, could you install a metal corner, normally used for outside corners, but turned to the inside. It would get a little thick covering it up, but might secure the two sides together.

Bud


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Bud9051 said:


> TC, when the tape pulls like that in your first picture it indicates the framing that formed the corner has shifted, meaning corner studs that should form the nailing surface for each side are missing or not securely fastened. It is the nailing corner formed by the framing that will hold the drywall in place. The gap is just a pain, but once filled it would not go anywhere if there was a proper corner to start.
> 
> Just filling it with mud may not secure things like you want.
> 
> ...


I hear you - I thought that too, but this wall is an exterior wall on the perimeter foundation. The wall adjacent is just the closet wall. No place for it to go. The nailing corner is definitely in there, I can see it and feel it with my fingers. The drywall ain't going anywhere - they just didn't take it to the corner. You can see in the second picture that they laid the drywall horizontally - the tier above this they got a bit closer and that tape was flat, but I'm redoing it all to get a good corner.

It's _really_ terrible joint work. All of the drywall tape looks like that, some spots smoother than others. It was put up by someone who had one 6" plastic putty knife, or maybe a pancake spatula. They slapped the joint compound into the joint, and then put down the paper tape with their hands (like painters tape), and called it good. No topcoat whatsoever. There was so much mud in the corner that the tape couldn't lay it flat, so they flattened one side and just smooshed down the other as best they could.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

ToolSeeker said:


> Wow that's pretty much a do over. But if you decide to fill it use hot mud (setting mud such as Durabond) not just joint compound. The hot mud is much stronger than compound. Use it to fill, then use it to set your tape, then use regular joint compound to finish.


Checked out the Durabond - only comes in 25 lb bags, and I only need it for this corner. Would plaster of Paris get me something close? Basically just want something that will fill in, dry hard, and won't shrink too much, right?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

ThunderChicken:

I'd be inclined to drill a couple of small holes in a paint mixing stick, thread a thin copper wire through the holes, slip that stick into that corner gap, fix a brace across the corner (like a popsicle stick), wrap the copper wire around the brace and twist the copper wire to gently pull the paint mixing stick against the back of the drywall panels.

Then...

Buy any joint compound in the quantity you want, and mix some of it up with some white wood glue in it. Anyone's white PVA glue will work; Woodworker's white wood glue, Elmer's White Wood glue or Weldbond. Apply that joint compound to the surfaces you want it to stick to with a 1" or 3" wide knife first, and then push that sticky joint compound into the corner gap. Scrape off the excess with your 1" or 3" knife and let it dry. It'll shrink quite a bit as it dries.

I've never had any problems adding white wood glue to any of the joint compounds or base coat plasters I've used. It makes your slurry stick much better and dry much harder.

If you add too much glue, and your joint compound dries too hard to sand, you can always make it smooth by scraping it down with a sharp paint scraper.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Looking at your photo again, a paint mixing stick might not be wide enough. If you have a piece of scrap 2X lumber kicking around, take it to any lumber yard with a table saw and get them to rip 3/8 inch off one side, giving you a piece of wood that's 1 5/8 inches wide and 3/8 inch thick. That should be wide enough to make for a suitable backing behind that drywall corner.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> ThunderChicken:<br />
> I'd be inclined to drill a couple of small holes in a paint mixing stick, thread a thin copper wire through the holes, slip that stick into that corner gap, fix a brace across the corner (like a popsicle stick), wrap the copper wire around the brace and twist the copper wire to gently pull the paint mixing stick against the back of the drywall panels.<br />


That's a thought, but I'm afraid that would interfere with the corner (the wood would come too far out, preventing a 90 corner). The drywall wasn't particularly well cut.

I think I'm going to try a mix of joint compound and some plaster of paris so maybe I can get this volume filled up without too much shrinkage.

Check out the gap on the corner on the other side of the room (attached picture). This I was able to back with some 3/8" plywood and some cedar shims.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

25 lbs of the Dura Bond is really not that much. It's going to take more than you think to fill that and then set your tape and from the sound of it you may find someplace else to use it in the future. As long as you keep it dry it won't go bad.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

ToolSeeker said:


> 25 lbs of the Dura Bond is really not that much. It's going to take more than you think to fill that and then set your tape and from the sound of it you may find someplace else to use it in the future. As long as you keep it dry it won't go bad.


The problem is that everything is like that.

You can't buy just as much drywall as you need, you have to buy it in 4X8 sheets. You can't buy just as much corner bead as you need, you have to buy it in 8 or 10 foot lengths. (? - haven't bought corner bead in a while) You can't buy just as much joint compound as you need, you have to buy it by the box or the bag. About the only thing you can buy just as much as you need are nails and drywall screws.

And, eventually, all the spare storage space in a DIY'ers house gets filled up with construction materials that were left over from previous projects. They don't get thrown out because the homeowner realizes that he/she may need them someday. After all, the more DIY projects one does, the more tools, expertise and resources one accumulates, and the more one is willing to take on larger and more demanding projects. It's like playing chess, playing the piano or playing tennis, the more you do, the better you get.

What would make someone a hundred million bucks is to develop an smartphone app where people could both advertise and sell their unused construction materials online locally. Craig's List is like that, but it's allows you to buy anything online, from winter tires for your car to a prostitute for the night; and that's too general. A dedicated construction materials app would be leaner and more appropriate. Not only would the buyer want the materials, but the seller would want to be rid of them, and so everyone wins; except the home centers.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Craigslist : Materials

Construction materials come in certain sizes based on 16" centers and 4' centers for the most part as far as sheet goods go. If you're worried about having extra materials left, throw the leftovers out. What's a few scraps of drywall, 3 or 4 dollars? When you are DIYing it, that's part of the deal. You're saving money on labor so a few dollars of a scraps shouldn't break you.
Mike Hawkins:smile:


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

firehawkmph said:


> Craigslist : Materials
> You're saving money on labor so a few dollars of a scraps shouldn't break you.
> Mike Hawkins:smile:


Yes, but it's not just construction materials that accumulate. To use a tool that you might need, it costs fully 1/3 to rent it as to buy it. So, most DIY'ers recognize the economy in buying the extra tools they might need for each project believing that the savings in labour will cover those as well. You can't tell me it's reasonable to throw those out too.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Well, I live in a 640 sq. ft. cottage with the wife, so I am really averse to storing a lot of stuff. The sheetrock in the rest of the house is new construction; I just am trying to do what I can with these last corners in the bathroom. I've done a lot of projects where I went in knowing I'd use half of the material I had to buy, and I gave most of the rest away on Craigslist when I was done with it. I agree that it makes sense sometimes to do this. 

I have a tool chest full of tools, but not too many bench power tools because of the space constraints. I work pretty hard to keep my tools put away so I am not tripping over them. Some buddies of mine bought me a miter saw for Christmas which allowed me to build some useable attic space in the shed, so it actually was a net win space-wise. 

For this job, I could have bought a 25 lb bag of Durabond, used a few cups, and given away the rest. But it seems for the effort, I could just slowly fill in the corner with green lid joint compound. I already have a bucket of that. It will take a few days to fill it in and get it to dry, but it will get me there. I've seen plaster of paris mixed with joint compound, looks like it would accelerate things and limit shrinkage, but even that seemed too fiddly for what I was trying to do. I'm not a drywall contractor, so time doesn't mean money for me. I pushed some drywall compound into the inner corners of the gap today - I'll hit it again tomorrow, and the day after, until it is built up enough to tape.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

A space that big using just joint compound 9 times out of 10 it will crack.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

A space that big using just joint compound 9 times out of 10 it will crack. The idea of the DuraBond is it adds a LOT of strength to the joint. What's a bag of DuraBond $12 ?


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

ToolSeeker said:


> A space that big using just joint compound 9 times out of 10 it will crack.


I'm just trying to back it by filling it. It absolutely will get taped and finished once it is filled in.


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

If you're wondering about how long it took to fill that corner with drywall compound, the answer is 5 days . Two hits a day, thin layers, let them dry, hit them again until the corner was all filled out. It's nicely solid now. 

Just sharpened up the corner with a knife and taped it. I had to redo the tape because the air is so dry that everything dried out before I could push the tape in. I had to run a damp sponge over the untaped corner so it wouldn't suck dry the joint compound, soak the paper and wipe off the excess water, then quick mud the corner and press it in. It's pretty sharp and tight now.

Couple finish coats over the weekend, paint next week, done by February! Thanks all!


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## ProGreen (Oct 2, 2014)

Nice job Thunder Chicken. Love the wall color btw, and what a great window frame. Looking good. :smile:


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## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

Thanks. Whoever did this bathroom didn't have great drywall skills, but they did OK with the color and arrangement. The trim is the cheap kit stuff from the box stores. The color is Bayou Shade from Valspar. The base paint itself is horrible, but wife wants to keep the color. Out of the can it is a bit more yellow/brown looking, it's faded on the wall.


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