# Problem Drywall



## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

No bueno. Lo siento. Rip it out. It will be faster and easier to start over than to try to fix that mess. I hope you didn't pay them the entire amount.


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## bocondo (Oct 6, 2009)

jerryh3 said:


> No bueno. Lo siento. Rip it out. It will be faster and easier to start over than to try to fix that mess. I hope you didn't pay them the entire amount.


I know, if I don't want to go for re-do, what are other options for me?


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## daveb1 (Jan 15, 2010)

Looks like the only place they used tape was where they should have used corner bead.New board is probably cheaper than all the mud required to fix this disaster.


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## Mop in Hand (Feb 5, 2009)

Knock down most of what's high, primer it, tape it, use metal corner bead on the outside corners. Feather out as much as you can. The only way I see of saving this mess is a real heavy knockdown texture. Even then I am having my doubts. There is no question they did not have a clue. You _will_ end up spending some time on this or hire it out to some real drywallers. I can only hope they did not due any wiring. Had my wife take a look and she says she could do a better job. She says think paneling.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Wow, I think too, I would start over. You do not know if even screws were used, maybe they just used elmers glue to hold it up


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

bocondo said:


> I know, if I don't want to go for re-do, what are other options for me?


Paneling?


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Even thin paneling may look wavy over that in some areas
Plus if there aren't enough screws, myself I'd have to take it down
2nd floor here I was able to pull down the 3/8" sheetrock without much damage - not many screws
I'll re-use it in a closet which will be covered with cedar

Soooo....how much $$ did you save ? :no: 
I'd rather DIY then hire someone to do a hack job


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## Kevin M. (Nov 26, 2009)

bocondo said:


> I recently started finishing my attic, I was not sure how to go on that so I decided to let some contractor do it. To save money I hired some Mexican contractor, but when the work was almost done I see it was very sloppy work, in fact I think they were not even qualified to do drywall. Here are some pictures of my drywalls in attic. These are no good.:furious::furious::furious:
> Of course I fired those people, but now I am not sure how to move forward on this. I don't want to spent so much time and money to re-do everything, do we have any other way to covering this up?
> 
> 
> > * Anyone have any suggestions?*


Me thinks it could be salvaged. The big issue here is with the actual tape application. If the joint is bulged with mud or starved, causing bubbles, that would need to be adjusted. You can remove bubbles with utility knife, and bulge spots with a carbide paint scraper.

I think most qualified finishers would rather adjust what you have as opposed to gutting the deal. The corner can be repaired with bead and screws. 

Get some estimates from qualified finishers and see what they think.

Kevin


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## brons2 (Jan 25, 2010)

I vote for rip it out and DIY. Sheetrock is cheap. Granted, your time isn't, but if you want something done right...


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## freeswimmin (Jan 23, 2010)

the fact they were Mexicans has no relevance:no:, a white man can hack just as good or worse!:wink:

This can be salvaged... it's unfortunate that it's 'new', but it's really no worse than some of the old victorian homes i've worked in to restore after years of neglect or terrible landlord DIY 'cover-up' jobs and apt. conversions.

you can do it yourself, if you have the patience and time (guarantee it will take you min. 3Xs longer than a professional finisher). all you need is additional screwing-off... then when you're ready to work you'll need more screws, mud (i like the USG blue lid, light-weight joint compound), cornerbead, fiberglass tape, a 24" painter's 'cut-in knife' and.... a belt sander! I know some of y'all are saing  , but seriously, i've floated out some serious imperfections with this technique.... then just sand and touch up imperfections with a regular taping knife.... if you can't feather it out to your satisfaction, add the knockdown... it will hide a LOT!:thumbup:

..... or hire a professional. 

Good luck!


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## bocondo (Oct 6, 2009)

brons2 said:


> I vote for rip it out and DIY. Sheetrock is cheap. Granted, your time isn't, but if you want something done right...


Contractors did use screws and a lot of it, so if we rip the sheet, 2x4s will be in bad shape with lot of holes and holding new rocksheets may not be good idea unless we add more 2x4s.


freeswimmin said:


> the fact they were Mexicans has no relevance:no:, a white man can hack just as good or worse!:wink:
> 
> This can be salvaged... it's unfortunate that it's 'new', but it's really no worse than some of the old victorian homes i've worked in to restore after years of neglect or terrible landlord DIY 'cover-up' jobs and apt. conversions.
> 
> ...


Thanks a lot for considered reply... I saw so many re-do reply that I was not sure if I get something better. Can you please explain the process in detail step by step process or may be you can provide a link where the process is explained. I haven't done any dry wall related work myself, but after seeing this I don't want to hire another contractor.


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## freeswimmin (Jan 23, 2010)

bocondo said:


> Contractors did use screws and a lot of it, so if we rip the sheet, 2x4s will be in bad shape with lot of holes and holding new rocksheets may not be good idea unless we add more 2x4s.
> 
> ...after seeing this I don't want to hire another contractor.


there would have to be an AWFUL lot of screws to compromise the integrity of the studs (2X4s):wink:. other than being a PIA to remove all the screws, there shouldn't be any other issues with removal.

"...don't want to hire another contractor"?!?!?! It doesn't sound like you hired a _*Contractor*_ to begin with.:no: 

"Can you please explain the process in detail step by step process or may be you can provide a link where the process is explained." 

Do a google search on sheet rock finishing, you'll find a lot of basic info there such as this one (http://www.make-my-own-house.com/drywall-finish.html)... there are a lot of tricks and techniques you will only learn with time, and if this is your first time, it will take a lot of time (definitely not the best canvas to learn on, but the up side is you really can't make it much worse! )

per my method stated above, use a belt sander with 150 grit paper to knock down the ridges they left you and 'smooth' out the existing seams. don't grind the paper face (any small areas of the paper that must be compromised should be kept less than 2" wide so you can still get good bite with your joint tape). I prefer fiberglass tape as it's stronger, doesn't require bedding mud, and is 'cleaner'. next, use the 24" knife to make WIDE feathering to blend in the hollows and ridges at the joints. let it dry, sand down knife marks and ridges, do it again if needed, let it dry, sand, touch up with 6" taping knife, let it dry, sand, repeat steps 1-4, etc., etc. etc..... 

It's not rocket science, but will require a lot of your time. Like i said, it'll take you at leat 3Xs as long as a _PROFESSIONAL_ finisher (not the hacks you hired last time:wink: ).

good luck if you decide to try it!:thumbsup:


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

You must have hired the mexican bricklayers, not drywallers. You have to bone up on your spanish next time.

Seriously,
These guys didn't have a clue. First of all, how in the h#ll did you even let somebody like this in your house? Use your head next time. These guys might be drug smugglers for all you know. By the look of their 'taping', I wouldn't trust their hanging ability at all. If someone called me to fix this job, I would rip it out. I am not into trying to polish a turd. Do yourself a favor and start over, get somebody good. ( Do you watch 'Holmes on homes, this is the kind of stuff that keeps him busy.)
Mike Hawkins

I hired some Mexican contractor, but when the work was almost done I see it was very sloppy work, in fact I think they were not even qualified to do drywall.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

freeswimmin said:


> the fact they were Mexicans has no relevance:no:, a white man can hack just as good or worse!:wink:
> 
> ..... or hire a professional.
> 
> Good luck!


:thumbup:Right on. My lovely new neighborhood is Historic Pilsen. It is 87 percent Hispanic, most of the population near me is young Mexican and Mexican American families. I found the place through the drywaller I use a lot on Chicago projects who happens to be Mexican American through naturalization. He does some of the best rock and tape work of anyone I have ever used. He is licensed and insured. He is fast and even cleans up his work on the jobsite without having to be asked. He is competitive but does undercut anybody else doing similar quality work. He would have walked away from your job since my guess is you didn't want to pay the going rate for it. Please don't infer racist generalizations and that hiring Mexicans was the source of your problem. You need to take responsibility for this.

You wanted a real job that should have cost $100 but didn't want to pay for it so you found people that would do it for $1. You could have picked any group of hungry workers and blamed the resulting mess on them. This is mainly about you trying to cheat and cheapen what construction processes cost. Now you are going to have to pay the price to rip the bad work out and put decent work in. Was it worth it to go on the cheap? Lesson learned?


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## bocondo (Oct 6, 2009)

sdsester said:


> Please don't infer racist generalizations and that hiring Mexicans was the source of your problem. You need to take responsibility for this.


I never tried racist generalization and I do know there are lot of good Mexican american worker/ contractors who do excellent work. This was not the intent of my post neither I tried to blame anyone for this, the sole intent for this post is to find the solution of problem at hand. Yes I am newbie to this site and also to any DIY project and trying to learn. So please help me discuss and find most efficient solution for this problem.


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## tom_matthews (Jun 24, 2009)

whoa. That is some of the worst drywalling I've ever seen. I'm a DIY'er--not a "pro"--and my drywall work, which I'm not especially good at, always looks better than that. Probably because I care about the work I'm doing to my own house. These jokers obviously either didn't care or had no idea what they were doing. Either they were crooked or incompetent. 

At this point, I'd probably hang paneling. You can also re-tape and mud the bad joints and then cover with a spray-on textured finish -- orange-peel or knockdown -- if you get the walls in good enough shape that the texture will hode the mess. But paneling will probably be less work.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

bocondo said:


> I never tried racist generalization and I do know there are lot of good Mexican american worker/ contractors who do excellent work. This was not the intent of my post neither I tried to blame anyone for this, the sole intent for this post is to find the solution of problem at hand. Yes I am newbie to this site and also to any DIY project and trying to learn. So please help me discuss and find most efficient solution for this problem.


Fair enough. But maybe next time not mention the race of the contractors that screw up if it is irrelevant?

As for your problem, I really think it will be fastest and least aggravating to take it down and start over. With enough mud and patience you can fix it but it will take a truckload of mud and another of sandpaper or sanding blocks.


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