# Warped Sheet Rock - How to repair?



## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

I have a section of the wall that is warped.

The wall used to butt up against the edge of the countertop. Not anymore.

As you can see, moisture penetration from the electrical box above the countertop, then it affected the area of the wall under it.










The cause of the moisture penetration has been identified. The junction box behind the wall plate is connected via a conduit to a junction box on the exterior wall on the other side, where a flood light is mounted. Unfortunately the flood light's base is loose, heavy rainfall in Miami caused water to go inside that box, travels down the conduit to this box on the inside, moisture ran all over on the back side of the wall, causing the sheet rock to warp and back away from the countertop.

Now, there is an uneven space between the edge of the countertop and the wall, the widest spot is in the front at about 3/4". That section of the wall feels dented inward.




























I can fix the leak from the outside, reseat the outside light and caulk the base, but I have no idea how to restore the wall back to the original unwarped state.

If the countertop is not in the way, I could cut out a large section and mount a new section, but I can't.

Any suggestions?

Can I drill holes and spray into holes those expansive foam and let it push the wall back out a bit? I somehow doubt this would work...


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Once drywall is water damaged there is no way to repair it from the surface. You are going to have to pull it and replace. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but water damage has destroyed it. You will probably have to bite the bullet, pull off the countertop and maybe even move the cabinet so you have clearance. You cannot have a respectable 3/4" gap between countertop and wall anyhow unless you want to do science experiments in the gap.

Good news is drywall replacement is not all that expensive. If this leak caused damage to structural timber under your drywall? You could be talking more money in a hurry.

This is one of those situations where you should soon decide whether this is a DIY project or not. If you had enough water leakage to cause the drywall to warp, I would encourage you to get a few estimates from contractors and do not shoot the messengers when they get into the wall and find more damage than you expect. It takes a lot of moisture/water from the exterior side of a wall to warp the drywall on the interior a third of a foot away. You cannot get far band aiding this.

And God only knows what mold and stuff is growing in your wall with that kind of damage.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

It looks like it has gotten wet several times meaning the drywall is junk. There's a good chance that you have a mold farm inside the wall. Since you have a dishwasher at the end, you could pull it out and possibly work a replacement piece of drywall in without pulling the countertop. I would want to know what was happening inside the wall and next to the dishwasher.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Maintenance 6 said:


> It looks like it has gotten wet several times meaning the drywall is junk. There's a good chance that you have a mold farm inside the wall. Since you have a dishwasher at the end, you could pull it out and possibly work a replacement piece of drywall in without pulling the countertop. I would want to know what was happening inside the wall and next to the dishwasher.


Me too!:thumbsup: And the problem with mickey mouse sliding a piece of drywall in there, even if you could, is you have no way to fasten most of it to anything. Sorry, but you must bite the bullet here I think. 

I can guarantee you you are going to find scary stuff growing in that wall. Unless you are into culturing blue cheese or something, you really should get rid of it. :yes:


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Yes after I started the thread I realized probably there is no saving that sheet rock.

Let me address a few questions.

- Structural damages I do not believe there is any. The exterior wall is 8" concrete block stucco, so all there is between the sheet rock and block wall is furring strips. I am assuming they are PT furring, but can't be sure. But I do not think there is any structural issues here.

- Mold is one concern. Let me clarify that I do not own this property, but am a buyer. I looked at this property back in January 2012 and had a contract to purchase. This warped wall was NOT warped at that time. However the property had a title defect and we could close, took the bank six months to clear the title issue, and now I went to do another inspection and found this warping, obviously caused by the recent rain - it didn't start raining down here until May, so this water penetration is fairly new and at most two months old. What I don't know is whether there is any fiberglass insulation between the sheet rock and block, if so they would be all soaked up as well.

I cannot move this countertop. It is about 11 feet long. I can probably remove what is there now a 4' wide by 6' tall section of the sheet rock without moving the countertop. Most likely I will need to add in some new furring strips, clean and bleach the blocks. May be I can run some horizontal strips across the blocks just above and below the counter top section, and put new sheet rock as two sections - one above the counter top, one below. They can be screwed into the horizontal furring strips and secured. The only problem I will have is the joint between the counter top's right edge and the top section of the sheet rock will be unfinished. Perhaps a strip of granite of same materials can be used as a "back splash"?

Thoughts?


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Did a mold inspection today. Company came and had some tubes and collected two air samples. I guess will know next week how moldy this is.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Two samples isn't much of a test. They should take one at the counter top next to the wall, one across the room and one outside, all for comparison. To be done right, they should also take one in another room. Otherwise, you risk not knowing where the normal range lies.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I know you do not want to but why can't you pull the countertop out of your way? 

That 3/4" gap you show is rather scary to me. I am guessing much of that gap was there on your first walk through and you just didn't notice. 1/2 or even 5/8 drywall with a weird looking "sidesplash" is not going to help. Just think about all the cockroach bait that will fall next to the dishwasher. You might as well mail the bugs engraved invitations.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

sdsester said:


> I know you do not want to but why can't you pull the countertop out of your way?
> 
> That 3/4" gap you show is rather scary to me. I am guessing much of that gap was there on your first walk through and you just didn't notice. 1/2 or even 5/8 drywall with a weird looking "sidesplash" is not going to help. Just think about all the cockroach bait that will fall next to the dishwasher. You might as well mail the bugs engraved invitations.


The countertop is 11' long and over 3' wide. It would be a huge effort to dislodge it from the cabinets.

I paid for an inspection six months ago and they had a detailed report. I also took pictures of the dish washer right there, hence I can compare the before and after look and the gap didn't exist six months ago. On top of that the clear water stain on the sheetrock is also new. We know what happened to the light fixture outside what basically dangled from the wall, and recent rains in Miami got into that wall from there and went down to the inside.

As far as the backsplash I mentioned, I wasn't suggesting just putting a slab over it as it is now. The approach I was thinking was:

(1) Remove the dish washer so as to allow access to the sheetrock below the countertop.
(2) Cut out a large section from perhaps three to four feet above the countertop to the floor. Depending on the extents of the damages. That should come off fairly easily even with the countertop being in the way.
(3)Attach additional furring strips to the block wall. May be take a 1x6 PT strip and slide it into the space between the countertop and block wall, secure it horizontally such that may be 2" of it will protrude below the counter top and 2" above it. Add additional furring where needed.
(4) Since the countertop is in the way, install new sheetrock on wall in two sections. One section above the countertop, one section below.
(5) The section below would be hidden by the dish washer and the finish is not that important. Just screw across the top to the horizontal furring and apply a bead of caulk.
(6) The section above will show an unfinished edge of the sheetrock at the bottom. Need to cut as close to the countertop's top edge as possible. What I meant was to add a strip of backsplash of the same material as the countertop granite to cover that unfinished edge.

I think this should work, right?


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I think you are going to be bitten a mile or two down the road with this bandaid approach. If you haven't yet, I would not move to close on a place with a warped, wet wall so out of wack and with 3/4" to fill. OK, maybe I would if the deal was sweet and I loved everything else about the property. I would definitely ask the seller for some concession. 

And then I would use the money, greenbacks or on paper part of the deal, to pull the countertop off, get it out of the way, and fix this properly. You do realize you are asking some of us who have been at this awhile to bless your approach? Never shoot messengers. 

I know you do not want to hear that you must pull that countertop to do this right. Sorry. 

By the way, is the dishwasher venting steam to that wall?


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

sdsester, I am not offended at all with your suggestions. That's why I posted this here to get opinions.

However, I do not see a practical difference between the proper or right approach versus my "band-aid" approach.

The leak will be fixed from the outside where the loose security light is dangling now, re-secured and a bead of caulk all the way around it's base.

I am going to remove the same amount of damaged sheetrock on the inside.

The block wall and surrounded affected areas I will make sure to bleach and disinfect.

New PT furring strips will be added to the block wall. It's evident that there is not enough furring behind the sheetrock right now, or else it will not warp this badly.

If the countertop was out of the way, I can put in a new single piece of sheetrock.

If the countertop was not, I need to put in two sections, one above and one below. Additional horizontal furrings will be needed to properly anchor the edges of the sheetrock around the counter top.

The only difference would be that a horizontal strip of sheetrock the same thickness as the countertop will be missing behind it, which to me has no functional or cosmetic consequence. I may not like the look of that seam, so another strip of something (quarter round, marble, granite) to cover.

So what I am trying to understand is, besides what I described above, what would be the benefits of having the countertop out of the way? There has to be some functional, practical or significant cosmetic differences that I am not seeing. Help me out here.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

I have to check on the dishwasher to see if it's venting steam. You mean some sort of a leak causing some misty spray right?

I doubt it, because all around the dishwasher is a layer of those soft insulation material and those look fine and no moisture on them.


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## Evstarr (Nov 15, 2011)

Don't caulk 100% around the light. Leave a weep hole at the bottom so any moisture that makes its way in can get out. 

Instead of a 2 piece patch, make it 3. Slide one behind the counter and seam above and below. Thus no missing rock behind counter. Just no mud / tape for 1.5 inches. You can try and get creative with injecting some compound in that space if you want.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

ahhhh a fresh coat of paint and some chaulking in the crack will make it look good as new:laughing:


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Evstarr said:


> Don't caulk 100% around the light. Leave a weep hole at the bottom so any moisture that makes its way in can get out.
> 
> Instead of a 2 piece patch, make it 3. Slide one behind the counter and seam above and below. Thus no missing rock behind counter. Just no mud / tape for 1.5 inches. You can try and get creative with injecting some compound in that space if you want.


OK I see your point. Do not create the seam right at the edge of the countertop but make the seam 1.5" above and below that way I can mud the joint and paint it. That makes it easier. Thanks.

Come to think of it, the double gang electrical box on that wall could also use some improvement. I may make it into a double outlet with a switch next to it.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

princelake said:


> ahhhh a fresh coat of paint and some chaulking in the crack will make it look good as new:laughing:


It's caved in pretty bad. If I push my hand on the wall there it yields, meaning it is still wet.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i was kidding! your going to have to wash that down with some mold control(you can buy it at home depot) then rip out the wet drywall and go farther then you think unless you have a penatrating moisture meter. and go as far as it says cutting it off where ever your studs are or as you say furrinng strips cause its block wall. then spray and clean down the area with mold control again. then you'll have to move the counter or do some tricky drywall work. mud the patch, sand out and prime the area. then paint the wall.


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## zircon (Sep 24, 2007)

With the dishwasher pulled and a gap between the counter and the wall, I see no reason why you can't slide in a single piece of sheetrock and secure it properly to the furring strips. No need to remove the countertop. Add matching backsplash and you are done.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

All, thanks for all the helpful replies.

My mold test came back and the results are "ELEVATED". I started a new thread in pest control forum as it's more appropriate there.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f51/moisture-penetration-mold-advice-needed-149011/#post956847

I wanted to keep this thread for the sheet rock repair problem but thought if anyone were interested in the mold inspection I posted it there. Thanks.


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