# Drywall fun + questions



## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Ok, this is my stairway walls going up to my upstairs bedrooms. How do I fix this crap?:laughing:
I know this work wasn't done right but its what I've got when I bought the place. 


My plan is (can be changed) to cut out the lousy sections and replace with fresh drywall. The damage (1st pic) above has corner beads I'd rather not replace. My plan is to dremel out the corner beads in the small section above the banister and screw them back after the drywall has been replaced.

On the walls of the stairway, I'm planning on cutting all the bad out and replacing with new. Everything will be premix Dap compound, tape then more compound. Sand, prime and paint.

Do I have this well planned?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Is that whole stair way wall bowed out?


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Is the problem that a wall plate sticks out too much there?


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Guys, part of the walls on each side are bowed out - not the entire wall.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

I'd be ripping all that rock off and find out what's going on under there.
There is no "patching" that's going to make that look right.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Tear it all down?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

How ele are you going to find out what'a causing the wall to bow out. 
That's not normal at all to have it do that.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I'd at least put a long, vertical straight edge on the walls, and find out where it is really doing the bowing out...... THEN I would remove a horizontal strip of drywall from 18" above the worst section, to 18" below that same point.

You've got to find out what the real problem is, not just mud out the wall till it looks flat.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Kind of looks like your joists on either side of that stairwell have begun to shove toward the stair opening.

Check your stairwell width in thirty or forty places all up and down... from wall to wall. I'll bet toward the ends of your stairs, you still have most of the original width, and the worst part is about the center of the space... right at the second floor level.

BTW, the joists would not actually be "shoving" toward the stair space.... but they would probably be pulling away from the walls at that point, making it LOOK that way. Sort of a dangerous thing because they are likely only sitting on 2" of wall right there in the best of conditions..


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

joecaption said:


> How ele are you going to find out what'a causing the wall to bow out.
> That's not normal at all to have it do that.


I don't know, tearing it all down seems excessive


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

It's sure not going to get any better if left alone.
I know for a fact if I was looking to buy a house and saw that I'd be running away.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Willie T said:


> I'd at least put a long, vertical straight edge on the walls, and find out where it is really doing the bowing out...... THEN I would remove a horizontal strip of drywall from 18" above the worst section, to 18" below that same point.
> 
> You've got to find out what the real problem is, not just mud out the wall till it looks flat.


Ok, that seems doable. 




Willie T said:


> Kind of looks like your joists on either side of that stairwell have begun to shove toward the stair opening.
> 
> Check your stairwell width in thirty or forty places all up and down... from wall to wall. I'll bet toward the ends of your stairs, you still have most of the original width, and the worst part is about the center of the space... right at the second floor level.
> 
> BTW, the joists would not actually be "shoving" toward the stair space.... but they would probably be pulling away from the walls at that point, making it LOOK that way. Sort of a dangerous thing.


I was told the damage was due to settling. I also suspect the prior owner may have been at it with his 'repairs' :whistling2

I'll take 30 different measurements and write them down as you suggest. I'll report back.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

You're taking these measurements so that YOU can formulate in your mind what the situation is. So that you can tell where, and how much, the wall is bowing. Be accurate in these measurements.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Tomorrow I will try to get some time to make you a drawing showing what I think may have happened. BTW, it IS fixable.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Willie T said:


> Tomorrow I will try to get some time to make you a drawing showing what I think may have happened. BTW, it IS fixable.


Ok, I'd appreciate that and your help so far. Any advice on what to use to assure the measurements are accurate?

Also, If we go by your theory of the joists shifting, in a nutshell what am I looking at?


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Try to find one of those old wooden folding rulers carpenters used to carry. The kind with a sliding metal strip in one end.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

joecaption said:


> It's sure not going to get any better if left alone.
> I know for a fact if I was looking to buy a house and saw that I'd be running away.


You'd run huh? Even if the house was a beautiful riverfront property?


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BirdSlapper said:


> Ok, I'd appreciate that and your help so far. Any advice on what to use to assure the measurements are accurate?
> 
> Also, If we go by your theory of the joists shifting, in a nutshell what am I looking at?


Basically, jacking the walls back into proper vertical plane, and then figuring out a way to hold them there.... IF the joists are butting into the stairwell area from the other rooms. If the joists are running parallel with those walls, then we have a situation that gets a bit more complicated.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Willie T said:


> Try to find one of those old wooden folding rulers carpenters used to carry. The kind with a sliding metal strip in one end.


I have a 4" aluminum ruler with an adjustable end that locks in at 90*


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Worst case......... Cut a piece of wood about three or four inches shorter than your wall-to-wall staircase measurement.

Then the differences you will measure will be the distances from the end of that piece of wood, butted up against one wall to the other wall. It will always be just a few inches... mark the wall there on both sides (ends of the stick) with that same corresponding measurement.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

I'm going to bed.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

I just got home from work and took a closer look. The drywall is cracked all the way on the right side and most of the way on the left. It stops where there is just the upper kitchen wall and no adjoining floor. Also there are nailpops below the crack on both sides and now finally, I'm going to bed


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BirdSlapper said:


> I have a 4" aluminum ruler with an adjustable end that locks in at 90*


Just as a side note: With most PC's, you can type the " ° " symbol by ....

1. Turning on your <NUM LOCK>.
2. Holding down the <ALT> Key.
3. Typing 0176 on the keyboard pad to the right (not the numbers at the top)
4. Let go of the <ALT> Key, and a ° will appear.

EXAMPLE: 90°


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Before we get too far into this, you need to figure out a way to determine if your house is more like this one: "A"......


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Or is it more like this one: "B"?


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

This is going to be a serious PROJECT for you. Not just a quick "weekend fix".

I really might suggest that you download SketchUp (it's free) from Google, and learn to use it a little. With it, you can examine close-up, and in detail, all these kinds of drawings, and also exchange renditions back and forth with people very easily.

Seriously, I believe no DIY should be without SketchUp.

BTW... I only spent about an hour on this, and I was just goofing around. Probably could have done it in 30 minutes. And I am not much more than an intermediate user of SketchUp.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

°

Willie, I'd say it is more like the second drawing. The areas where the drywall is split have an adjoining floor. On the left side for the first 3', towards the beginning of the stairs is the only spot with no separation and that's where the kitchen wall is - no adjoining floor.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BirdSlapper said:


> °
> 
> Willie, I'd say it is more like the second drawing. The areas where the drywall is split have an adjoining floor. On the left side for the first 3', towards the beginning of the stairs is the only spot with no separation and that's where the kitchen wall is - no adjoining floor.


The main thing you are trying to be certain of is not so much the room layout, but which way all the joists run that surround the stairwell. This is muy importante.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

I'm going to have to call in a pro to make that judgement. I'm out of my depth here.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Well, you ARE going to have to feel comfortable and confident in doing something like this. I applaud your insight.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

A man has to know his limitations


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

I think I have found the problem and its very bad. Judging by the way the beam and joists are laid out in the basement, I would have to say the joists are more like model 2. 

The design of my house is a stairway on top of a stairway - when coming down to the basement, you can see the bottom of the stairway that was originally in question - although covered in drywall.

The issue I discovered is 1 that does not look cool at all. I asked the home inspector about it before I bought the house and he wasn't concerned. I think I ended up with a former fry cook/ bull****er. 

What these pics are of is the end of a steel I beam that runs the length of the basement ceiling resting on ****ing wood that is splintering and sinking into another piece of wood on top of concrete. 

I don't know what the other side looks like yet. I have a pro coming out to look at this. 

Pics to follow


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Here they are


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Of course a lot more information than has been presented is necessary to determine if this, indeed, is the culprit of the stairwell problem, but it looks like a good man should be able to piece it all together for you.

These things are like jig-saw puzzles. You can't tell what the overall picture is until you examine all the pieces. Make sure they fully explain to you why X caused Y, resulting in Z... and it makes sense. Too easy to run with one fraction of a factor that looks scary. Insurance people sell unnecessary policies this way all the time.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks Willie, yep I have a guy coming out. I read somewhere that a steel beem on top of wood was a no no.


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## mikegp (Jul 17, 2011)

That splintering would is probably just from the way it was cut. Have it checked out, but I don't think that's an issue.


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

The vertical 2x4s have sank about 3/4" into the horizontal 2x4s below them


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BirdSlapper said:


> The vertical 2x4s have sank about 3/4" into the horizontal 2x4s below them


Now, there's something that will mess with your peaceful sleep. :laughing:


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## BirdSlapper (Apr 25, 2013)

Willie T said:


> Now, there's something that will mess with your peaceful sleep. :laughing:


:laughing::no: It's probably been like this for years. I will get this corrected


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

BirdSlapper said:


> :laughing::no: It's probably been like this for years. I will get this corrected


I have to admit... the first thing that shot through my head was: ¡Qué cosa! ¡Qué milagro! ¿La casa aún se conserva?  :laughing:


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