# Removing Drywall for Repairs



## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

Good question. There really is no way to get into the wall without cutting the drywall.

If you find the problem, are you going to fix it yourself?

remember this, if you are going to take out something, if it is a large hole. try to make it easy to repair back. 

you can cut in between the studs if it is going to be big, but then you will have to buy new drywall to repair it, or you can cut it in the middle of the studs so you can save it and put it back where it belongs in the first place, or who ever is going to repair it, you can same them on time, you can nail it up yourself, blah blah blah!


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## bkeech (Jun 4, 2008)

BJH said:


> oh..and on a related note...as the most I've ever done in this area is spackle a hole... does anyone have any good references, either online, or a particular book that would do a good job of teaching me the how-tos of dealing with drywall in general.


I would recommend picking up a drywall book at a book store. I used:
Drywall: Professional Techniques for Great Results

But other drywall books would also teach you a lot.


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

honestly, 

just pay a professional, thats why we are here. we are already trained, we will make it look good the first time and you wont have that "diy" look that occurs 99.9% of the time from homeowners that have never done it before. is it good to learn yes. how long will it take you to learn to finish correctly: years of doing it everyday!


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## General (Dec 11, 2010)

If you listened to stoner529 this website wouldn't be here at all. His statistics of 99.9% are wrong as well.

There is no reason why you can't cut out a nice piece of drywall, inspect the wall and do what is needed, and then patch it back up. There are hundreds of people here willing to help you do it right. There are also videos on Youtube (some good, some bad) if you are more of a visual type of learner. In the end, you can easily have an invisible patch.

Your access hole is most likely going to be down low on the wall where furniture will end up hiding it anyway, so paying a professional in this instance is like throwing many hundred dollar bills out the window.


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

General said:


> If you listened to stoner529 this website wouldn't be here at all. His statistics of 99.9% are wrong as well.
> 
> There is no reason why you can't cut out a nice piece of drywall, inspect the wall and do what is needed, and then patch it back up. There are hundreds of people here willing to help you do it right. There are also videos on Youtube (some good, some bad) if you are more of a visual type of learner. In the end, you can easily have an invisible patch.
> 
> Your access hole is most likely going to be down low on the wall where furniture will end up hiding it anyway, so paying a professional in this instance is like throwing many hundred dollar bills out the window.



Lol. my first post told him how to do it, my second just told him to hire someone. If you can honestly tell me you have seen excellent first time diy hang and finish jobs, not to mention texture then i will retract what i said. Just looking at the homeowner work i have always seen, its never pretty. This forum can only tell someone how to do it, it can't take them by the hand and do it for them. You can tell someone how to finish, but in my teaching experience, they get it wrong 100% the first time. so i would love to learn from you. To me honestly its a house, pay and get it done, people come here for advice, i give my honest opinion, thtas the real reason we are here. 


*Put mud on wall, put tape on wall, pull mud out of tape, leave no air to create bubbles, put another coat of mud, feather edges 2 inches leaving no raised surfecs at all. let dry. apply another coat using a bigger knife feathering edges. apply light skim coat , let dry sand, touch up. 
*
Now try and actually do it. that is a different story.


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## General (Dec 11, 2010)

stoner529 said:


> If you can honestly tell me you have seen excellent first time diy hang and finish jobs, not to mention texture then i will retract what i said.


 Yes, I have seen many.



> Just looking at the homeowner work i have always seen, its never pretty.


 Maybe that's the difference between a homeowner throwing something up and a DIYer who is eager to come and learn. 



> This forum can only tell someone how to do it, it can't take them by the hand and do it for them. You can tell someone how to finish, but in my teaching experience, they get it wrong 100% the first time. so i would love to learn from you. To me honestly its a house, pay and get it done, people come here for advice, i give my honest opinion, thtas the real reason we are here.
> 
> 
> *Put mud on wall, put tape on wall, pull mud out of tape, leave no air to create bubbles, put another coat of mud, feather edges 2 inches leaving no raised surfecs at all. let dry. apply another coat using a bigger knife feathering edges. apply light skim coat , let dry sand, touch up.
> ...


 So what are you saying? Don't even try, just hire someone else? If so, you are on the wrong forum...


FWIW, I am FAR from a professional when it comes to wall finishing. I am an electrician and I taught myself to do my own patch work. I've been back to houses that I have wired years and years ago when I first started out and even then my patches were good enough that you can't find them without very close inspection, if at all. If I could do it, anyone could.


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## Handy Vinny (Jun 18, 2010)

Beware of *asbestos*, which may be found in drywall mud. 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Handy Vinny


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

General said:


> Yes, I have seen many.
> 
> Maybe that's the difference between a homeowner throwing something up and a DIYer who is eager to come and learn.
> 
> ...


Um a diyer is still a homeowner, thats why the DO IT YOURSELF.

I do find it odd that you have seen many diys do great yet i have been in texture and drywall for 10 years and all i see is horror. Then again with the crap i have seen anyone that did a crappy job can hide anything with texture and think they are a god. 

That is still my two cents. I would have to see it to believe it honestly. Its not a pissing contest but to me a good job means no lines showing through, a good tape job, 3 coats of mud, no high spots on the edges, perfectly feathered out. Whats your opinion on a diyer, doing electrical withouth a license just to read a few books and come on a forum and read up and do it themselves without proper training. I have seen plenty good homeowner wirings myself, but feel that should always be left to a licensed guy just so you don't burn your house down and at least you could get insurance when they ask who did the electrical. As a licensed electrician you should say no homeowner should do it not being licensed but i bet for the sake of this argument you will say "sure let em do it if they have the know how"


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## General (Dec 11, 2010)

stoner529 said:


> Um a diyer is still a homeowner, thats why the DO IT YOURSELF.


 Jeeze, it's like speaking to a child...




> Whats your opinion on a diyer, doing electrical withouth a license just to read a few books and come on a forum and read up and do it themselves without proper training. I have seen plenty good homeowner wirings myself, but feel that should always be left to a licensed guy just so you don't burn your house down and at least you could get insurance when they ask who did the electrical.


 Again, for the third time, you are on the wrong forum. The entire point of this forum is for homeowners to Do It Themselves, not hire people to do it for them. Why don't you go to a trade forum? There are plenty around with people who feel just like you do.



> As a licensed electrician you should say no homeowner should do it not being licensed but i bet for the sake of this argument you will say "sure let em do it if they have the know how"


What you just said is that I should feel the way that you do or else I am a liar trying to win an argument? Do you actually read what you type or listen to what you say?

Of *COURSE* I feel that home owners should be able to do their own electrical work, if I didn't, I wouldn't be here helping homeowners do electrical work!

Your username is very telling, I am done with you.


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

General said:


> Jeeze, it's like speaking to a child...
> 
> 
> Again, for the third time, you are on the wrong forum. The entire point of this forum is for homeowners to Do It Themselves, not hire people to do it for them. Why don't you go to a trade forum? There are plenty around with people who feel just like you do.
> ...



nah my name isnt telling at all, but as someone such as myself that is extremely handy and can easily do electrical, i would never dare do it myself without having a license. If for some reason my house burned down and they found work done and realized it wasnt original, i can't get any insurance money. It dosent take a stoner to figure out common sense. 

And of course i to think home owners should be able to do their own electrical work. who wouldnt. my point is as yourself being an electrical licensed contractor i assume, do you recomend someone doing their own electrical work, knowing the risks of possibly burning down a house and having to explain to an insurance company why the house burned down. and then that home owner gets no money because they weren't licensed to do the work? and yes i am on the other trade forums, and i tell me people how to do stuff all the time, and on some of the stuff i tell them to just hire someone to make it look right and i will tell them. I think i am having this same debate with someone else on here about drywall work. Its all very interesting as a professional that i am probably the only one that isnt affraid to give advice but also at the same time tell someone it would be smarter to hire a professional. I advise this on only two things. Electrical and drywall finishing and texturing, and you don't need a license to texture. My advice for this is because it is a home and it seems to me people take more pride in if their car has a small scratch then if their walls look like crap from poor finishing and tht makes it hard to sell a home if they intend to move. I think electrical advice is good if you hire an electrician and in order to make sure he isnt ripping you off, you at least know what he is doing. For the sole reason of insurance purposes only, i feel no person should ever do electrical themselves with the exception of changing out outlets or hooking up fans and stuff. And even then there is still risk. People on here tend to get all bent out of shape when someone says to do the smart thing. To me adults should know that the smart thing is to hire an electrician, although costly, just to protect your investment. To me that again, is just common sense. Maybe to electricians it is not. So i see nothing wrong with telling someone how to do something but at the same time, telling them the smart thing to do would be to hire a licensed guy to do it.

I only hope you don't reply back because if you do that means you have no common sense about the value of a home.


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## General (Dec 11, 2010)

stoner529 said:


> nah my name isnt telling at all, but as someone such as myself that is extremely handy and can easily do electrical, i would never dare do it myself without having a license. If for some reason my house burned down and they found work done and realized it wasnt original, i can't get any insurance money. It dosent take a stoner to figure out common sense.


 As long as you got the proper permits and inspections, the homeowner CAN do electrical work in 99.999% of the country. So once again, you are completely wrong. Your insurance *CAN'T* deny you, even if the electrical work was illegal, as long as it wasn't malicious. So that's the second time in a matter of 2 sentences that you are spreading misinformation.


> And of course i to think home owners should be able to do their own electrical work. who wouldnt. my point is as yourself being an electrical licensed contractor i assume, do you recomend someone doing their own electrical work, knowing the risks of possibly burning down a house and having to explain to an insurance company why the house burned down. and then that home owner gets no money because they weren't licensed to do the work?


 As explained above, this makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever. Nothing you just stated is true. If it was true in any way, shape, or form, there would be a big sticky at the top of the Electrical sub-forum saying "IF YOU FOLLOW ANY THREAD HERE YOUR HOUSE WILL BURN DOWN AND INSURANCE WON'T PAY" 




> I only hope you don't reply back because if you do that means you have no common sense about the value of a home.


What? This makes no sense whatsoever. What are you eluding to?


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

I have read to many contradictory statements and made phone calls regarding this to say either one of us are right.

Internet articles will tell you yes you can do it assuming it is allowed in your municipality but it says many municipalities wont issue a permit unless its by a licensed contractor. My city will let a homeowner do it as long as the inspector signs off on it that it was done properly. I have also read articles that state that insurance wont pay for a diy, and others that say it will. To much time to research this stuff, however i do know an agent that i would love to call and ask. If this is the case then i will gladly become an internet electrician 15 times over.

I thought you were done with this thread general. I can give on the electrical if an diy is not required to have a licensed guy do it assuming it wont hurt insurance. But i always thing drywall finishing should be left to people that have been doing it for a while so the house looks right since a home is an investment.


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## General (Dec 11, 2010)

stoner529 said:


> I have read to many contradictory statements and made phone calls regarding this to say either one of us are right.


 I've heard that if you meet a stranger in a bar you'll wake up in a tub of ice with your brain removed, this must have happened to you...


> I have also read articles that state that insurance wont pay for a diy, and others that say it will.


 Articles mean NOTHING, your insurance policy is the only thing that matters. Why don't you break your agreement out and show me where it says unlicensed electrical work will void the policy? The reason is because you can't, they can't void the warranty unless the work was proven to be performed in a malicious way with the intent on starting a fire. There are plenty of people who put pennies in their fuse box when the fuse kept popping and burned their house down, insurance still covers stupidity. 



> But i always thing drywall finishing should be left to people that have been doing it for a while so the house looks right since a home is an investment.


 That's only because you like to act like what you do is so great and the common man can't do it. NEWSFLASH, anyone with a little bit of time and patience CAN do it, they do it all the time. Sure, some finishes are extremely hard and the basic DIYer might not be able to match a pro without a lot of practice, but to cover up a patch on a simple painted wall can be done by most anyone.


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## Axecutioner-B (May 18, 2010)

Great discussion !!


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

Axecutioner-B said:


> Great discussion !!


It started to bore me so i stopped replying to stupidity really. Even if anyone can do it them selfves. why risk it? it just makes no sense to me. Its a real inconvience if i accidentally burn my house down. hey apparently those diy ers that put pennies in the circuit breaker knew what they were doing huh! i Guess he proved me right on one point. They could do it by themselves. It worked. They burnt the house down. And they didnt even have to do any wiring! I just had a circut breaker go out. Yes i changed it myself. yes like a dummy i didnt even turn off the power. no i didnt shock myself, was it stupid yes. i could have ****ed some **** up too. but i was lucky.

I am all for diy but i am also all for common sense. Paying pro is sometime so much faster then not. with all the wierd stuff that they do in homes and trying to figure it out can be a real pain. You need tools to do it, testers, readers, blah blah. blah.

and i to have seen good patches and the homeowners did great. they still called me because they couldnt get it just right. 



People confuse arrogance with knowing your stuff. I know my stuff. don't blame me for it. 

I just got bored typing this. Its 10 Am i think i might go to work now.

also: a wise man once said, "arguing over the internet is like running in the special olympics, even if you win, you are still retarded"


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## redmanblackdog (Jan 7, 2011)

Check the drywall to see if it is loosing its integrity. You can do this by poking it with a nail or a screw driver. Find the worst spot and start there, keep cutting drywall out that has lost its strength and any wet insulation. Or if the rock is still solid I would try first a try to find the problem behind the stains.

I wouldn't worry to much about the baseboard, pop it off if necessary with a flat bar and try to save it. As far as the crown molding goes I would stay about a foot down from the ceiling if the sheetrock in the corner of the ceiling and the ceiling itself still has integrity. If they don't then you will have to remove the crown moldng. By staying at least a foot away from the crown molding you will be givng yourself room to mud in your drywall patch without having to mess with your crown molding. Giving access to look to the top plate to see if there are leaks.

If it has had lots of water damage it will start to deteriorate. If there is water damage then you could possibly looking at mold and mildew which needs to be removed. Once you start cutting and looking, it won't matter how big the demolition is because you have to take out all that is part of the problem. The patching of the drywall maybe the easiest part. Its the leaking I would be worried about. You must get it fixed before it starts rotting the wood members.

When you patch in the drywall use taping mud loosely mixed, almost runny, with paper tape, but prefill any large gaps (with mud that is straight out of the box) that there might be in the patching area to be taped and let dry, before taping.
You will need a mud pan, plastic at Home Depot. A 6 in. knife, a 8 in. knife and a 12 in.. The 6 is for tape coat the 8 is for the second coat and the 12 is for the finish coat. Let each coat dry thoroughly and sand in between coats. Buy sponge sanding block with a fine grit (Home Depot). Don't be afraid of it just keep sanding and applying mud until it looks smooth.

If you have textured walls you will need to take a wet cloth wrung out and lightly wipe the ridge that will be there from the mud. The wet cloth will loosing the mud so wipe only enough to get rid of the ridge. This is done after you have finished mudding and are touching up. There is texture in a can. That would depend on what kind of texture you have.
Manufacturers recommend that you prime the patch befor texturing and again after texture, then paint. Don't try to save money on the primer. I use Parker Pro Prime. All primers are not quality primers!

If you have a big patch job (most of a wall) you can rent sprayers. Its messy but you learn and save money.


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## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

dig up a real old fossil on this one. 

so i asked my favorite insurance agent what she said about this whole diy electrial issue. 

she says, the insurance agents will insure you if you have all the proper inspections. she also said, WE RECOMEND TO ALL OUR CLIENTS NOT TO DIY AND TO HIRE A LICENSED PROFESIONAL. my favorite electrician was standing right next to her when she said that. HE AGREED. said it is stupid for people to do that kind of work themselves. she said she has heard of licensed workers doing serious damage and so has he. i guess that solved my question. im done. i no longer need to argue this as for an agent saying anyone can do it but it is very stupid to just lets me know its not a good idea.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

You did say top floor, no?

It could be a roof leak which in most condominiums is a common responsibility.

Still you would want to guess where pipes run. You will still have to cut out any wet drywall but if it is dry and not moldy but still stained, you don't have to remove it unless needed to fix the leak or problem.


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## 240sx4u (Sep 22, 2008)

Leave the pipes, the baby will get used to the sound and adjust. This is just my humble opinion. My friends have children and keep the house whisper quiet when it is nap time. As a result of the child not being used to sound, I can cough in another room and wake him up. I know this isn't the advice you are looking for but it is worth considering.


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## masterofall (May 27, 2010)

There are good videos on you tube. One simple remedy for a patch - cut a piece 4" bigger than what you cut out, Score the face 2" in on either side, snap it back and remove the gypsum core leaving the back paper, mud lightly around the inside of hole with an adequate amount around the outside of the removed piece, place the filler in the hole with back paper facing out, trowel in place and cover lightly with mud flaring the slight bump out.


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## BLB (Jan 14, 2011)

BLB just joined forum.Ive been a DIYer for 40 yrs.Small rehabs and full house remodels.Having a diyer on site in doing projects is help full .Drywall and mudding is an art ,stoner .Electric should be done by experienced ppeople.I work for westinghouse electric for 15 yrs its nothing to play with.


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## chrisBC (Dec 28, 2010)

given it is a condo you should be talking to the strata before opening up the wall and dealing with any internals, as it is "common" property kind of thing.

I recently had a pipe leak in my wall, didn't affect my suite but did my neighbours, so they had to cut open wall, fix, etc. all paid for by strata.....


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