melev
Sheetrock stuff completed
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, 12-17-2010 at 05:17 AM (10965 Views)
I started sheetrocking the fishroom a few weeks ago. That was accomplished and the insulation was installed on the garage side of the walls. Plastic edging was applied to all the corners to keep them clean, tidy and strong.
It was no fun cutting around all the electrical boxes, and no matter how many times I measured, they were almost never perfect. Perhaps the fact that the house wasn't square was part of the reason, but I'd end up with a gap on one side or the other, or it was too tall or too snug. It was a slow process, and I didn't even take pictures of that other than with the iPhone. I never offloaded those so they aren't included.
The room was ready for taping and bedding. That is when you apply tape to each seam, joint or corner. Drywall mud is then spread underneath and on top of the tape to hold it in place and hide the joints.
The tape was pre-measured by unrolling it across the area it would go, and cut with that spackling knife. Mud was applied to the drywall, the tape placed over the mud, then the knife was dragged across it to submerge the tape into the mud. A thin layer was then applied over the tape and the knife was then lightly dragged across the area to remove the excess and keep the tape smooth.
Where the white plastic corner trim existed, mud was liberally applied and smoothed out.
All screws were covered with mud, which explains all those splotches on the walls and ceiling. Also, the gaps around the electrical boxes were filled in with mud.
The next day, after it had cured fully, it was ready to sand. The mud turns completely white when dry. Sanding it smooths out all the errors and preps it for the next coat of mud. The second coat goes on more easily because you aren't dealing with tape that tries to slide around or come loose. It's still a bit of a pain if you try to get it perfect. One sanding tool uses screen affix to a holder on a stick. The other is a firm sponge wrapped with coarse sand paper.
This process causes serious dust, so it is best to tarp off the area to keep the rest of your home clean.
Once smooth, it is ready for a fresh thin layer of mud be applied to all those same areas once more. Every screw hole that was filled shrunk down and need to be slightly topped off with more spackle. The sanded seams needed to be filled, and the wider spread of mud helps to taper off the actual joint. The tape was 2" wide, but the end result can be 6" to 8" wide so once done you don't notice it (hopefully).
This had to dry, but since it is thin it dries the same day and is ready for one last light sanding. The final stage is to apply texture, which is another method used to hide mistakes and imperfections as well as to take away the visual unevenness of the walls and ceiling. Texture looks good painted, so unless there is a specific reason for totally smooth painted walls, you almost never see those. In fact if you do, it's an accent wall designed to catch the eye.
Using a single brush called a "crow's foot", I mixed up some mud with water in a large metal pan and dipped the brush in that slop, then randomly slapped it on the walls and ceiling.
The room is going to be ready for paint at last. I've got two gallons of glossy white paint at the ready.
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