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Dry Wall Tips

• Need to patch a hole in the wall, take a piece of scrape drywall (sheet rock ) cut it about an 1" bigger then the hole, then on the back side of the piece cut a plug to fit the hole, don't cut the paper on the front side, peel the pieces you cut off the front paper, put mud ( dry wall compound ) around the plug and on the pieces of paper hanging out, push it into the hole in the wall, run over it with a trowel, let it dry a couple days fill it in and sand smooth.
• Do not use regular Sheet Rock where there will be moisture, use a product called Green or Blue Board, this is made to resistant water, some only have water resistant paper, the better stuff has water resistant gypsum and water resistant paper, in really wet area or if your going to use it behind Tile get the better stuff.
• When you go to Tape the dry wall, pre fill the cracks and sand first, it will help to reduce cracking later on.
• If you want to Tape and Texture in one day, use a Product called Sudden Bond 90, it will dry in about an hour, instead of using regular compounds or as we say mud.
• Also use an allpurpose light weight Compound ( mud ) your arms do not get so tired holding that mud pan.
• If you do not want all that Dry Wall dust from sanding, you can use a damp flat sponge and wipe the seams down instead.
• Make sure all the mud is dry before you prime it.
• To see if the seams look good hold a light up against the wall, all those flaws will jump out.
• To keep your seams from being to big of a bump, feather them out a good 8 to 10" on each side.
• For 1/2" drywall use 1 1/4" drywall screws ( nails will pop out later down the road ) for 5/8 drywall use 1 1/2 or 1 5/8 drywall screws. Pick up a drywall screw tip or use a dry walling drill to screw in the drywall screws, you don't want the screw to break through the paper, you want it to compress the paper just enough to cover the screw head with mud. With those tools you can set the depth of the screw.
• 5/8 " drywall is for the lid ( ceiling ) and any fire walls, like between the garage and the house.
• 1/2" regular drywall is for walls.
• 1/2" green or blue board drywall ( water resistant ) is for bathrooms or anywhere the has a lot of moisture or dampness in the room.
• Always hang the lid (ceiling) first, then the walls, on a standard stud wall there should be a 1/2" space between the floor and the bottom of the drywall.
• Hang the drywall on the rafters and studs like a T the stud or rafter would be the up and down part of the T and the drywall would be running the same way as the top of the T. When you hang the next row of drywall cut the sheet in half ( to the nearest studs center of half the sheet ) in other words don't put all the ends in the same place.
• Put 6 screws in the ends of the drywall and 5 screws in the field, one on each edge and 3 spaced in the middle.
• To help hang the 5/8 lid, make a T out of some 2 x 4s just a little taller then the height of the ceiling, slide it under the drywall to hold it in place while you put in the screws.
• Use a 4 " trowel for your first coat of mud, then an 8 to 10" trowel for the seams, use the 4" towel to mud your inside corners.
• When you put mud on, try to skim off as much excess mud as you can, less sanding and dust ( :
• When sanding use drywall sanding screens, they work a lot better then regular sand paper.
• When you tape the inside corners, fill both sides with mud then cut a piece of drywall tape to length fold it first the press it in place, then use the 4" trowel and skim one side then the other side, making sure it sits in the corner correctly, to put the 2nd and 3rd-- coats on, coat one side at a time, when that's dry do the other side, they have inside corner trowels but I never had any luck with them.
• About.com Home Repair/Dry Walling
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Painting Tips

• After you get done painting with that expensive brush, wash it then wrap it up in aluminum foil and put it in the freezer. It will be ready to use the next time you need it, not all dried out and stiff.
• If you want to reuse that roller, same thing, freezer.
• Got a paint brush that's a little stiff, brush it out with a wire brush, if you soak it first works even better.
• After you wash out your brushes, wrap them up so the bristles are straight, then store it laying down or hang it on a hook.
• After your Finished painting, fill a Baby Food Jar with the paint, air in the can is what ruins the paint, then you will have some for touch ups.
• After you paint a room, take a light cover off and put a piece of masking tape on the back side and write what paint and color you used, then you will always have that info where you need it most and if you sell your house you can tell the new owners, don't forget to give them the Baby Food Jars ( :
• want to paint that ugly Paneling, paint over it with Kilz II, you have to let it dry a day or two for each coat ( says in 1 hour, true for regular priming jobs ) what happens is the color from the paneling bleeds into the Kilz, that's good, it gets locked into it, then put another coat on it, and another if needed, next what I do is skim and Tape the seams with drywall mud, then prime it again, then Texture it, then prime, then paint. But if you just want to paint it, prime it 2-3 times with the Kilz II and then paint it. Open some Windows when you use the Kilz. Kilz will also cover dirt, crayon marks, it is used to cover smoke damaged surfaces, locks out the smell and locks in the stain. Regular Kilz is the best but not healthy, Kilz II is water based.
• Paint FAQ, use the Search Drop Down Box for more Painting Information Handyman/Painting

Texture Tips

• If you think your going to Wall Paper later on use a light Texture, like an Orange peel, looks like the skin of an Orange.
• You can make a Texture with a lot of things, like Newspaper, put the mud ( Dry Wall Compound ) on the wall then crumple up a page of Newspaper and start dabbing, you can do the same thing with sponges. Put a line of mud on the edge of a Trowel and drag it across the Dry Wall ( called Skip Troweling ), you'll have to experiment with all of those to get an effect that is pleasing to you.
• Prime your walls and ceilings before you Texture, then check for flaws on the walls, then spot prime when it is dry. Most Drywallers and finishers do not do this and it is just kind of a extra touch thing.
• If you are going to put the Cottage Cheese Texture or( Popcorn Texture )on the Ceilings, I would use then Medium grade, less of it falls off and it is a lot easier to repaint, then the really course grade.
• If you want to do the Texturing, Rent a Texturing Machine from a rental shop, they do not charge that much, maybe 25-30 dollars for the day, you achieve a lot nicer finish with it. Just make sure you mix the Texture according to the instructions, if you get it to wet it will run, if not wet enough it will clog the spray tip or not come out at all. The Texture most Contractors use is called Orange Peel, a very cheap Texture as fare as materials, just water down some Drywall Compound ( All Purpose ), put the tip on about the second smallest hole, set the pressure at about 10 to 25 psi, move the sprayer back and forth and up and down until you get the desired results, or a Splatter Texture which is the same as Orange Peel only you mix the mud a little stiffer, keep the psi at 25 and spray, spray ,spray, this method will cover a lot of Tapping flaws. I did one that was a cross between Orange and Splatter, after I sprayed the Walls and just as it got partly dry, I ran a big flat trowel over it, this would flatten the bigger splats, I called it Spanish Lace, looked like Lace after you painted it with a semi gloss paint. This is tricky though, because you have to knock it down differently on the seams or you'll get slides. All these Textures can be used on Ceilings to.
• Question and answers about Texture Handyman