SHEETROCK REPAIR

Learn to fend for yourself in these troubled times.

The only thing stopping most people from doing their own repairs is the belief that they cannot do the job properly without a lot of training. The fact is you can do a satisfactory job of sheetrock repair if you just follow a few simple guidelines. When you have the need for a plaster or sheetrock repair job in your home and would like to try it yourself then you really owe it to yourself to give it a whirl. If you decide to tackle a small repair you can buy sheetrock mud and sheetrock in small quantities at Home Depot or Lowes for those small repairs. After doing a couple of small repairs you will develop the confidence needed to tackle those big jobs like overhauling the living room, or fixing up that upstairs bonus room that you consider to be so ugly. With just a little effort you can dramatically increase the value of your home while improving your living space and saving a big chunk of money while you do it.

Our house was built in the 30's and like many other homes from the same era it has problems. The repairs needed to correct these problems would be to expensive for us to contract out, so we have decided to make the repairs ourselves. The first thing on our to do list is to repair the plaster in the living room and repaint. We will explain in detail the steps needed to accomplish the same thing in your home. The project cost page will have a list of all expenses for each job we do around here.

Here is how to get started on a room.

1. Empty out the entire room if needed(not necessary if you are just doing a small area).
   • This is messy so don't work to close to the furniture
2. Remove any and all:
   • nails
   • screws
   • hanger brackets
3. Scrape the walls and ceiling to remove all the loose paint and plaster.
   • We used a 4" sheetrock knife for this
4. Cleanup any old repair work.
   • pull off any blistered or peeling sheetrock tape

Surface preparation can make the difference between success and failure, so go back over it a second time to make sure you have not missed anything.

Tools and supplies needed to get started.

The same tools are needed whether it is a big job or a small job. Sheetrock mud comes in 1 and 5 gallon containers. We prefer the USG brand with the green lid on the bucket as it shrinks less and gives a better overall result for the less experienced person. You will have to decide how much you need for the job at hand. The cost of all these tools and supplies together will be less than the cost of having a couple of holes repaired in your sheetrock(this is good information if you have teenagers around the house).

1. Sheetrock knives
   • 4"
   • 8"
   • 10"
2. Mud pan
3. Sanding block or sanding pole
   • both would be nice
4. Sheetrock mud and tape
   • we use the paper tape
5. Sandpaper(120 grit)

Now that you have done the surface preparation and gathered up all your tools and supplies, it is time to get started.

How to repair different problems

1. Return to sheetrock repair home page.(you are here)
2. Repairing cracks in sheetrock or plaster.
3. Repair a small hole.
4. Repair a large hole.
5. What we did in the living room.
6. Project cost
7. Go to the Home Repair sitemap.

Check back tomorrow.
Or better yet, go check out The Garden

Remember that these projects are works in progress. If information is not available on a certain project it is because we are not working on that project at this time. If we did not explain things to your satisfaction or if you disagree with the way things are being done, please join our forum to ask a question or to offer advice.

copyright© J and L constr.