NOT ANOTHER SHEETROCK REPAIR INSTRUCTABLE?

YES, ANOTHER SHEETROCK REPAIR INSTRUCTABLE!

OH, YES, IT IS ANOTHER SHEETROCK REPAIR INSTRUCTABLE, BUT I'M GOING TO GO A LITTLE OLD SCHOOL ON YOU.

SEE THE PRETTY HOLE? IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. FIX, KINK, FIX.

I FOUND A PIECE OF SHEETROCK IN THE ATTIC.

NOW, HERE'S SOME OLD SCHOOLING FOR YOU. SHEETROCK OR WALL BOARD OR GYPSUM BOARD COMES IN DIFFERENT THICKNESSES. 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" 5/8"

1/4" IS USED FOR VARIOUS THINGS BUT ONE IS TO SKIN A DAMAGED WALL WITHOUT REPLACING ALL THE SHEETROCK UNDERNEATH. YES, IT IS LAMINATED TO THE EXISTING WALL.

3/8" USED TO BE FOR WALLS BUT HAS SINCE BEEN REPLACED WITH 1/2"

1/2" IS STANDARD FOR INTERIOR WALLS IN YOU HOUSE.

5/8" IS WHAT THEY CALL FIRE RETARDANT AND IS USUALLY FOUND IN GARAGES AMOUNG OTHER PLACES.

SHEETROCK ALSO COMES IN VARIOUS LENGTHS. USUALLY 4' WIDE AND 8' 10' 12' 16' LONG. YOU CAN ALSO BUY 2' X 2' CHUNKS AT THE BIG BOX STORES.

THIS IS ALSO CALLED JOINT COMPOUNT. I LIKE THE NAME SPACKLE. THIS IS NOT THE LIGHT WEIGHT, OR FAST DRYING, OR SPECIALTY STUFF. IT IS WHAT I USED FOR YEARS WHEN I DID HOME IMPROVEMENTS. BESIDES, THIS IS A HOME REPAIR AND I'M NOT IN ANY HURRY AND I DON'T NEED FAST DRYING STUFF. YES, IT COMES IN DIFFERENT TUB SIZES. I JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE THIS.

THIS OPENING WENT FROM STUD TO STUD. I NEATENED UP THE STUDS. THERE ARE WAYS TO ADD SUPPORTS TO A HOLE WHERE THE STUDS ARE ABSENT. I'LL GIEVE A BRIEF EXPLANATION LATER.

THIS IS A GARAGE WITH 5/8" SHEETROCK. THE REPLACMENT PIECE IS 5/8" IF IT HAD BEEN ONLY 1/2" YOU CAN ADD THIN STRIP OF 1/8" WOOD TO THE STUDS. IF NO WOOD, THEN USE CARDBOARD.

MEASURE THE OPENING WIDTH AND HEIGHT IN SEVERAL PLACES AND JOT DOWN THE SMALLEST MEASUREMENTS. YOU DON'T WANT THE PATCH TO BE LARGER THAN THE OPENING.

USE 1 1/4" SCREWS. PROFESSIONALS USE A SHEETROCK GUN WHICH HAS A STOP ON THE BIT TO PREVENT THE SCREW FROM BREAKING THE PAPER. IF YOU ARE GENTLE YOU CAN ACHIEVE THIS WITHOUT A SHEETROCK GUN. OR JUST BUY A SHEETROCK BIT. IT DOES THE SAME THING.

YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THE SCREW IS DIMPLED JUST BELOW THE PAPER'S SURFACE SO THE SPACKLE WILL COVER IT AND IT DOESN'T PROTRUDE.

MY JOINT COVERING OF CHOICE IS PAPAER TAPE AS OPPOSED TO JUST FILLING IN THE GAPS OR MESH TAPE OR STICKY TAPE OR ANY NEWFANGLED STUFF ON THE MARKET. YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN' I JUST USED THE WORD NEWFANGLED, YOU GOL DURN WHIPPERSNAPPERS. I TOLD YOU I WAS GOING OLD SCHOOL.

PAPER SIDE UP, SCORE A LINE WITH A UTILITY KNIFE JUST DEEP ENOUGH TO CUT THE FACE PAPAER. NO NEED TO CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SHEETROCK. JUST PICK IT UP, PLACE THE SCORED FACE AWAY FROM YOU, PUT YOUR KNEE BEHIND THE CUT AND PULL. THEN CUT ALONG THE INSIDE FOLD.

TEST FIT. IF IT FITS MOVE ON, IF NOT, SMOOTH OUT ANY PART THAT BLOCKS THE FIT. HERE I USED A PIECE OF SAND PAPER WRAPPED AROUND A BLOCK OF WOOD.

ALSO, SEE THAT WOOD IN THE SECOND PICTURE. THAT IS HOW YOU GIVE YOURSELF SOMETHING TO SCREW TO IF YOU DON'T HAVE STUDS. PLACE IT IN THE OPENING, SCREW IT IN TO THE EXISTING SHEETROCK AND USE IT TO SUPPORT THE PATCH.

THIS IS MY GARAGE AND I'M NOT GOING CRAZY WITH IT.

'SCUSE ME WHILE I SING A BIT OF PATSY CLINE: CRAZY. I'M CRAZY FOR BEING SO LONELY. I'M CRAZY FOR BEING SO BLUE......

SCREWS ARE USUALLY SPACE 8" APART AND DIMPLED BELOW THE SURFACE. TIME TO SCREW AROUND AND SECURE THE PIECE.

I USE A SUCCESSION OF SPACKLE KNIVES. FIRST I START WITH A 6' KNIFE. I ALSO LIKE TO USE A HAWK (THAT FLAT TRAY I'M HOLDING) AS OPPOSED TO A TUB AS SHOWN IN THE LAST PICTURE.

NO, NOT YUMMY. I TAKE THE SPACKLE AND SPREAD IT OUT AND LUMP IT TOGETHER AND SPREAD IT OUT GETTING OUT ANY LUMPS UNTIL IT IS CREAMY LIKE PEANUT BUTTER. THE SMOOTHER IT IS NOW THE BETTER YOUR FINISHED JOB WILL LOOK.

THE METAL HEAL OF THE SPACKLE KNIFE CAN BE USED TO HAMMER IN PROTRUDING NAILS OR DIMPLE BUMPS.

MEASURE THE PAPER TAPE AND CUT IT BY HOLDING THE SPACKLE KNIFE AGAINST IT AND PULLING. FILL THE JOINT WITH SPACKLE AND SPREAD OUT ON EATHER SIDE WIDER THAN THE TAPE. LAY ON THE TAPE GENTLY AND EVEN MORE GENTLY EMBED IT WITH THE SPACKLE KNIFE. REPEATING--GENTLY. ONCE EMBEDDED SCRAPE OUT THE SPACKLE FROM UNDER THE TAPE. (OH, NO, KINK, TAKE IT OUT?) HOLD THE KNIFE AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. CONTINUE UNTIL THE TAPE IS EMBEDDED AND THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO LUMPS OF SPACKLE ON THE WALL.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DO. I RARELY SAND. I PUT ON THIN COATS, NOT THICK, AND KEEP IT SMOOTH.

YOU MIGHT THINK THIS IS NOT GOING TO COVER THE SEAM, BUT JUST YOU WAIT, HENRY HIGGINS, JUST YOU WAIT. WE ARE GOING TO REPEAT THIS PROCESS A FEW MORE TIMES.

TRY NOT TO GET SPACKLE ALL OVER YOUR TOOLS. WORK CLEAN, ESPECIALLY WORK WITH A CLEAN KNIFE.

FIRST COAT AND IT IS SMOOTH AND I AM DONE FOR THE DAY. I LET IT DRY OVER NIGHT.

THE NEXT DAY I ADD A SECOND COAT. AND THEN SCRAPE IT OFF. YES, KEEPING IT SMOOTH, NO LUMPS, BUMPS OR LINES. YOU MIGHT THINK SCRAPING IT OFF LEAVES YOU WHERE YOUR STARTED, BUT IT DOESN'T. YOU ARE ACTUALLY ADDING THIN COATS WITH EACH APPLICATION. AGAIN, NOTICE THE ANGLE AT WIHCH I HOLD THE SPACKLE KNIFE. THIS BOTH APPLIES SPACKLE AND SCRAPES OFF EXCESS.

I AGAIN LET IT DRY OVER NIGHT AND THEN TAKE A WET SPONGE AND GO OVER THE WALL. THIS SMOOTHS OUT ANY MINOR IMPERFECTIONS.

FOR THE FIRST APPLICATION I USE A 6" KNIFE, 8" FOR THE SECOND, AND 12" FOR THE THIRD. FOR ME, I'M DONE. THIS IS ACTUALLY PAINT-READY, BUT IT IS MY GARAGE AND I DON'T INTEND TO PAINT.

I HOPE MY OLD SCHOOL APPROACH WAS INFORMATIVE.