I recently gutted out my kitchen and took down a wall next to a dining room, where there was 3/8" sheetrock on the ceiling. I did not want to put 3/8" sheetrock on the ceiling in the new kitchen due to concerns on sagging, and plus I wanted to use 12 foot boards, so 1/2" sheetrock was the choice. I tried my best to spackle where the 2 meet ( 4 times already) it still seems its noticeable, although each time I do it it seems to get better. What is the best way to spackle the joints?
To hide a 1/8" transition, you're going to have to taper it a long way into the 3/8" room, going out a couple of feet and gradually building up, using a very wide blade.
You will never get it to look level because there will always be that 1/8" difference between the areas. You should have pulled down the 3/8" drywall back to a solid divider and installed all 1/2" material.
That said, I have "adjusted" some "bumps" in a ceiling where a beam crossed an area a little lower than the ceiling joists. This took a lot of compound even when I used a slightly dried pail to fill the deepest area to reduce shrinkage and cracking. It took probably 8 coats to keep replacing the shrinkage, fill cracks and to smooth bumps. I probably sanded off as much as I left in place to keep it level. It did not want to level very well because I was using a 4 foot straightedge to scrape the compound flat and to spread the fill far enough to avoid a shadow line. It worked for my needs in this particular area. Your results may differ because it is an open room and windows may emphasise the difference between the levels. You can either change the thin drywall or do something similar to what I did, hope the results are acceptable to you.
Thanks for the tips. If I pulled down the rest of the 3/8 rock, I would have to paint pretty much the entire dining room and adjoining living room archway, more work than I wanted to do. I'll give it some more coats this weekend.
depending on the situation I think you might be able to feather it "way" out.
you could shim the 3/8" material to meet the 1/2" if you carefully remove the screws.
usually a little finesse and extra care will go along way in these situations. I know cause my wife will make me do it over until see approves. damn she can be picky!
Frankly it may be a little late, but I believe working on the other side would have been a better idea.
You could have removed an 1/8" from the back side for a few inches (a belt sander would have been good) and then attach it to the ceiling. That way the joint would have been level and the transition would have been over
So to save a little painting your gonna mess with a half assed patch for , how long? And guess what...It's still gonna look like crap. Even with the large trowels(16 or 18 inch) that I use it's still IMPOSSIBLE to completly hide and I've been doing it for 20 years. Either get used to it or take it apart and do it right by ATLEAST removing old drywall back to a door or window opening or INSIDE corner. Sheetrock is cheap and painting is a MUCH easier DIY than a big patch...
Sorry to go off on you but I run into this ALL the time even with home reno pro's.To save a little demo and rock they have a 8 foot butt right in the middle of a room where old meets new and expect me to "somehow" make it disappear then bitch cuz they can still see it even AFTER I warn them it will LIKELY crack and will ALWAYS be noticable... Penny wise and dollar foolish....IMO
I hear what you're saying but OTOH I'm all for working with what is there. Sheetrock maybe cheap but landfills are full of crap from home-remodeling. I always try to refurbish as opposed to remove. But again, I understand what you're saying too. Remove what has to be removed. I'd bet I could salvage quite a bit of his old sheetrock but I've been working with sheetrock and plaster for a few years and like I said my wife won't let me do it half ass no matter how hard I try. :-)
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