Drywall sizes

[Eigenvector]

Yeah it's definitely 3/8th. Or at least what I am removing from the wall is thicker than it is, and it measures 1/2" pretty darn closely.

That's fine I can write off this sheet, its not like 2 bucks is gonna break my bank (although 4 bucks might!). As to getting those 2 x 2 squares, I saw them too and was pondering it, but considering that I can pick up damaged boards for 2 bucks or less depending upon how large it doesn't seem cost effective to buy pre-cuts.

As for Jeffc, I hear what you're saying but I don't happen to have any curved surfaces and noise reduction isn't a concern for me.

[Eigenvector]

Not typically one to reply to my own responses, but in this case.

So I replaced a hole in the drywall, only to discover that the 1/2" drywall was sunk in a little from the rest of the wall.

Is it typical when patching holes on a finished wall to have the drywall sit below the level of the wall surface, and not sit flush?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

That works for a lot of people, but form many, that extra material will be hidden away or taking up space for the next 50 years. Not a bargain under those circumstances. Right now, I need a piece of 5/8 material abut 15' x

12". Damned if I'm going to buy a 4 x 8 and haul it home. I'll find a broken sheet at a jobsite or supplier or some other method first.

[jeffc]

You're just in the habit of spending 15 minutes qualifying it later. It's not semantics. You made a smartass reply and got caught.

[jeffc]

It's very easy to cut the pieces in the parking lot at the store so they fit in your car.

[Al Bundy]

"BobK207" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

lol. Like something in the frig. Don't want to eat it. Don't want to waste and throw away. When it becomes unusable (aka rotten), no issues tossinmg it:-)

[RicodJour]

WTF are you on about? There was no smartass reply. Let me rephrase it so it's clear. I have never seen a professional use 3/8" sheetrock in my 30 years in the business, both commercial and residential. The only couple of times I've seen the stuff used was by a DIYer who was obviously trying to save money and ended up f****ng up the project.

It's not worth the effort to try to make something the wrong thickness fit. If you're trying to match to an existing thicker plaster wall, it's easier, cheaper and faster to rip some plywood strips and furr out the framing. It's not worth using an unsuitably flexible product for ceiling applications due to the extra labor involved in installing it so it won't sag. It is not flexible enough to do tight radii - two layers of 1/4" is superior. 1/2" drywall is the bare minimum thickness for wall strength.

Tell me the advantages of 3/8" again. What? A buck a board cheaper? Yeah, I'll be able to retire on those savings...*

R

• For future reference, that was a smartass reply. :)

[Grandpa]

After you patch it in like Mike says, you might look into ceiling medallions like these:

if you can find one that goes with the decor of the room.

[TakenEvent]

[...]

After you've done the taping and mudding, you really shouldn't have a problem. You'll be fanning the mud out far enough to hide the patch, and this will require enough mud that any small discrepancy won't stay for long.

Remember, the patch isn't painted, and it's new, and the existing drywall is painted and may be pulling out from the wall a little where you cut it. Make sure you put screws into the existing drywall as well as the patch to help keep them flush. This obviously doesn't really apply if you used what I've heard referred to as both a "hat patch" and a "hot patch". It only applies if you're attaching the drywall to studs or other wooden backer.

[TakenEvent]

There's nothing wrong with doing it that way, except that for me, time is money. I do this sort of thing professionally, and my time is worth much more than the seven dollars I'd save by taking the time to root through scrap bins or run down construction sites that may or may not yield the correct piece.

The neat thing about drywall is that if you do end up with extra material, you probably will use it at some point, or your neighbor will, or you can break it up into small pieces and throw it away.

On my own time, doing something for myself or my family, yes, I might take the time to find free scraps. Otherwise, it costs more for me to spend the time looking than it does for me to buy a new sheet.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I still need that piece of 12 x 15. If you live in NE Connecticut I'll grab one of your scraps. :)

[Eigenvector]

I finished patching it, people are right, it does take a lot of experience to make a good clean patch look good. Mine looks like crap right now, the tape is sticking out in places where it bunched up and I didn't think to put a screw in the existing drywall - I didn't read this reply till after I applied the patch.

After it dries I'll sand it to heck and gone and but a desk in front of it.

[TakenEvent]

Take a utility knife and cut out the tape where it's pushing through. Apply a couple of coats of mud. Don't be afraid to flare the mud out a few feet if you have to.