Just a simple question related to this. Assuming I want to remove all the drywall along a wall - if I wanted to keep the ceiling intact, should I run a knife along the corner first to break the joint tape?
I guess I'm wondering if pulling down the wall will shred the ceiling regardless of how careful I am doing it. I guess in some regard I have to feather the corner when I retape so maybe this is a moot point anyway. or maybe I can cut the drywall say 6 inches from the corner and not remove the wall all the way to the ceiling then that makes installing the repair a bit simpler.
I'd just cut the corner, trying to save 6 inches will only force you to cut your new sheets short, and could be a real PIA if you don't cut your 6 inch line perfectly straight.
once you cut the corner, you should be able to pull the existing drywall down, to clear the ceiling drywall which would (most likely) gone up after the walls.
............ should I run a knife along the corner first to break the joint tape?
yes .......I guess I'm wondering if pulling down the wall will shred the ceiling regardless of how careful I am doing it. ......
Maybe....if the drywall went on the wall first its probably nailed to the top plate. So it might be a little hard to remove
.......I guess in some regard I have to feather the corner when I retape so maybe this is a moot point anyway. ....
Yup
........or maybe I can cut the drywall say 6 inches from the corner and not remove the wall all the way to the ceiling then that makes installing the repair a bit simpler.
Even better!
Before you make that cut 7 remove the drywall on the wall, drive some screws or nails just above the cut to secure the drywall so the piece that you're leaving behind stays fixed.
If this is your top floor and the roof uses trusses, don't be surprised if the ends of the ceiling sheetrock are not nailed to the truss or are nailed to a nailing strip attached to the wall. Trusses move up and down with the weather and if ceiling sheetrock is nailed to the end of the trusses, gaps show up between the walls and ceiling.
As for your question, I don't have an answer. It might depend on what you find as you take things apart.
I appreciate yours and Dave's response. Both of you suggested that the wall went up first, ceiling last when everything I've read about drywalling says put the ceiling on first, walls last. And actually that makes sense too, as once the ceiling is on you have a good reference point for the wall line. But perhaps bad construction or fast construction means the wall went on first...
I hear what you're saying Dave about trying to cut a perfectly straight line, but I just don't want to have to retape and redo the corners - I hate mudding corners.
You'll just have to dive in & see how it was hung. The guy who hung your drywall may or may not have read the correct way to do it. :)
USG has a great little handbook all about drywall, I got one years ago. Its about 4" x 6" & hundreds of pages...lots of info.
Another poster commented on the truss / drywall detail. SInce the trusses are allowed to move relative to the interior walls, this movement will tear the corner joint loose. A special drywall / truss detail is required; as is a special framing detail.
If you have ceiling or floor joist of relatively short span this is not an issue.
For me cutting the drywall & taping a straight joist would be less of a problem than dealing with the corner...but my drywall mudding skills suck.
I guess where I'm coming from is....you've got a corner joint that's working whatever detail exists....I wouldn't mess with it.
Just snap a line, razor knife it, cheese grater it & your're good to go.
If you go this way don't forget some extra screws above the cut BEFORE you do the cut.
A nice wide knife can hide a lot. :) Check out how your knife work feels before you decide on the cut location...ie dry run
My mudding skills are getting better and better. My basement is one giant testing ground for drywalling and mudding. The first half looks like a broken down crack house, the second half looks like a what I would consider an amateur job. 3rd time's a charm eh?
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