Drywall Repair

[jmur5074]

Yes, here I am again asking for tips/advice on a household repair.

My tub/shower surround unknowingly came separated from the wall in a small area, and in return I got some water along the edge of the tub surround, soundly soaking the drywall.

Thus far I've removed all of the caulking, and cut away a large portion of wet drywall (about a 10" tall x 4" wide piece). Behind the was ANOTHER piece of drywall (?). I cut a small piece of that out, and found a stud behind it. The stud basically runs the width of the wet drywall, so I don't believe there's any (or very little) wet insulation behind it. The second piece of drywall seemed dry, with the exception of the drywall paper which I peeled away.

I pulled the corner of the tub surround away, removed all of the damp debris and currently have a fan blowing onto the damp area, and behind the tub surround.

In a couple days (once it's completely dried out) I'm going to take a cut piece of drywall and place it into the area where I cut the old drywall out, screw it into place, put compound around the edges, sand, and paint.

Does that sound ok to you? Any suggestions or tips? Like the majority of my home projects, I'm winging it and learning as I go.

[Car 4]

Jmur, old buddy.....was any of the old drywall green? If not green, then cement board...gray and rough?


If not, you may want to do the whole thing over again. You should, at a minimum, have greenboard but cement board is better and usually code round a shower or tub.

Let me know....

Car 4

[jmur5074]

Jmur, old buddy.....was any of the old drywall green? If not green, then cement board...gray and rough?


If not, you may want to do the whole thing over again. You should, at a minimum, have greenboard but cement board is better and usually code round a shower or tub.

Let me know....

Car 4

hm....you're losin' me.

The old drywall was not green...it looked like some of the color from the brown paper backing had leached onto it...but it wasn't green. And I have no idea what cement board is.

I haven't put anything on the wall yet...I've only pulled the damaged drywall off. So at the moment there's nothing to redo because I have a hole in my wall.

[mavriktu]

In a couple days (once it's completely dried out) I'm going to take a cut piece of drywall and place it into the area where I cut the old drywall out, screw it into place, put compound around the edges, sand, and paint.

As lomg as you "tape" the edges before you float itThe "Tape" is actually nothing more than paper(about 2-3 bucks a roll uaually,)the clerk will try to sell you the expensive yellow stuff,dont fall for it as it takes to much mud to cover it.I have sheetrocked quite a bit (hey!use to own a rental house),any questions let me know.BTW,you are in Mnmake sure you have a space heater or else the mud will never dry enough to properly sand.

[lewisipso]

Green board is sheetrock that is commonly used in bathrooms. It is more water resistant than regular drywall. Cement board is even better.

Taping drywall. I'm in the process of finishing a wall I had to put up to separate a room and this is how I'm learning.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHICz13Nf3c&feature=fv w"]YouTube - How To Tape Drywall[/ame]

You should do a second coat after the first one dries and then sand it smooth. (don't ask me about the music.)

[Five-0]

I would recommend a paint designed for high moisture areas like bathrooms. Got this off the Sherman Williams website:

• For bathrooms, kitchens, basements and more
• Moisture and mildew resistant
• Washable, scrubbable - keeps your bath clean and fresh
• Dries to a tough, durable finish
• Satin and Semi-Gloss finishes for versatility

• How to use this product

Interior Paints - Sherwin-Williams

[TXCharlie]

Yeah, if you use regular old drywall, it'll fall apart and mildew after getting wet repeatedly, so it won't be long until you have to do it all over again.

[jmur5074]

Well I've already got a bathroom paint (from when I painted the bathroom last year.)

The reason is get wet in the first place is because the caulking between the tub surround and the wall separated, letting water in behind the tub surround, down the wall, and into/onto the drywall.

I am going to redo the caulking obviously, so that should prevent this from happening again. That, coupled with the new coats of bathroom paint, I should be in the clear, right?

[gopherpuckfan]

Self taught?

I say again, "ORLY?"

[MacLean]

If you replace that with regular drywall and paint it, you'll be doing it again.

If you aren't willing to do it all over with greenboard or cement board, this will hold a while...

1. Patch it, let the mudd and wall dry without using it for a week. Put a heat lamp on it would be better, when you can attend it.

2. Apply a good waterproof primer, Killz makes one. Let that dry, put a coat on again, let it dry.

3. Paint. Let that dry damn good.

4. Caulk it.

I had to fix this exact thing, it bites.

[Jenna]

Self taught?

I say again, "ORLY?"

[jmur5074]

Looks like I'll be heading to Fleet Farm or Menards for some green board, or cement board.

Self taught?

I say again, "ORLY?"

Yes, rly.....kinda.

[Jks9199]

There's also a different type of joint compound (or mud) for bathrooms; it sets up harder and is more water resistant, which will let you get away with regular drywall longer... And you can find water/mold resistant drywall that's somewhere less than greenboard but more than regular drywall. It's slightly more expensive -- but only slighty, and doesn't have the same paper backing that normal drywall does.

[Shoestring]

Go with a cement board back piece and put a green board on top. Make sure you let the mud dry before painting etc.

I like the paint from Home Depot (I think it is Bear sp?) find a bathroom one because it has more of a barrier to stop water from penetrating the wall.

When you caulk, make sure everything is extremely clean. If it is not, you will have the same problem within a year. I clean the area several times to make sure there is nothing to prevent a good seal

[jmur5074]

All good advice! Thanks, I appreciate it.

[ARJJ]

Jmur, one last thing. Before you recaulk, go ahead and remove all the old caulking from the tub/suround seam. Clean the seam well. Then recaulk using a 100% silicone bath caulk. (GE Silicone II is what I typically use.) You may want use some masking tape to mask each side of the joint before applying the caulk, because silicone caulk is difficult to work with and isn't very forgiving of mistakes.

If you use the cheaper Acrylic Latex caulk, it will mildew and deteriorate quickly, and you will have repairs to do again down the road.

[TXCharlie]

I've always heard it's good to fill up the tub at least halfway before caulking, too. That supposedly helps keep the caulk from pulling away from the wall when someone takes a bath.

I'm not too sure it matters if it's on a concrete slab foundation, but it probably matters a lot more if it's on a second story, or a pier & beam foundation that will flex when the tub gets some weight in it.

[Shoestring]

I've always heard it's good to fill up the tub at least halfway before caulking, too. That supposedly helps keep the caulk from pulling away from the wall when someone takes a bath.

I'm not too sure it matters if it's on a concrete slab foundation, but it probably matters a lot more if it's on a second story, or a pier & beam foundation that will flex when the tub gets some weight in it.

It does make a diff on concrete floor, the plastic will still sag a little, the floor wont give but the plastic will