Things You'll Need:
- Screwdriver
- Electric screw gun
- 16-ounce claw hammer
- Joint compound
- Eight-inch sheetrock knife
- Flat pry bar
- Tin snips
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Step 1
Remove all loose sheetrock screws and replaster the area from where the screws were taken. It is possible, but not likely, that the only problem you have is a few loose screws. If this is the case, the solution is very simple.
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Step 2
Look for exposed sections of the metal corner bead. If you find any, then you have a trouble spot, for only the bead at the very center of the metal strip should be exposed when the job is finished. Lightly tap on the plaster until it cracks and remove as much of it as you can from around the exposed metal.
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Step 3
Set the electric screw gun into reverse and back out any sheetrock screws that are located near the raised metal. Next, insert new screws next to where you pulled the old screws. Do not put new screws in old screw holes; rather, install the new screws so that they pull the metal tight against the sheetrock surface and replaster. Repaired areas will require three coats of joint compound. And don't forget that in between coats, you have to let the area dry and then sand it.
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Step 4
Look for areas of cracked plaster. If you find any, then remove all the cracked plaster and repeat Step 3.
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Step 5
The worst case scenario is that you will have to replace the entire length of metal corner bead. This occurs when all your efforts to fix the corner bead fail. If you get to this point, tear out the old corner bead.
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Step 6
To install a new strip of corner bead, first tap on the beaded part of the metal with a lightweight hammer, so as to spread the sides farther apart. To avoid denting the metal, hold a small block of wood between the metal corner and your hammer.
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Step 7
Next insert the sheetrock screws in an alternating pattern from the very bottom to the very top. Drive the screws at a slight angle with your electric screw gun so that they pull the flanks of the beaded corner away from the center of the metal strip. Make sure that the heads of the sheetrock go all the way into the wooden frame that lies behind the sheetrock.
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Step 8
Double check your new installation by running the sheetrock trowel (usually called a knife) up and down one side of the corner bead. The edge of the trowel should pass above the heads of all the screws. If you hit a screw with the trowel, then the screw should be removed and another placed nearby, but not in the same location .
