How to Refinish Damaged Sheetrock
Sheetrock is among the most common materials used on walls. It is placed on the wall over the insulation and attached by sheetrock screws vertically along the studs in the wall. There are pros and cons of using sheetrock. It can be easily damaged by water or pressure. Wet sheetrock is ruined and will need to be replaced because it will crumble and/or mold. Pressure on sheetrock causes cracks, holes or even collapse. The damaged area will need to be repaired or replaced before the sheetrock can be refinished. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Sheetrock knife
- Cordless drill
- Phillips head bit
- New sheetrock
- Sheetrock tape
- Mud pan
- Sheetrock mud
- Mud knife
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Paint or wallpaper
Instructions
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Use a sheetrock knife to cut large damaged areas out. Completely remove all wet areas of sheetrock and cut out around large holes. Use the knife to cut horizontally, along the top and bottom edges of the damaged area, stud to stud. Expose 1/2 inch of stud on both the left and right sides.
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Remove all of the screws that held the sheetrock onto the studs. Use a cordless drill and a Phillips head bit. Do not leave any screws in the studs or the new sheetrock will not lay flat on the surface of the studs. Measure the length and width of the cut-out area to know what size the new piece should be. Use the cordless drill and sheetrock screws to attach a new piece of sheetrock to the area. Countersink the screws 1/16 inch.
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3
Place sheetrock tape over small holes or over cracks instead of removing the sheetrock. Use the type of tape that has an adhesive on the backside. Cut a piece to size according to the length of the damaged area, apply the tape and gently press it into place. Use more than one piece of tape to accommodate the width of the hole if need be. Do this for holes that are 5 inches in diameter or smaller. Use the tape along all edges where new sheetrock was inserted.
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4
Fill a mud pan with sheetrock mud. Use a mud knife to smooth a 1/8-inch layer of mud over the all of the taped areas and over any screws that hold the new sheetrock in place. Allow the mud to dry one to two hours then sand using a fine-grit sandpaper or sanding block.
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5
Apply wallpaper over the sheetrock or refinish the wall with paint.
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Tips & Warnings
Take your time.
Wear a mask when sanding.
