Question about repairing taped sheetrock joints on garage ceiling

[Ryan Welch]

[QUOTE=Louis Brandt;1387456]Hello,

Let me first start by saying that I’ve never done sheetrock taping before.
I need to “repair” most of all of the taped sheetrock joints on my garage ceiling. Over the years, some of the tape has come loose, and even where it has not come loose, it has split in places, so I’d like to clean it all up and make the ceiling look good again. There is no “texture” on the ceiling.

I’d prefer to use the adhesive tape, rather than the paper tape.

I have two basic questions.

One, should I thin the mud (joint compound) before applying it?

Two, can I get by with removing only the tape that has actually come loose and is hanging down?
For the tape that hasn't come loose, I’d like to just tape over the tape that has split, etc., because I’m afraid that if I try to remove all of the existing tape, I may damage some of the sheetrock itself.

And of course, I’d appreciate any other suggestions that you may have to help me in this.

Thanks,
Louis[/QUOTE

paper tape is much stronger as mentioned and is easier to work with then you might think. I completely finished a basement from framing to sheetrock about ten years ago with no cracking at all. Prior to this I had little experience with drywall. If you are the do-it-yourself type give it a shot. It will take you a bit of time but, its not hard. Just give her multiple thin coats and sand as necessary.

[Kevin Grady]

Use paper tape. Also, you don't need to use setting compund for the mud bed when using paper tape. For a novice, setting compund can make the job difficult to get a good finish since you can't really sand setting compound. Yes paper tape joints are stronger than fiber glass tape ( you really need to use setting compound with fiber glass tape) fiber glass tape has a tendency to flex with house movement and will eventually have cracks in the joint. Don't thin the compund before applying, lay a semi thick bed of mud in the joint after cleaning out the old tape and any loose sheetrock. The mud bed should be about an 1/8" thick, apply the paper tape over th mud bed gently, just enough to have stick. Then using a trowel to hold one end, start in the middle of the joint (don't start at the end or the tape will pull) and with a tape knife using some good force pull the knife across the tape squeezing out the excess compound. Let it dry, then do multiple thin coats of compound, each coat fans outs twice the width of the previous coat. With some practice, you'll only need to sand the final coat. Search youtube, there are some good videos out there on taping methods.

Good luck,
Kevin

[Mike Archambeau]

I had a garage drywall job that went as far as taping with first coat of mud, never primed. After 10 years of looking at this unfinished job, I tried to add a coat of mud to finish the seems smoothly. Then primed and painted. Some of the taped delaminated and puckered. So if I had to do it all over again, I would have removed the old tape to the extent possible.

Not sure how big a role that 10 years of aging played in the outcome, but something worth considering.

[Jason Roehl]

Kevin (Welcome to the Creek!)--there are two main types of setting compound:

1. Durabond. This stuff is like cement and is almost impossible to sand because it sets similar to plaster. Comes in a brown bag with red, green and black printing.
2. USG Easy Sand. This is what we're talking about here, and it sands just like regular joint compound that comes in the buckets or boxes (AKA "ready-mix"). Comes in a white bag with red, blue and black printing.

I know what I'm talking about here--Easy Sand saves my bacon when I only have a few hours to patch/paint an apartment. I've used many, many bags of the stuff and sand it all the time.

[Kevin Grady]

Ah true, forgot about the Easy Sand. Thanks for the welcome. I've been a home improvement junkie for 10 years and my latest project was a kitchen remodel that has turned me onto what hopefully will be a life long hobby of woodworking.

[Tom Hargrove]

As usual, several different opinions on the subject. Here are mine:

I use fiberglass tape only to make repairs, primarily in old plaster. Paper tape will work better for joints. Poor joints generally result from the compound being squeezed out behind the tape when it is bedded. In my area, the first coat is generally from the "green bucket", the balance from the "blue bucket."

Setting compound hardens by chemical reaction, the premixed hardens when the water evaporates out of it. If premixed compound gets wet after it sets, it will get soft again and fail. Heavy humidity or extended exposure to moderate humidity will probably cause premixed compound to soften over time.

If you are a novice, and are going to use setting compound, be sure to use "Easy Sand." It is harder to sand than premix, but as others have mentioned, the other setting compound gets extremely hard when it sets. I also recommend you get the stuff that hardens over a longer period of time. The number on the package is a midrange on the hardening time, and even after the compound is hard to the touch, it still has water in it (especially in damp conditions or in thick applications), and may not sand well for several hours. If you don't know what you are doing, (we were all there once) the "short time" mix may well begin to harden before you get it to the right consistency. I used to use 90 or 180 minute stuff exclusively. Now I use 20 minute stuff, since I know how much water to mix, and how fast I can get it on before it becomes a sticky mess.

I always add a cup of water to a new pail of premix, and them mix the whole bucket with a paddle mixer in a corded drill. If it is still too thick, I add a second cup of water and mix again. I realize others don't do this, but I get better results (easier to apply, smoother joints with less sanding) when I do. I also like a knife that has a fair amount of flex to it, but others don't. I have also learned that cheap drywall knives produce poor results. Keep the knife clean and sharp. If you let compound harden on the blade overnight, it may begin to rust. But you should experiment and do what works best for you.

You will need a block for sanding, since your fingers will leave grooves in the joints if you sand by hand. I find that a pole sander is worthwhile. Hyde makes a pole sander that uses drywall sanding screens (better than sand paper IMHO) that hooks up to a shop vacuum. It costs about $25 bucks, and really saves on clean up, since about 90% of the dust gets sucked up immediately by the vacuum. (See demo on Youtube.) I don't believe it is designed for hard use on a day in and day out basis, but it works quite well for smaller jobs as long as one remembers to keep the vacuum filter clean.

Good luck, and remember it is your garage, not the Taj Mahal. You can sand out most mistakes and do it again - the materials are cheap. Be sure to protect your eyes - drywall compound is messy, and you will be looking up at the ceiling with a knife full of mud over your face. If you get some in your eye, you will be unhappy.

[Dave Schreib]

The nice thing about doing this job in your garage is that the results dont need to be perfect. When your done, you will either have the confidence to do repairs inside the house ... or you will emphatically decide that paying someone is the way to go. Good luck