remodeling for geeks

When you have done your demo, and put up your new drywall, you will encounter old work and your new work.
This photo is a 2fer. Here we have new to old and a common accident among first timers. Drywall is heavy, large and takes getting used to. The center shows where the drywall edge was damaged by dropping the sheet at some point prior to hanging. I cut out the damaged area, because it is loose and will bubble if you do not attend to it now. Using mesh tape is especially important here so we can fill the voids. Notice that my mesh tape is installed on the horizontal flats first, and the vertical mesh for the transition is second.

This photo shows where we have mudded and embedded our horizontal tape. We will cover the vertical mesh when we use paper tape for the inside corner.

Here is the finished product. This was the doorway we eliminated to make this walk in closet.

Most beginning remodeling projects usually involve removing walls and building new ones. There areas that need patching. Below are some of the more common details.
The upper left of this photo shows where we removed a wall. I mentioned before about using your utility knife to cut into the corners where you are removing walls, to minimize the repairs necessary. If you look at the upper left, I deliberately did not cut the corner on the left corner for about a foot, and you can see the tearout that results. This area will need skimming at some point, and is extra work.

Patching these is a simple process with small rips of drywall. (Note: depending on your area, most often your interior walls have 1/2” drywall. Exterior walls and ceilings in most parts of the country have 5/8” drywall. You will want to check.)
Also see how much cleaner the repair area is when you cut into the corners before demolition. This job has texture on the walls that will be matched later. I use mesh tape for these flat areas and paper tape for inside corners.
Because this is a relatively narrow area, using an 8” knife will allow you to mud all your tape at one time.

Here is a wall section with the patches applied and taped. The left side of this photo shows a tapeless patch, that we added because of moving an outlet and needing access for the romex run. I also ran paper tape to reestablish the inside corner.

This is where the old closet header was attached to the wall. I used a ‘tapeless’ patch here.