which do you hate worse?

wjytexas · Sep 2, 2015

which is your least favorite to do? 1. Hanging sheetrock AKA drywall. 2. Taping and mudding sheetrock 3. sanding sheetrock 4. all of the above. I needed to install a larger door to a room and decided I didn't like the paneling that was in it. My memory of that paneling makes it look better every day.

CenTex Farmall · Sep 2, 2015

I hear ya!

I hate sheetrock but it does help stop the spread of fire. I got to see it in action when I was on the local VFD years ago.
At one time we lived in an old house and the walls and ceiling were bead board. I liked that look much better.

NCWayne · Sep 2, 2015

I did quite a bit of both over the years as I remodeled my house, and learned a few lessons as I went. As a result I learned that hanging it's not so bad. If you use a mixer to make the mud as fluid and smooth as possible, it's not so bad. If you don't it's a nightmare. Sanding is a royal PITA, especially if you didn't use the mixer to smooth out the mud. If you used the mixer, and laid the mud on in nice, thin, even layers, even the sanding isn't that bad. Too, if you've got a lot of sanding to do, spend a few dollars and rent a drywall sander for a day or two. I learned this way to late when I was doing mine. I was able to do more in a few hours with the sander than I could do in a few days by hand,......using a lot less effort.

In the end it's all a pain, but there are tricks of the trade that you can pick up as you do it, that make things easier.

ss55 · Sep 2, 2015

I enjoy the hanging, taping and mudding, but I hate sanding sheetrock and cleaning up all the dust. Hiring a pro isn't very expensive and they make it all looks so easy.

W_B · Sep 2, 2015

I don't mind any of it except the sanding... hate that. I was a journeyman drywall finisher so the taping and finishing part isn't hard for me. There were guys in the union that did just sanding, for less money than finishing. I wonder if any of them are still alive now after breathing that fine dust (dust mask can't keep all of it out). Watched the carpenters hang the drywall so picked up a lot of techniques from them. That said, when I built a house I hired it all done. Much quicker than I could have done it.

circus · Sep 2, 2015

Sanding? What's that?

Stephen Newell · Sep 2, 2015

If I wasn't 60 I wouldn't mind any of it. The trick to tape and bedding is use a power stir a lightweight joint compound and don't put it on too thick. You can apply the mud where it takes very little sanding to smooth it out. The stuff is easier to apply smooth than blob it on and then try to sand it. At my age I would say hanging sheetrock is my least favorite, especially the ceiling and I have a sheetrock lift.

MarkB_MI · Sep 2, 2015

How about a fifth option: doing all of the above while recuperating from surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder.

Brendon Warren · Sep 2, 2015

I used to do all of the above. I don't mind doing it but I got to get myself in the right frame of mind. Very little sanding when you get it down. The worst is doing it behind someone that doesn't know what they are doing. That's including the framing and electrical. It chaps me when someone jumps ahead and puts the outlets and switches in before its even mudded.

showcrop · Sep 3, 2015

A couple years ago a friend twisted my arm into helping him hang some rock in a fairly large third story room. When I got there he had already hung a number of sheets. He was doing it all wrong, starting at the bottom. He had a guy lined up to mud it for him at a very good price despite all the extra work. last time I did any was probably 35 years ago. I substituted a wet sponge for a lot of the sanding and it came out very good.

john in la · Sep 3, 2015

My son in law hangs sheetrock.
We were doing a room in my house and the wife made it known that she hates the sanding part.
Told him to leave it a little rough if it meant less sanding.

He went in there; and while it took him a few extra days to do it; there was no sanding done in the entire room. Unless you go in there and really inspect the walls looking for defects you would never know.
It looks a lot better than I could have done using a truck load of sandpaper.

Geo-TH,In · Sep 3, 2015

I hate paneling. If you know the short cuts, drywall isn't that bad.

I use select grade wood to finish out a door opening.

Ultradog MN · Sep 3, 2015

I can't say I'm fond of the hanging part.
I actually like mudding. Doing crack repair on old plaster walls and ceilings, tying drywall to plaster, skim coating, etc.
I do a lot of that in the bathrooms I remodel.
A couple bags of Durabond and heavy mesh tape to bind it all together. Then a couple 2 or 3 more coats of Plus 3 from the pail.
Water each coat down thinner and thinner. Spend about 20 minutes sanding at the end.
Then stand back and know it's a nice job.

Gary from Muleshoe · Sep 3, 2015

Sanding is the reason I learned how to do rough texturing. I use a stucco brush then knock it down with a wide blade. Everyone seems to like it, lot less work than sanding and it covers any flaws in the sheetrock.

Ultradog MN · Sep 4, 2015

The main disadvantage to texturing is when it comes to repairing it.
It is very common to see a crack or a flaw or damage in even new homes.
Texture is very hard to match or repeat after it has been repaired.
A smooth surface is more expensive to do. But over the long haul it is the most repairable.
Say your plumber made a mistake in a water line somewhere and now has to go back into a wall.
Or you realize you should have put in a 3 way switch in a long hallway and call the electrician to fix it.
On a testured surface you will be hard pressed to repair it without a permanent flaw in the surface.
On a smooth wall or ceiling it's easy as pie.

Dave I Love My H · Sep 4, 2015

Hanging it is getting tough. Taping is a necessary lesson in tedium. However, I don't sand, I sponge the joints. Quick, much cleaner, much easier cleanup! The only place you have to sand are if drywall butts a finished wall.
Dave

jon f mn · Sep 4, 2015

There are folks who will do that for money. They come out to you and hang, tape, and sand everything and clean up after themselves. All they ask is for a small donation to their worthy cause. An excellent arrangement in my book.

Rich_WI · Sep 4, 2015

(quoted from post at 06:04:16 09/04/15) The main disadvantage to texturing is when it comes to repairing it.
It is very common to see a crack or a flaw or damage in even new homes.
Texture is very hard to match or repeat after it has been repaired.
A smooth surface is more expensive to do. But over the long haul it is the most repairable.
Say your plumber made a mistake in a water line somewhere and now has to go back into a wall.
Or you realize you should have put in a 3 way switch in a long hallway and call the electrician to fix it.
On a testured surface you will be hard pressed to repair it without a permanent flaw in the surface.
On a smooth wall or ceiling it's easy as pie.

If you use canned spray, its always the same and simple to patch. Trying to thin mud to spray is hard for the guys that do it all day, every day. Doing it like that is a fools bet.

Get cans and practice on a big piece of cardboard till you get the feel and distance right then let er rip. I have had patches that cant be found after finishing them. Its just like patching paint on walls, cover the patch, blend out from the patch, then blend/cover the whole wall with a little bit.

Ultradog MN · Sep 5, 2015

Maybe.
I've seen a a lot of bad patches on textured surfaces done by people who called themselves good at it.
I am willing to bet the price of the job that you can Not see my patch of a smooth surface.

Rich_WI · Sep 5, 2015

(quoted from post at 04:15:43 09/05/15) Maybe.
I've seen a a lot of bad patches on textured surfaces done by people who called themselves good at it.
I am willing to bet the price of the job that you can Not see my patch of a smooth surface.

No maybes, when I have to tape measure out the spot because the person that called me in cant find it, I think I earned my money (and then some). When other professionals cant find it, the pride cant be bought at any price.

Wish I could raise prices, apparently my skills are more rare than I thought...

Ultradog MN · Sep 7, 2015

I believe you probably could.
It's nice to be good at something and know you
are good at it.
No one can take that away from you.

which do you hate worse?

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