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I’ve done a lot of drywall work and I still avoid it whenever possible. Doing basic drywall and paint isn’t rocket science, but getting a professional level fi

I’ve done a lot of drywall work and I still avoid it whenever possible. Doing basic drywall and paint isn’t rocket science, but getting a professional level fit and finish actually takes a lot of practice and experience. It’s also a completely different experience when you’re trying to match old specialty paints from a previous homeowner, blending repairs to match the wall texture, and other complexities that don’t show up in those basic YT videos. If you’re in a situation with untextured walls, known paint colors, simple repairs, and a forgiving eye, then it’s really not bad, but the complexities can add up quickly. Even in the best cases, cutting into drywall all across the house to pull wire would be a project I’d try to avoid at all costs in an occupied home. The fast path still requires multiple days to go through all of the drying and re-application cycles to build up all the right layers, not to mention dust control to keep that fine dust out of everything you own.

latchkey 4y ago
I just redid my whole kitchen to the studs. You're making it out to be a bigger deal than it is. Now I'm onto a bedroom where I removed two whole walls that had been weirdly built to cut the room into a smaller room. This is going to require a bunch of repair work, all the way to the ceilings. Certainly, if you're looking for perfectly smooth walls, then you're never going to be happy regardless. My place is Santa Fe, which is perfect... it is supposed to be messy. But this is a place built in the 40's... nothing is perfect. Doing something perfectly would stand out even more. If you want old paints to match, then just paint the whole wall. That's easier and probably the right solution anyway.
- jdgoesmarching 4y ago
  Sure, it’s easy when you have the wall texture that is designed to look like a bad drywall job. If you’re trying to match the wall type found in 90% of American homes, there’s a huge difference in efficiency and quality between a DIYer and a professional mudder. A good feathering job saves a ton of wasted sanding effort and drywall dust. When I ask GCs and tradespeople which job they would would never do themselves, drywall is far and away the most common answer. It’s the only job I regret doing myself.
  - latchkey 4y ago
    From what I've learned on YT, using quick drying mud and mixing it yourself (not using the premixed stuff in plastic containers), is the key to smooth finishes. Mostly because it hardens quickly and doesn't shrink. I used the 40m quick dry and it was quite easy to work with. You're right, feathering correctly... no sanding needed.
    - orangepurple 4y ago
      Sheetrock 45 is the way
      - latchkey 4y ago
        I'm just using 18lbs bags of westpac 40... it's what they had at home depot. cheap and easy.
    - devonkim 4y ago
      Picking the correct timing for the cure time with the job size is almost an art in itself. It’s unlikely one can figure it out without a lot of experience doing it and most folks that don’t do it for a living won’t do it often enough to acquire that experience. It’s a lot of hot mud waste and back and forth trips to the hardware store that’s exhausting for busy folks that have another full time job.
      - latchkey 4y ago
        I used a drill with a mixer from a hand blender plugged into it. Made it really easy to make a batch that filled the stainless steel mud box I am using. Even being totally untrained, getting that onto the wall in under 40 minutes was easy. Took a bit more mixing and batches than a pro would take, but all in all... it wasn't nearly as hard as you're making it out to be.
  - whiddershins 4y ago
    How about flooring?
- lazide 4y ago
  Pretty much impossible to do without major strain on a relationship if you live with someone else, and god help you if you have kids. FYI. Doing it down to the studs and all at once is definitely the easier way to do it. Small patches and piecework suck, but if you’re living in it, especially with others, you don’t always get a say in the matter.
- zippergz 4y ago
  By removing and replacing entire walls, you are missing out on most of the difficult parts of texture and paint matching (and "just paint the whole wall" quickly turns into "paint the whole room" in some cases). I suppose you could make the argument that we should then just rip out the entire wall to run a single cable, but I personally think that's extreme both in cost and disruption. I'm glad you had such an easy time of it, but cutting, patching, and matching is a pain in most homes I've done it in. And don't even get me started on lath and plaster.
  - latchkey 4y ago
    I didn't say it was easy... it just isn't so overblown "hire a professional" as people make it out to be. I was terrified before I started, but once I watched a bunch of YT videos and then got to work... it ended up being a lot less stressful than I imagined.
tchaffee 4y ago
Use an abrasive sponge instead of sandpaper. No dust.
anarticle 4y ago
The trick, in my experience, is to use very fast drying joint compound always in powder. You can mix joint compound that will dry faster than you can put it up, which enables you to put multiple coats on. Sanding stinks, but if you've a good hand you can minimize the amount of post skim finish work. Used this technique to rip out and then match a ceiling in a bathroom, and also to patch up work after some HVAC dudes blew part of a wall out for mini splits. It was tough to learn as there is a knack, but paid off. Having good hand eye coordination pays off in many ways. The most important part was learning from an experienced person: "No wall on earth is perfectly flat, you just want it to look flat." Good advice, especially in a town (Philly) where there are old houses with not a square corner in the whole place. :)

latchkey 4y ago

I just redid my whole kitchen to the studs. You're making it out to be a bigger deal than it is. Now I'm onto a bedroom where I removed two whole walls that had been weirdly built to cut the room into a smaller room. This is going to require a bunch of repair work, all the way to the ceilings. Certainly, if you're looking for perfectly smooth walls, then you're never going to be happy regardless. My place is Santa Fe, which is perfect... it is supposed to be messy. But this is a place built in the 40's... nothing is perfect. Doing something perfectly would stand out even more. If you want old paints to match, then just paint the whole wall. That's easier and probably the right solution anyway.

jdgoesmarching 4y ago
Sure, it’s easy when you have the wall texture that is designed to look like a bad drywall job. If you’re trying to match the wall type found in 90% of American homes, there’s a huge difference in efficiency and quality between a DIYer and a professional mudder. A good feathering job saves a ton of wasted sanding effort and drywall dust. When I ask GCs and tradespeople which job they would would never do themselves, drywall is far and away the most common answer. It’s the only job I regret doing myself.
- latchkey 4y ago
  From what I've learned on YT, using quick drying mud and mixing it yourself (not using the premixed stuff in plastic containers), is the key to smooth finishes. Mostly because it hardens quickly and doesn't shrink. I used the 40m quick dry and it was quite easy to work with. You're right, feathering correctly... no sanding needed.
  - orangepurple 4y ago
    Sheetrock 45 is the way
    - latchkey 4y ago
      I'm just using 18lbs bags of westpac 40... it's what they had at home depot. cheap and easy.
  - devonkim 4y ago
    Picking the correct timing for the cure time with the job size is almost an art in itself. It’s unlikely one can figure it out without a lot of experience doing it and most folks that don’t do it for a living won’t do it often enough to acquire that experience. It’s a lot of hot mud waste and back and forth trips to the hardware store that’s exhausting for busy folks that have another full time job.
    - latchkey 4y ago
      I used a drill with a mixer from a hand blender plugged into it. Made it really easy to make a batch that filled the stainless steel mud box I am using. Even being totally untrained, getting that onto the wall in under 40 minutes was easy. Took a bit more mixing and batches than a pro would take, but all in all... it wasn't nearly as hard as you're making it out to be.
- whiddershins 4y ago
  How about flooring?
lazide 4y ago
Pretty much impossible to do without major strain on a relationship if you live with someone else, and god help you if you have kids. FYI. Doing it down to the studs and all at once is definitely the easier way to do it. Small patches and piecework suck, but if you’re living in it, especially with others, you don’t always get a say in the matter.
zippergz 4y ago
By removing and replacing entire walls, you are missing out on most of the difficult parts of texture and paint matching (and "just paint the whole wall" quickly turns into "paint the whole room" in some cases). I suppose you could make the argument that we should then just rip out the entire wall to run a single cable, but I personally think that's extreme both in cost and disruption. I'm glad you had such an easy time of it, but cutting, patching, and matching is a pain in most homes I've done it in. And don't even get me started on lath and plaster.
- latchkey 4y ago
  I didn't say it was easy... it just isn't so overblown "hire a professional" as people make it out to be. I was terrified before I started, but once I watched a bunch of YT videos and then got to work... it ended up being a lot less stressful than I imagined.

tchaffee 4y ago

Use an abrasive sponge instead of sandpaper. No dust.

anarticle 4y ago

The trick, in my experience, is to use very fast drying joint compound always in powder. You can mix joint compound that will dry faster than you can put it up, which enables you to put multiple coats on. Sanding stinks, but if you've a good hand you can minimize the amount of post skim finish work. Used this technique to rip out and then match a ceiling in a bathroom, and also to patch up work after some HVAC dudes blew part of a wall out for mini splits. It was tough to learn as there is a knack, but paid off. Having good hand eye coordination pays off in many ways. The most important part was learning from an experienced person: "No wall on earth is perfectly flat, you just want it to look flat." Good advice, especially in a town (Philly) where there are old houses with not a square corner in the whole place. :)