drywall advice
After a flood we had in our finished cellar last week, the clean-up crew removed our baseboards and poked 1″ to 1.5″ holes in the drywall so that the saturated walls could dry out. I now need to plug the holes and admit to no drywalling experience. Can I just patch the holes by putting…
After a flood we had in our finished cellar last week, the clean-up crew removed our baseboards and poked 1″ to 1.5″ holes in the drywall so that the saturated walls could dry out. I now need to plug the holes and admit to no drywalling experience.
Can I just patch the holes by putting drywall tape over them and then applying drywall compound (and then putting the baseboards back)?
Thanks.
better than using drywall tape, imho, is to take some newspapers, tear them into strips, then smear lightweight joint compound all over them (and i might dilute the compound with a little water, first, so it’s creamier). then i’d stuff the holes, wait until it dries, and cover with finishing coat of compound. the tape will tend to bulge if it’s covering a hole, in my experience.
one last thing: if it’s available, try coating the insides/outsides of the hole with this product called ‘plaster-weld.’ it’s this pink stuff that most hardware stores carry which helps the joint compound stick.
good luck.
tape and mud should be fine. they also make those little patch kits with a piece a sheet metal mesh if a more rigid base is needed. actually, if you have any sheetrock lying around you might be able to cut out plugs to stick into the holes.
I’m the original poster. Thanks for the advice. The flood was a freakish accident involving a cracked pipe, and that has been fixed. The basement is usually very dry, and we’ve had the dehumidifiers and blowers going to dry it all out. As I understand it, it’s important to take these steps to avoid mold.
I’m no drywall expert, but I did have to sheetrock my basement for a second time when we developed mold. Please make sure you’ve secured yourself against further damage. Did you take care of future flooding issues? Sump pump? B-dry system or similar? If the drywall goes down to the ground, you should cut it a few inches so it doesn’t sit in the damp to soak up any water that gets in. Learn from my mistakes!