Sheetrock

[Slasher]

I need to fix some holes in the house from some plumbing leaks. I bought some sheetrock last week, I believe it was about 3/8" thick but it seems too thin.

What is the standard thickness of sheetrock for a house that was built in the late 70's?

Thanks

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[monkeylizard]

Most walls are probably 1/2". Exterior walls and walls in the garage are probably 5/8".

The easiest way to tell is to cut a small square out of the existing wall along one of the holes and take it with you to the hardware store. You already have holes to patch, so making one a little larger shouldn't be much trouble.


Be certain of your home's construction date. If you're dealing with a textured ceiling prior to 1978/79 it could (and probably does) contain asbestos. If you only have damaged walls, you should be OK. Edited November 9, 2012 by monkeylizard

[Slasher]

The house was built in 79, just looked it up, and I do have some repair to a ceiling area that has the popcorn texture on it. Is there a way to tell if it has asbestos?

Thanks

[DaveS]

Mokeylizard said it. Standard size I've always seen was 1/2 inch.

Dave S

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Yep. 1/2 inch. Lowe's sells a 3/8 inch, though, and too flimsy. Patching is easier if you go ahead and cut
out the affected holes to end on the studs behind it. May have to make a brace between the studs to give
you something to nail to, also. Leave a gap for the mud to set in.

[Slasher]

Lowe's is where I got the piece of sheetrock and it seems too thin. Guess I'm headed to Home Depot in the morning.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

[Guest wrigolv]

Interesting topic.

Our home also shows a build date of 1979 and has the popcorn ceilings throughout. Would love to get rid of it. Is there a trusty source for getting it tested to confirm for the presence of asbestos?

Thanks

[monkeylizard]

You can find DIY test kits at hardware stores. I don't know that I'd trust one before stirring up a ceiling with possible asbestos though. 1979 should be fine. The ban went into effect in 1978, but I don't know exactly when it happened in 1978.

A quick google search turned up several labs that you can mail in samples. This one has some good instructions on how to take a sample. Their steps are in line with what I've seen from the EPA and from an abatement company that did an office building I used to work in that was built in the 1950s.

http://www.asbestostesting.com/stepbystep.htm

[analog_kidd]

If the holes are small, say an inch or so in diameter, you can get this repair kit that looks like a piece of screen. The stuff is sticky, and you just stick a piece over the hole and work some mud into it. Works pretty easy.

If the holes are bigger, but not huge, you can cut a piece of 1x2 or similar scrap of wood. Cut it about 4" longer than the hole is wide. Put the wood inside the hole and use drywall screws to secure it on either side of the hole. Now you have something to screw a patch of drywall into. Sometimes, I will put a screw in the middle of the wood to use to hold on to as I'm positioning it behind the old drywall, then remove it once it is screwed in place.

For larger holes, gut the existing drywall back to the center of two studs and attach the patch to the studs directly.

[DaveTN]

[quote name='Slasher' timestamp='1352516133' post='842868']
Lowe's is where I got the piece of sheetrock and it seems too thin. Guess I'm headed to Home Depot in the morning.

[/quote]
½” is the standard for interior walls; 5/8” Is used on ceilings to prevent sagging. ¼ and 3/8 is used to wrap on curved surfaces.
Lowes will have ½”; you must have just not seen it.

[Guest wrigolv]

Thank you for the information and link monkeylizard!

[dats82]

You can also ask if they have busted sheets. I've picked up some scrap pieces to do small repairs. Sometimes they'll just give them to you, but even if you have to pay, that is better than having to store a whole piece that you may never need again.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I normally cut a square hole to clean up the area to be repaired. Then I take a piece of wood that is small enough to fit through the hole but long enough to go past the edges. Then I screw through the existing sheetrock and into the wood to secure it in place. This gives you a support to screw the new patch of sheetrock to. I then cut the new sheetrock patch to fit the hole. Place it agtainst the piece of wood then put a screw or two through the new sheetrock patch and into the wood. This gives a very stury fix and makes filling the gaps easier. There is also less down time as well as less of a chance of the putty cracking as it dries.

Dolomite

[monkeylizard]

By the way, if this is in a bathroom or other humid place, you can get what's called "green board". Its backing is green instead of the usual gray. Some brands are purple. Same stuff. It's made to be a little more mold and mildew resistant. I don't know if they used that stuff back in the 70s, but it won't hurt to use it even if the rest of the Sheetrock is the regular stuff. I don't recall it being much more expensive.

If you don't need a whole 8' x 4' board, ask some one if they have the smaller panels. My Hone Depot sells either 2'x2' or 4'x4' panels of 1/2" Sheetrock. It's just the regular gray backed stuff, but perfect for small jobs not in a bathroom. Edited November 11, 2012 by monkeylizard

[monkeylizard]

[quote name='DaveTN' timestamp='1352551395' post='843001']
½â€ is the standard for interior walls; 5/8” Is used on ceilings to prevent sagging. ¼ and 3/8 is used to wrap on curved surfaces.
Lowes will have ½â€; you must have just not seen it.
[/quote]

5/8" is also used as "fire wall", though it's not really fire proof. Being a bit thicker (by a whole 1/8") it does take a little longer for fire to penetrate. If you're repairing the wall between your garage and your home on the garage side, use 5/8". On the interior side you can use 1/2". Both sides of the wall don't have to have 5/8".