How To Repair Garage Wall

If you've been following along in my personal garage transformation, I've reached the point where my garage wall is framed and insulated. I only need to install the drywall and slap some pigment on it earlier this office of the project is complete.

Should You Drywall a Garage?

At that place are several good reasons why y'all should drywall your garage.

Your garage would be more comfortable year-circular. If you lot live in a colder climate, installing drywall over insulation can keep your garage higher up freezing in the wintertime, which helps continue your pipes from freezing. In warmer climates, like Florida, where I live, insulation and drywall assist keep the hot air outside where it belongs. Either manner, your garage is more comfy to work in.

It's much easier to add additional electrical outlets. Once the firm is built, it tin can be messy and complicated to run the wiring through the cinder block. After you frame the wall, it's piece of cake to add additional outlets and hide the wires in the wall, as you would throughout the rest of your firm.

Finishing your garage volition add value to your home. Studies have shown that a finished garage can add several thousand dollars to the sale toll of your home. Even if information technology doesn't directly add money to the auction toll, a well-done garage will set your dwelling apart from other homes in your area.

How to Drywall a Garage Pace-by-Step

You lot should already have your garage wall framed with pressure-treated lumber and insulated at this indicate in the procedure.

The but affair left is to seal it up with drywall and mud, then prime it and paint information technology.

We'll exist covering both in the remainder of this article, only I'll split up the tutorial into three sections:

Installing drywall
Finishing drywall
Priming and Painting

I'g doing that considering the tools and techniques you'll use are very different at each stride of the process.

So let's get started.

Installing the drywall

In this section, you'll exist installing the drywall panels on your wall. Professionals will call this Drywall Finishing Level 0 because technically, the drywall is just hung and not finished.

Tools you'll need

Cordless screwdriver
1 5/8" drywall screws
Heavy cut knife
Tape mensurate
Carpenter's T-Square
4' level (or longer)
Carpenter's pencil or marker

Lessons Learned

This is the first fourth dimension I drywalled anything larger than a patch in the wall, so I fabricated some mistakes that I desire to correct when I drywall the other wall in my garage.

Next time, the primary thing I'll exercise differently will exist tostart at the top of the wall instead of the bottom.

The standard garage size top is around x' loftier, so you lot'll need to cutting some drywall sheets to fit. It's ameliorate to have those joints and seams near the bottom of the wall instead of the pinnacle.

The empty space near my ceiling is correct next to my garage lights, highlighting any imperfections in the wall. The area most the flooring will be much farther from the light, and you're likely going to take tools or cabinets covering them anyway.

I'll too be using more drywall screws for the wall on the other side of the garage. You want to ensure the wall is snug to the studs and doesn't pop out.

In the image at the top of the article, y'all can encounter that I only used drywall screws around the edges of the drywall sheets. While I was finishing the drywall, I noticed that the sail was popping off the stud, so I had to go dorsum and add together boosted screws to make it fit right.

I as well highly recommend getting another set of hands to help y'all lift the drywall sheets into place and secure them. Information technology'due south possible to do this yourself, and I'll show yous how. Having help makes it a lot easier and lessens the chances that you'll strain your back in the process.

Where the Drywall Meets the Floor

There needs to be a small-scale gap where the drywall meets the floor.

Drywall and physical are both extremely porous. Any water left on your garage floor tin seep into the concrete and up through the drywall.

If it tin can't dry out apace, mold can grow behind your walls and create big, expensive problems downward the road.

My program was to leave a two-inch gap between the flooring and the bottom of the drywall. Ideally, the gap doesn't need to exist that large – ¾ of an inch will do.

I went with a larger gap because I'll be installing garage floor down the road, and I wanted to leave myself enough room, so I didn't have to cut the drywall later.

I also added an L-shaped metal channel designed for roofing applications to help channel any water spills along the lesser of the wall and out through the garage door.

Information technology took a trivial structure adhesive to lock information technology into place and a pocket-size bead of silicone sealant to keep water from getting underneath the metal.

For less than $10 per wall, I take a water-tight barrier for my drywall walls.

Pace 1: Plan Out How to Arrange Drywall Sheets

Most drywall sheets come in 4' x 8' panels, and you lot tin can hang them either horizontally or vertically.

If your garage is ten' 10 20', you'll have to brand some cuts, no matter how you hang the drywall.

The object is to make equally few cuts equally possible and make them in inconspicuous places.

In my case, I opted to hang the sheets horizontally, which meant I'd have narrower sheets along the height and 1 side that would need to be cut.

I had slightly more cuts to make this manner, but ultimately less wasted drywall sheets.

Step 2: Hang the Outset Drywall Sheet

You must get the fit on the beginning canvass equally clean as possible. Every other sheet of drywall you hang volition depend on this.

If you brand a error hither, y'all may not effigy out how bad information technology was until y'all reach the end.

I'm speaking from experience here.

Put the commencement piece of drywall snug up in the upper corner of the wall where information technology meets the ceiling. Y'all want to make sure information technology'due south right side by side to the walls and ceiling. Don't worry almost leaving a gap on this sheet.

If yous elect to offset from the bottom equally I did, you can use fleck pieces of forest to raise the drywall sheet off the concrete floor.

I only recommend starting from the lesser if you have a garage that volition fit your drywall sheets without cutting whatever to fit. Otherwise, commencement from the ceiling.

Either way, information technology's skillful to have a helper agree the drywall in identify while y'all secure it with drywall screws.

Since I was using ½" drywall sheets, I opted for i 5/eight inch drywall screws. You'll want the screws to be at to the lowest degree an inch longer than the width of your drywall, and so they have enough room to sink into the stud and go along the drywall sheet secure.

One time the drywall sheet is in place, it'south fourth dimension to make whatsoever minor adjustments to ensure a practiced fit.

Accept your time here. It'll pay off in the end.

One time you're satisfied with how it looks, it'south fourth dimension to lock that first sheet of drywall downwardly.

Use a drywall screw every 8"-12" along every stud – not just the studs along the edges of the drywall sheet.

Past securing the drywall sheet along every stud, you'll ensure that at that place aren't any gaps where the drywall can pop out from the stud.

Tighten the screws just far plenty into the drywall so that they're flush with the drywall sheet. Too high, and they'll bulge out from the wall. Too deep, and you'll actually shred a bit of the drywall.

If you don't feel confident in getting it right, use your cordless screwdriver to tighten the screw and finish it off with a hand screwdriver.

Step three: Hang the Remaining Total-Size Drywall Sheets

Once the first sail is secured in identify, it's time to hang the rest of the full sheets of drywall. Start with any that will be snug against the ceiling and the first sheet you lot've already hung.

You'll probably accept pieces that don't fit exactly flush to every edge. Garages slope slightly so that any liquids that spill on the flooring will run out towards the garage door.

Information technology'll experience like yous're trying to put a rectangular peg into a trapezoid-shaped hole somewhere forth the line.

That's OK.

When y'all have to decide where you take to get out a gap, look for the identify that will stand out to the lowest degree.

For example, if you have to exit a gap between the wall and the ceiling or betwixt two pieces in the wall, I'd choose to get out the gap at the superlative.

We can cover both, but the farther the gap is from eye level, the easier it volition be to hide.

Here's where having a second pair of easily would be helpful. If you don't have someone around, you can invest in a drywall lift which holds the panel until you secure it.

Secure each sheet of drywall with drywall screws along each stud, merely as you did with the first sheet.

Once you lot have all of the full-size pieces in place, you lot can first making some cuts.

Step four: Cut Drywall Sheets To Fit

Unless you've got a perfectly sized garage, you'll be cutting several pieces to fit.

You want to leave no more than a ¼" gap along each border when you brand cuts. We can fill anything up to a one-inch gap, but ideally, you want to make the gap as small-scale every bit possible.

Have measurements at the top and bottom of the empty section. Catch a fresh sheet of drywall or a scrap section with plenty area to make the cuts.

Important note: If you're using a bit sheet of drywall (1 that y'all've already cutting pieces out of), endeavor to use as many of the mill edges equally possible. Even if you brand perfectly direct cuts, the manufacturing plant edges are rounded slightly to help them fit together smoothly.

Once you've got the measurements, mark them on the top and bottom of the new drywall sail with a carpenter'due south pencil or marker. Mark them on the forepart of the sail, not the newspaper backing.

Using a carpenter's T-foursquare or long level, connect the two markings lightly with your pencil, then you have 1 solid line to cutting along.

I believe in "measure twice and cut in one case," and then now's a good time to double-check your work before y'all make that cut.

Once you are satisfied with the measurements, information technology's fourth dimension to make the cutting.

On the front side of the drywall sheet, brand a deep incision into the drywall, but don't cut through the newspaper backing.

As you come across below, nosotros desire to make the cut just deep enough to fold the sheet along the line.

The cutting doesn't accept to be perfectly clean, only the straighter it is, the better information technology will fit with the pieces next to it.

With the sheet folded forth the line, yous tin easily cut through the paper backing with your pocketknife.

Once you've got the piece cut, test the fit and make any minor adjustments earlier you screw it into place. Repeat the process until yous've mounted all of the drywall sheets.

How to Mud & Tape Garage Drywall

In this section, nosotros'll be making that new drywall look pretty and gear up for pigment. I'll be including a couple of YouTube videos from a fantastic series from Vancouver Carpenter.

I watched many different drywall tutorial videos, merely I learned the most from this guy. I highly recommend binge-watching his channel earlier getting started!

Drywall Tools You'll Need

Most homeowners should accept essential drywall tools like a 4" drywall pocketknife and a drywall pan. Just only because you have them lying effectually doesn't mean you should necessarily use them.

Check the edges on your drywall knives to ensure that there aren't any nicks or gouges. Any imperfections on the blade's edge will be transferred onto the wall when y'all're trying to smoothen out the mud.

6″ stainless steel drywall knife
ten″ or 12″ taping knife. Y'all can usually become past with only i of these, so it's a personal preference here. I went with a 12″ blade.
Corner trowel. This is a lifesaver and makes corners super-easy. I went with the Marshalltown 4″ 10 v″ corner trowel, which you lot tin can find on Amazon.
Drywall mud pan. Either get an all-metal pan or something with a proficient metal edge.
Pole sander. I like Gator Finishing products, but you lot can apply whatsoever you lot desire here.
Sandpaper in various grits. I concluded up using the 80 grit and 120 dust the almost.
Paper drywall tape
Articulation chemical compound (drywall mud). This usually is around $xv for a 60 lb tub at your local Lowe's or Habitation Depot.
(Optional) Mesh drywall tape if you accept larger gaps that you lot need to fill

Drywall & Plastering Corner Trowel 4 X 5

Mudding Tips & Tricks

Bank check your edges! I mentioned this to a higher place, but it's worth repeating. Cheque the edges on your blades.

Keep them clean and if they go damaged, get a new tool. I went over and over the same section of the wall, trying to set up imperfections, only to discover out that my drywall knife was causing them.

Go a comfortable tool that fits your hands. I bought a couple of new knives because the cheap ones were pain my wrists.

The 6″ bract with the black handle you come across above was great…for most 30 minutes. The handle was heavy and was hard to agree for long periods. My advice is to find something that you're comfortable with…even if information technology costs a chip more money.

Buy a large tub of articulation compound from the beginning. I thought I could become by with a one-gallon tub of joint compound, but I burned through information technology quickly and had to run back out to the shop for more.

The worst role was that the bigger containers only cost a few dollars more for a lot more chemical compound.

Drywall Mesh Tape vs. Paper Tape

I'm glad I learned this secret earlier I started considering there'south and so much misinformation online almost whether to use paper drywall tape or mesh tape.

Virtually online articles will say to use mesh tape, but I've talked to professional drywallers who just apply mesh tape for very specific things.

Paper tape:

is more rigid, and so there's less probable to be cracks in the joints
has a built-in seam in the middle, making it ideal for corner joints
is thinner and smoother, so it's easier to hide
is cheaper (usually about $3 a roll)

Mesh tape is:

cocky-adhesive so it can be used to cover larger gaps
more than flexible
stronger overall than newspaper
faster to ready since y'all don't have to embed the mesh tape into joint compound

I institute that mesh tape was harder to cover up with mud. Because the mesh fibers are thicker than the paper tape, I used more coats of joint compound and had to spread the mud out farther to hibernate the joint.

Step 1: Fill any Large Gaps

You're going to accept gaps betwixt your drywall sheets, and some of those will exist too large to only fill with joint compound past itself.

In fact, anything larger than ¼" needs something to help keep the joint compound in place. Equally y'all can come across in the prototype below, that's where I used mesh tape.

To exist honest, this gap was probably small enough to utilize paper tape, just some areas of the wall definitely needed the mesh. If you're lucky plenty (or good enough) with your drywall installation, you may not demand mesh.

One time the mesh is in place, you can stuff drywall mud in the gap through the mesh.

The mesh will hold it in identify and let the articulation compound to ready correctly. Permit it dry overnight, and so you can fill up and sand as you would any other joint.

Step 2: Mud Over the Drywall Screws

While you're waiting for the joint compound to dry out in any large gaps, you lot can fill in the drywall screws.

Before you start, take another wait at your screws and ensure they're flush in the drywall. If they're sticking out, you lot'll notice the edge of the screw through the mud.

I similar to use two coats of mud to cover up the screws to ensure information technology's smooth. You lot could get away with merely 1 coat, but the extra mud it takes to cover them once again is minimal. It'due south definitely worth it, in my opinion.

Accept your four″ drywall knife and comprehend the screw with some articulation compound. Use a fairly heavy pressure to scrape off any excess, then permit it dry out.

Yous should exist able to encompass all of the screws on the wall in around thirty minutes or so.

Stride 3: Tape the Seams

Let's finish up those last large gaps between the drywall sheets so we tin become this wall sealed up and looking pretty.

The joints are where y'all'll brand or pause the finish of your wall.

Blast this step, and your wall will be equally apartment equally a racetrack. Mess it upwardly, and your wall will accept more than speed bumps than an uncomplicated school zone.

There are two types of joins, apartment joints, and butt joints. The main difference is how the two drywall sheets fit together. No matter how you fit your drywall sheets together, you'll take a mixture of both on your wall.

If you hold a drywall knife against the wall to bridge the articulation and you tin still see daylight betwixt the blade and the autumn, it's a flat articulation.

Skip to 2:30 in the video below to come across what a flat joint looks similar.

Flat joints are the easiest because in that location's a natural valley in between the two recessed edges of the drywall canvas.

You tin can build upwards the valley to a nice smooth finish, and you won't have to spread the drywall mud out from the joint very far.

Past contrast, barrel joints don't accept a valley between the drywall sheets, fitting right upwardly against each other.

If yous aren't careful with butt joints, this is where you terminate up with "speedbumps" on your walls.

No matter what joints you're filling, take as much fourth dimension equally you need to smoothen out the edges of your drywall mud.

The smoother the edges are now, the less you'll take to sand after.

Allow them sit down overnight when yous've got all of your joints taped and mudded. You'll usually find some pocket-sized (or not so small) mistakes that you need to fix.

It's much better to catch them early.

When you lot mess up…

If this is the first time you're working with large amounts of drywall, you will mess up.

Drywalling takes exercise.

Subsequently this project, I have a lot of respect for the tradesman who does this for a living.

I've learned that everything can be stock-still if you catch it earlier painting the wall.

The tape started to chimera up from the surface in a couple of places because I didn't accept enough joint chemical compound underneath the tape.

This film shows one of the showtime joints I did. You'll come across a few problem spots like messy edges that needed a lot of sanding, but the big one I want to talk about is the chimera in the drywall tape.

Bubbles in drywall tape can be fixed pretty easily

This is one of the reasons why they recommend to let the joints dry overnight to allow these bubbles and imperfections to show upwardly.

When I saw the first bubble in my wall, I freaked out. I thought I'd need to re-record the entire joint, but that's unnecessary.

Thankfully all you need to practise is to cut out the bubbled section with your utility knife and replace that department.

You'll encounter shallow knife marks on either side of the bubble in the picture to a higher place. This is where I will exist making the incision to cutting out the bubbled drywall tape.

Be sure to let the drywall tape adequately dry before y'all practice this!

Once you've got the offending slice of drywall record cut out of the wall, you can fill it like any other joint. Just be sure to put enough drywall mud underneath the tape this time.

The drywall tape will need to overlap the edges slightly, so you don't take cracks in the wall prove upwards down the road.

Once all major imperfections are taken care of, it's fourth dimension to move on to the finishing stage.

Step 4: Sand and Smooth. Sand and Smooth

This pace is elementary: Every time you add together drywall mud to one of the joints, yous're going to lightly sand the wall afterward it dries to get it as smooth equally possible.

I'yard not going to lie. Sanding and smoothing drywall sucks – especially if you lot were sloppy with feathering out the initial edges of your seams like I was in some places.

Sanding is really dusty, even if you lot get a low-grit drywall compound, so I recommend moving or covering up anything that'due south still in the garage.

Definitely move your automobile to the driveway for a few days while you finish up.

Yes, I said, "a few days."

You lot can hide a lot with a good texture on your wall, but that doesn't mean you tin skimp out here.

This part is all most pocket-sized fixes. Yous'll be checking each articulation and seam individually to make it as level as possible.

Start with a make clean, dry 6″ or 8″ drywall pocketknife if you take them. Pace the knife directly over the seam at diverse points and look for any gaps that demand to exist built up or any places where the knife rocks from side to side.

Skip to 0:l of this video to come across an example of the process.

If y'all notice a spot where the knife is apartment against the wall, but yous tin can run into light betwixt the wall and the knife, you just need to go on adding mud until the gap disappears.

If you find an area where the knife rocks dorsum and forth (skip to 2:12 in the video above), you lot'll need to spread the mud from the centre of the joint until the wall is smooth.

One time information technology's dry, lightly sand information technology polish and recheck the fit.

Somewhen, y'all'll repeat the process with longer drywall knives, rulers or levels until you're satisfied that the wall is smooth. Another helpful test is to close your optics and run your fingertips along the wall to experience for any imperfections.

Once I couldn't notice any gaps in the wall using a 4′ level, I moved on to the next seam.

WEN Variable Speed 5 Amp Drywall Sander with 15' Hose

Step 5: Skim Coat (Optional)

Depending on if you're using a texture on your wall, you may desire to utilise a skim glaze as a final footstep before priming and painting.

A skim coat is a light coat of drywall that adds a very thin, final layer of drywall to requite a consistent surface to paint on.

You've probably got sections of your wall that accept several coats of drywall compound and other areas where you tin see the drywall underneath.

Bare drywall is more porous than joint compound, and then the paint volition adhere to the surface a fiddling differently. If you apply paint directly to the wall right now, even pigment that has a primer in i, y'all'll still be able to see differences between the sections that take mud and those that don't.

Some people choose to apply a skim glaze to even out the surface and arrive consequent.

If you've washed a good task sanding and smoothing your wall, I'd skip the skim coat and opt for a dedicated primer coat instead. More on that in the adjacent section.

Finishing Garage Drywall: Priming & Painting

We're almost done!

Finishing the drywall was the most challenging part of this project, and I was really glad to take it over and washed with. All that'due south left is adding texture, priming, and painting the wall.

That should have a few hours, including drying fourth dimension.

Tools you'll demand

Homax water-based drywall spray texture (optional)
Latex primer
Latex pigment
3/iv inch paint rollers
Painter's tarp, plastic or one-time towels to protect against over-spray

Here in Florida, homes have an 'orange peel' texture on every wall, including the garage. Initially, I didn't want to utilize whatsoever kind of texture on the garage walls.

I retrieve a smooth wall has a sleek, cleaner appearance.

However, the wall between my garage and my kitchen was already drywalled and textured. I'd either need to smooth out the existing wall or add a texture to the new walls.

To make things easier, I opted to add the texture to the new walls to match the old one.

The but decision yous'll need to make is whether to use an oil-based texture or an acrylic (water-based) texture. If you're going to exist using latex paint (which is more mutual), you'll want to use a latex texture.

Homax Drywall Spray Texture

Step one: Add the Texture

I like Homax spray texture (link to Amazon) because you can configure it with many different settings to get a heavy or light texture. Information technology's designed for spot fixes like drywall patching, simply y'all can use it for an entire wall.

Before starting, take a few minutes to lay down some plastic tarps or erstwhile towels to protect the floor against over-spray.

Also, if y'all've got cabinets or trim shut to the area you're spraying, apply painter's tape and plastic to go along it protected.

For my 10′ ten 20′ wall, I needed 2 full cans. Each tin can is a lilliputian over $10, and then it was right around $30 to add the orange peel texture.

Catch a can of the texture and some bit cardboard so yous can test the settings and go used to how the spray comes out. Make your mistakes hither without risking the finish on your brand new wall.

Once y'all've got the settings to your liking, outset applying the texture to the wall. Like any spray pigment, the secret is to alloy the texture with the existing wall, so don't worry near overspray on the other walls.

It'southward pretty mutual for the spray texture to exist college than the orangish peel on your existing walls. That'due south easy to fix after the primer glaze, so I'll affect information technology in the next section.

After nigh xxx minutes, the texture volition exist dry enough to primer coat over it.

Pace ii: Apply Primer

Once the texture is dry, it's time to add the primer coat.

Fifty-fifty if y'all're going to be painting with a paint that includes primer, it'south skillful to employ a dedicated primer on brand new drywall.

I chose to go withValspar Interior Multi-purpose water-based wall and ceiling primer that I picked upward at Lowe'due south. At that place's zilch special about information technology, so if you're fractional to a particular brand, and then, by all ways, use that. Information technology only cost $15 for the gallon, and I had plenty left over subsequently the wall was done.

It's essential to proceed the primer consequent with your paint. If you're using an oil-based paint, then employ an oil-based primer. If you're using water-based (acrylic) paint, utilize a water-based primer.

Primer takes approximately 30 minutes to one hour to dry out to the touch, merely go out about three hours earlier you lot paint over information technology. If you need to brand adjustments to your orange-peel texture, practise it after your first coat of primer.

If you need to make adjustments, yous can go over the texture lightly with either a four″ drywall knife or some smooth 200-grit sandpaper. Use a very light amount of force per unit area. You only desire to take off the peaks in the texture, not huge chunks of it. This process should but take a couple of minutes at most.

Step iii: Painting Garage Drywall

All you need to do at present is paint the wall, and you're all done!

Homeowners and Do-It-Yourselfers argue whether to use interior or exterior paint for your garage. I've written a longer article almost choosing the best paint for garage walls, and so I won't get into that here. The brusque version is that yous desire to utilise interior paint (never exterior paint!) and a satin finish.

I recommend using ii coats of paint on the wall merely to ensure yous have a squeamish, fifty-fifty finish. Just let each cost fully dry before starting on the adjacent coat.

Wrapping information technology Up

I'm not a handyman, but I'grand really proud of this wall. This is the biggest project I've e'er taken on at dwelling, and information technology had some rough spots, and mistakes forth the way.

All-in-all, I'g actually looking forward to starting on the other wall next summer.

From here, my next steps are to mount the cabinets and and so to add some custom flooring. Once the flooring is in place, I'll add some molding forth the bottom of the drywall.

I promise you've enjoyed this series and got something valuable out of it. If you lot're considering putting drywall in your garage, I hope this made it a little less scary.

If you missed a step in my garage drywall projection, yous can check them out here:

Waterproof your garage walls with Drylok
Frame garage walls over concrete step by pace
Insulate garage walls step past pace
How much does it price to drywall a garage?

If I can do it, so can yous. Thanks for following along!

Source: https://garagetransformed.com/how-to-drywall-your-garage/

Separation	Material
From the residence and attics	Not less so 1/two inch gypsum board, or equivalent applied to the garage side
From habitable rooms higher up the garage	Not less than v/viii inch Type-Ten gypsum lath or equivalent
Structure(southward) supporting flooring/ceiling assemblies used for separation	Not less than ane/two inch gypsum lath or equivalent
Garages located less than 3 feet from a dwelling on the same lot	Not less than 1/2 inch gypsum board, or equivalent, applied to the interior side of outside walls that are within this surface area.