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Make Plaster Easier To Work With
Plaster dries out quickly! Add a little household vinegar to the plaster. You will then be able to work with it longer.
Nails In Plaster
To avoid splitting a plaster wall when driving a nail into it, heat up the nail first. The hot nail will go through the plaster easier and
without any cracks.
Sheetrock
Do I have to remove the old plaster or can I use wallboard screws to put sheetrock over the existing plaster? All the studs have been located visually.
You can sheetrock right over the old plaster. Just recognize and plan for the extra width of the walls in the door jam and window framing areas.
Sanding Moldings And Other Hard To Get To Places
To sand moldings and other complex spots, wrap some sandpaper around a sponge. They are springy, flexible and can be rinsed out when needed.
Wet Basement Walls
How do you know whether your basement walls are wet due to water seepage or condensation in the air? Try taping a 1 ft. square piece of aluminum
foil to the wall with some duct tape. After a couple days inspect the foil.
If the foil side facing the wall is moist, you have water seepage into the basement. Find a masonry sealer like ThoroSeal to
waterproof the wall.
If the foil side facing the room is moist, you have condensation and need better air circulation and or a dehumidifier.
Wall Anchors For Drywall
When you can’t screw into a wall stud, special anchors
are required to keep the screw from pulling loose. Plastic sleeves are good for light to moderate loads. Expansion bolts (mollies) and toggles grip the back of the wall, therefore they are a better choice for heavy items like shelves or towel racks.
Dust Collection
To catch dust that is created when drilling or sawing into plaster or drywall, masking tape a paper bag to the wall directly beneath where you are
going to be working. Just pull the bag from the wall when you are done.
Painting Over Wall Stains
Remember that many stains CANNOT be covered with paint -they bleed
right through the new paint layer! Therefore, seal over the stain with shellac. This shellacked patch area might look a bit shinier after you paint over it again.
Buying Enough Paint---Estimating How Much You Really Need
Its time to order the paint, how do you figure out how much you really need? To estimate
the square footage, measure the total footage around the perimeter of the room and multiply by the ceiling height in feet. DO NOT subtract for any windows, doors or any other openings!
Paint Paneling Seams
Before installing sheets of wood paneling,
paint the wall behind the seams with black spray paint. If the paneling shrinks or the edges are uneven, the gap won’t show.
Finding Studs
Ever wondered how to find a wall
stud when you want to hang a picture? Studs are generally spaced either 16 or 24 inches apart, measured from the center of one stud to the center of the next. To locate your studs, tap the wall in question lightly with a hammer wrapped in a soft cloth. Listen for a solid, (not hollow), sound which means the stud is there. If you have trouble with this method, buy an electronic stud finder at your local hardware store.
Plywood Sheet Sizes
You can buy plywood in sheets 4 by 8 ft., thicknesses of
1/4,1/2, 3/4 inches. It is cheaper and lighter than solid wood, and doesn't shrink or swell with humidity changes. You do need to put an attractive edging around the plywood to complete a room though. Construction plywood can be used for just about any project. Make sure you use a carbide-tipped blade to cut the plywood, since the glue will dull any steel blade.
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