[NA] Re-texturing walls. Do it or hire someone?

[Cluemeister]

My guess is if you do it yourself, about halfway through you'll wish you hired someone to do it.

 

[paflyer]

Why stop there? Order up that new house, and while you're at it have your banker line up the funds for that tricked out Gen 6 SR22T you always craved.

Geez this is so easy, I don't know why anyone even has to ask!

 

[paflyer]

Just do it...

Welcome to the Rec Room, circa 1965!

 

[PaulS]

Pay someone, it will cost short money and be done in a day or two.

 

[kyleb]

Pay someone, it will cost short money and be done in a day or two.

This is the correct answer.

 

[denverpilot]

I’ll add another vote for pay a pro on drywall finishing. Like everyone else says, it looks easy and it isn’t.

Make them funny marketing videos as barter. Stick to your swim lane. LOL.

 

[cowman]

I hate hiring people... and the money is only half of it. The other half is the hassle of actually getting someone on the phone, getting them to return the calls and getting the appointment scheduled. Then I have to be home... hopefully they actually show up but that's never certain.

Half the reason I'm so much of a DIY person is I just get sick of dealing with people.

 

[FORANE]

Drywall work doesn't scare me. Drywall finishing scares me.

Ha, my drywall guy has a saying when he hangs a sheet of drywall and is less than happy about how it goes up. He grumbles F@*$ it the finisher will get it. All the while knowing he will be the finisher... Comes from the times he isn't the guy putting up the sheets I guess.

 

[GRG55]

Ha, my drywall guy has a saying when he hangs a sheet of drywall and is less than happy about how it goes up. He grumbles F@*$ it the finisher will get it. All the while knowing he will be the finisher... Comes from the times he isn't the guy putting up the sheets I guess.

The boarders blame the framers. The tapers blame the boarders. And the finishing carpenters blame everyone before them.

 

[weilke]

I hate hiring people... and the money is only half of it. The other half is the hassle of actually getting someone on the phone, getting them to return the calls and getting the appointment scheduled. Then I have to be home... hopefully they actually show up but that's never certain.

Half the reason I'm so much of a DIY person is I just get sick of dealing with people.

For me that applies to anything except drywall work. Even my contractor who did everything else in-house subbed out the drywall job. Someone else can eat the dust.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Someone else can eat the dust.

Sand with a big-ass wet sponge. Works great, no dust.

 

[Luigi]

This is not that hard. A good finisher can skim coat, then place a light skip trowel on top, NO need to remove the knock down original texture. Two guys can easily do a 3500 sq. ft. house in about 3-4 days.

 

[jsstevens]

The problem with paneling is it limits your options. You either keep it or tear it out. There are few intermediate options.

We’re getting my mom’s house ready for market. It has a room with 1970’s cheap paneling that was glued to the underlying wall (carport enclosure). I use 1/4” thick drywall and walled over it. I did the taping and texture (sprayed on in my case). I’d starve if I did it for a living but I’m ok at it.

The finish you want @6PC? It’s an art. Hire it done.

John

 

[ColoPilot]

I hate hiring people... and the money is only half of it. The other half is the hassle of actually getting someone on the phone, getting them to return the calls and getting the appointment scheduled. Then I have to be home... hopefully they actually show up but that's never certain.

Half the reason I'm so much of a DIY person is I just get sick of dealing with people.

I agree with this, I hate hiring people if I can do it myself. Taping and texturing is a skill but not impossible to learn. I've done enough that I can do a good job at it, the big difference between me and a professional is speed. I'm way too slow.

6PC, Are you doing the entire house or just part of it? The good thing about drywall and texture is the materials aren't expensive so you can start with one room and decide if you want to tackle more. If you really screw it up, you're only out the materials.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

Probably start w/ the living spaces and eventually do the whole house.

 

[Ravioli]

Probably start w/ the living spaces and eventually do the whole house.

You have space in your house for the non-living? That's spooky!

 

[ColoPilot]

Probably start w/ the living spaces and eventually do the whole house.

If you're doing the entire house, I'd consider hiring it out (as much as I hate doing that) especially if you have any vaulted ceilings or other high areas that would require tall ladders or scaffolding.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Taping and texturing is a skill but not impossible to learn.

That.
It ain't rocket surgery - at least taping - ain't never done no texturing.
Practice helps. And, by the time you finish a house, you should be able to move along OK. Besides, it keeps you off the streets.

The real fun stuff is arches, coves, and blending from drywall to wet plaster.

 

[Matthew]

My friend, a general contractor, and I did some repairs on my place earlier this year. To finish, we had to replace a single sheet of drywall. It was a complex fit around a small octagonal window, stairs, an entry door and a light switch. He took 20 minutes of measurements, then we went outside to transfer those measurements and cut. Took maybe 40 minutes total, and it was nearly a perfect fit. We had to trim down a corner or two, then screwed it all down. Because of the way we worked around some things, there were some areas I thought would be a problem wth finishing. Then he asked the question, "Are you going to finish it?" I said, "I CAN, but I don't want to." He said the same thing, then called one of his subs. Tyler came over, gave me a reasonable quote, cash is good, and finished in a day. I pointed out the areas I thought would be trouble, he scoffed and said I wouldn't believe some of the things that hangers had left him.

He taped wth mesh, and used quick set compound at 7:30am. He came back at noon, smoothed it out (no sanding, he used his taping knife like an ice scraper to shave off all the high spots), and put on a thin coat of joint compound. I set up a box fan. He came back about 5pm, pulled out his shop vac wth the HEPA filter and the rotating head, and sanded it all down with very little dust. He put everything away, told me that Sherwin Williams had a sale that beat his own contractor discount and said they matched paint better than anyone else he used. I checked his work, it was perfect.

When he was putting the 2nd coat on, he went around a couple other areas of the house and touched up for me.

 

[Luigi]

Typically one uses Topping not joint compound for the finish coats. Joint compound has glue in it and doesn't sand as easily.

 

[Gerhardt]

I can do drywall, I just don't like doing it. I've seen guys who can do a good job with only two passes, like the one Matthew knows. But I've hired crews who thought they were done and I've called them back out time and again just to get the big problems that were obvious. I wish I still had pictures of some of the crap that they left and thought was fine.

When I do it I'll put the first coat on with the mesh. Mesh is so much easier than the old paper. Light sanding, second coat. Light sanding, third coat. Yes, I know it shouldn't take me so long and a third coat, and I shouldn't admit this publicly but sometimes it takes me a 4th or 5th time to get it just right. Which is why I'm sooo slooow when I do it.

I've watched guys do it with one pass and a sanding and it looks like they're doing the same thing I'm doing. But that's why they're more expensive than the people I hire.

 

[kyleb]

I'm sloooooooow with drywall finishing. I just don't have the touch with the knife, so I have to make up for it with lots of coats and lots of sanding. My 2 coat job is about the same as what you'll see in an apartment or starter home, but that isn't a ringing endorsement. I'm probably at 3-4 passes before I'm happy.

 

[bflynn]

Embrace the brilliance of AND, don't limit yourself to OR. Do it yourself OR hire a contractor? No, do it yourself first AND then hire a contractor! See how easy that is?

Seriously, if you haven't gotten the hint already, you don't want to tackle this. Maybe a patch job here or there, but this is right out. I suspect you'll wind up tearing off all the existing drywall and replacing it. Plan a contingency for what they find behind the walls and be pleasantly surprised if you don't have to use it.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Ok - you just had 4 days off - done with the first room yet?

 

[JCranford]

Hire it out. Youll thank yourself for it.

Don't forget, if you skim over the old and put in new texture your house sqft will be smaller because the rooms will be smaller, so when you sell, youll have to adjust the price accordingly.

 

[Zeldman]

But I've hired crews who thought they were done and I've called them back out time and again just to get the big problems that were obvious. I wish I still had pictures of some of the crap that they left and thought was fine.

Just had some painters like this. Painting textured walls (not painting the ceiling) and the paint did not make it down into a lot of the textured parts. Since there was a color change it is very noticeable. Paint drops on the floor and sink fixtures and trash can and refrigerator and stove and counter tops and cabinet doors while using plastic drop cloths. Even got paint on the brand spanking new washer and dryer. The laundry room was not one of the rooms to be painted.

I showed it all to the head painter that owns the business and he said he will get it done soon. I said nope, I'll pay you for the paint and nothing else. He agreed way too easily, so I guess this has happened before.

Note to self: remember 2nd grade paint class and do it myself next time.

 

[Ravioli]

Isn't having the washer and dryer color matched a good thing?

[I know. No!]

 

[charheep]

My experience only, but I used thumbtack.com to hire some people for house work. Electrician, plumber (I haaaaate plumbing) and flooring guy. All answered my ads quickly and didnt flake.

 

[deonb]

You can if you know what you''re doing.

Flat walls are also MUCH easier to repair. It's an art to do it at a large scale, but it's a piece of cake on a small scale - just keep sanding until it matches the rest of the wall.

 

[GeorgeC]

My kids will retexture your walls for free.

 

[Ravioli]

So, @SixPapaCharlie: Have you chosen a path on this one?

 

[PaulS]

Typically one uses Topping not joint compound for the finish coats. Joint compound has glue in it and doesn't sand as easily.

Damn, where were you when I was suffering through this trying to do it myself 20 years ago? I didn't know that.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

So, @SixPapaCharlie: Have you chosen a path on this one?

Yeep. I think I have just decided a new TV will make the house feel a lot nicer.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

I am going to have a pro do everything.
I just need to prioritize the everything list. (without eating into my flying fund)

 

[denverpilot]

Ok - you just had 4 days off - done with the first room yet?

Hahaha.

I am going to have a pro do everything.
I just need to prioritize the everything list. (without eating into my flying fund)

Priorities list:

1. Flying.
2. Everything else that doesn’t ever get done.

I wish anyway.

Or at least I wish that I was a lot less “responsible”.

 

[Matthew]

Yeep. I think I have just decided a new TV will make the house feel a lot nicer.

A big enough TV will hide a lot of wall.

 

[wrbix]

A big enough TV will hide a lot of wall.

Especially if it's the only light on in the house.....isn't that how everyone spends their evenings?

 

[Matthew]

Especially if it's the only light on in the house.....isn't that how everyone spends their evenings?

That, and texting.