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Fellas,
I need some help quickly! I have had a misunderstanding with a homeowner. Somewhere in a conversation we discussed using blueboard (used for plaster finishes) in a kitchen and having a smooth coat drywall finish (finished like sheetrock). I thought that drywall finishing blueboard was a bit weird and the finisher kept asking me if it was okay to mud over this product. I had thought the homeowner wanted this because it was in a kitchen … somewhere the ball was dropped.
This is my question. Can blueboard that has been taped like sheetrock be painted without any damage to the walls? I feel that the only major problem would have been the seams, which look good to us, being wavy. He, the homeowner, feels that the components (drywall mud and blueboard material) are not compatible. I think that with a primer coat and 2 finish coats of paint, it won’t matter at all. The mud is sticking like glue to the board.
Please help me out. I need to know what you all think. We will be “chatting” about this project on Monday morning. The attached photos can’t give you a feel of the materials but it shows the lack of wall humps.
Thanks,
David
Replies
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oops ... wrong photo! But it is the same area of the house. That was the dinning room. This is the kitchen.
*I can't speak as an expert, but as I understand it, the prime difference is that the paper facing on the blueboard is more absorbant and a courser finish to provide a better grip to the brown coat and plaster.Drywall mud will stick to it just fine, but I think you will find that the final paint finish will show different texture or sheen between the finished joints and the field.Other than having a thin coat of drywall mud troweled over the entire wall surface, the next possible solution would be to use a high-solids drywall primer (like USG First coat ). Than paint as usual.Hope this helps,Terry
*I would get ahold of the manufacter, they usually have a 800 #, explain the situation, and my guess is ALL is well, if the consversation with the manufacter starts going south , then I'd suggest to be prepared to ask , what Terry proposed in the previous post,also I would suggest talking with a Knowledable Stucco/Plaster person early Monday am.Best of Luck to You . Jim A. Jensen
*The only real difference in regular drywall and blueboard is the paper facing, which is thicker, is designed to be more absorbent and holdup better physically when applying plaster.If you were to wet regular drywall and rub the wet spot, the paper would begin to bubble and separate. The blueboard is tougher.Since you have taped the blueboard already, if you prime you will see and feel a difference. The fuzzy feeling of the blueboard will come through and the mudded areas will be smooth.Your best bet would be to skim coat, with regular compound, or a setting type first for speed and then a second with regular, make sure all your joints are smooth without dips, humps or waves, and then sand, prime and paint as usual.You could tell your customer that he got a better grade of board that is more resistant to moisture, which it really is, since it is designed for the rigors of wet plaster, and the only difference is that it is a little more labor intensive to finish because of the different paper. When the project is finished there will be no visible difference and the drywall compound actually adheres better to this type of board.
*David,Are you there?You asked for help and Monday has passed.Did you have to rip out the wall board and go out of business, or what?
*I agree with TLE and Ralph. Blueboard paper is more absorbant to provide a surface for plaster to "suction" itself to. Drywall mud will work fine on it, and as far as priming/painting, either use a heavier body primer (i.e. USG First Coat) or do two coats of a good latex primer... or if you still have problems with difference in texture, etc, skim coat the walls with EasySand. Luckily this falls under the category of a mistake that is easily remedied... without the saw and sledgehammer combo.
*BTW... have the homeowner call USG or National if he/she is "unsure" about the compatibility of the mud and blueboard combo. They shouldn't be complaining if they don't know what they're talking about... but then the world would be a lot quiter place if people did that...
*If it's not too late, I have researched this a bunch last summer and I agree with all previous remarks.
*Update!I skim coated the walls with a thin layer of drywall mud! It looks great. The homeowner worked for USG for 11 years (that's what got us into this whole mess to start with). the downside is I still had to extend my warentee for another year on the paint job. I'll post completed pics in a few days. These were taken yesterday. The first is a pic of the skim coat.
*This is the first color coat of two coats. They have changed the sheen (to semi-gloss) on the light yellow and changed the dark yellow to blue! This is a very difficult job to keep professional on (you all know what I mean). Almost over ... YEAHHHH! I am about to refuse a crown molding add on for them. We just can't work together well. They like the job but for me, the headache factor is too much.
*I don't know how I posted that twice. Sorry!
*i The homeowner worked for USG for 11 years (that's what got us into this whole mess to start with). the downside is I still had to extend my warentee for another year on the paint job.Have you realized yet that having worked for USG for 11 years, they knew that they had a better product with the blueboard, and yet they still got you to extend your warrantee ???
*Thanks for giving an update. So many people don't.
*David,Come to my house now! I want a new wall in my kitchen, maybe drywall, maybe bluewall, not sure. But I want you to put in bluewall when I actually am thinking drywall in my sleep. Then I want you to make it right because I don't want fuzzy walls. Not my problem if it causes you headaches. Then I want that great result in your last jpg. Not paying for it, of course.
*Steve ... ur, umh ... Okay! duh!
*LOL
*David,Sounds like a proverbial "customer from hell". If you don't recognize them before signing a contract and run, then the next best thing is to finish the job ASAP and run, politely.Photos look good. Nice job.Cliff.
*Cliff,He is hard to deal with. He worries about the wrong things. Here’s an example or two: I started screwing down the sub flooring and he said that it would be quicker to nail it down since I had my framing gun handy. But, he wanted the lauan (which was going to be covered by a floating floor system) liquid nailed and screwed instead of stapling (which is recommended).The paint color chart given to me by his wife was on a Beahr chart. We discussed color, sheen and location of the paints. I bought Pittsburgh Paint (a major upgrade from his choice of materials) which is what I use 95% of the time. He had a fit and said that she researched this paint. I went to my truck and brought him the product guide for Pittsburgh (it’s 2 inches thick). Little issues worry him to death. Don’t get me started on the “handmade (using a tablesaw, block plane and belt-sander) baseboards”.I got a call from him Tuesday night though and almost fainted! He said he walked into the house and the chair rail I installed “blew him away”. He told me that it was a fabulous job and was a good call talking him into a two piece chair rail. He has always liked the craftsmanship of me and my drywall (or in this case “blueboard”) finisher and hasn’t once complained about the work. It’s a materials issue … it’s driving me crazy! Tomorrow, I finish up and will give him a one time touch up without charge (which is already built into my contract) after the floor guy and cabinet guys are done. I will post completed pics when the job has completely closed (down to the appliances and messes on the floor from their kids lunch)!DavidAttached is a pic of me and the most recent job status taken last night. It was a long day and I forgot my hat.(I did touch up the ceiling today … it’s not spots on your monitors.)
*hey dave, how did you get over there fast enough to get in the pic?no rest for the wicked...
*Mike ... I was just lookin' at your OJT thread!.
*Come on, ya gotta admit that dark blue makes the whole room just POP! Nice, clean work.I'm wondering if there was a written contract on this job, David? It seems like there were some major changes made on the fly....and any woman will tell you there is no such thing as "yellow". There is Cream and Sunflower and Lemon Chiffon and Dusty Mustard and Egg Yolk and Orange Blossom and Grand Canyon and Citrus and Golden Delicious and D'Anjou and Honeysuckle and Aged Lace and Dandelion and...
*Yes, there was a contract. It was worded fuzzy on my end. I used the term "sheetrock" generically. Most of my clients don't know sheetrock from blueboard from ... whatever. Kinda like asking for a "Q-Tip" instead of a cotton swab. Isn't "changing on the fly" what makes our life interesting"? =o)(I have to laugh about it, it's too depressing to cry!)Me.
*yes yes this turned out to be one of davids finer jobs I know I did the finishing work for him the seams were nice and flat butt joints were even less concave.I attribute it mostly to using a mesh tape and plus three joint compond & taping with a five inch knife.Finish coats with a ten. first time winner........thanks for the lssson Dave! the MUDSLINGER............
*Wayne,You Da Man!Me.
*that's a good color of blue. You don't have to remove the painter's tape before you leave, eh?
*
Fellas,
I need some help quickly! I have had a misunderstanding with a homeowner. Somewhere in a conversation we discussed using blueboard (used for plaster finishes) in a kitchen and having a smooth coat drywall finish (finished like sheetrock). I thought that drywall finishing blueboard was a bit weird and the finisher kept asking me if it was okay to mud over this product. I had thought the homeowner wanted this because it was in a kitchen … somewhere the ball was dropped.
This is my question. Can blueboard that has been taped like sheetrock be painted without any damage to the walls? I feel that the only major problem would have been the seams, which look good to us, being wavy. He, the homeowner, feels that the components (drywall mud and blueboard material) are not compatible. I think that with a primer coat and 2 finish coats of paint, it won’t matter at all. The mud is sticking like glue to the board.
Please help me out. I need to know what you all think. We will be “chatting” about this project on Monday morning. The attached photos can’t give you a feel of the materials but it shows the lack of wall humps.
Thanks,
David