Tomorrow my friend is have a new preformed counter top installed. While it out I want to cut out some of the drywall be hind the back splash area to run some new wiring. I will save the cutouts and using some plywood backing strips screw them back in place.
My question is what should I uses to “seal” the joints. The area won’t be seen, but I figure that something is needed stop any potention air leaks. This is on an outside wall and there might not be any insulation.
I have never done any drywall before. And I will have very limited time to be able to work behind their. I will know tomorrow, but it might be only a few minutes or one hour at the most.
I am think about just running some caulk in the joints.
I know that I will probably get flamed for posting this in FINE Home Building, but look at this way the electrical will be FINE after I get done with it. I just don’t have controll over the rest of it.
Replies
Non expanding foam. Caulking will dry out unless [I cant think of the name of the caulk,..flex something ] its the right kind .
Tim Mooney
Are you talking about the DAP latex foam. That is the only "non explanding foam" that I can put my hands on quickly.
Bill,
You can tape the sheetrock patches back in using "hot" mud. This is a setting compound, which, after mixing with water, will harden up very rapidly. The stuff I buy sets in different times, such as 90 minute, 60 minute, etc, all the way down to 20 minutes. If you use the 20-minute stuff, move fast and make sure you get your work done before it hardens up on your tools, etc, or you'll spend quite a bit of time chipping it off later!
I'm not a professional sheetrocker, but per my knowledge, code requires that you put at least one coat of mud over any taped joints to slow the spread of fires. I'm not sure if caulk would be sufficient to meet that requirement.
I actually hate the building code during most of my waking hours, but if the assumption that taping the joint might someday slow down a fire, I think it's an hour well spent. Remember, with any luck, the house will be around another 50 years at least. One hour is not a whole lot of time in the grand scheme of things.
Ragnar
Edited 11/1/2002 6:28:32 PM ET by ragnar
See if you can get some Dura Bond setting compound, but be gentle, the stuff is a b i tch to sand... It's okay, I can fix it!
I will see if the home horror store has any hot set and I might try that.
I don't really have to sand this as I it will be covered by the back splash.
And I really don't care about the code. No matter how it ends up it will be 100 safer when I get the wiring replaced.
As I said the problem is that I only have a very short at when I will have access to this.
Bill, as an electrician who also does drywall (figger that out!) here is how I would do it. Cut the sheetrock with a sheetrock saw. Angle the sheetrock saw so that you taper your cut. Make your square or rectangle cut so that the outside of the hole is larger than the inside of the hole. The "slug" will look like a pyramid that had its top lopped off.
When ready to replace. Use some 45 min. sheetrock mud mixed to a thicker consistency than reg. sheetrock mud. Butter liberally (sound like Martha Stewart huh?) the inside of the hole first with the mud. This will glue it in place. Then with an 8" or similar sheetrock knife float a coat of sheetrock mud over the entire thing, covering the slug and several inches in either direction. This 45 minute stuff is very sticky and you will need to work fast. Remix a new batch of mud if the stuff you are working with starts to harden on you because you cant simply add water.
You are right, no sanding needed either.
Voila! No plywood backing, sheetrock screws, or tape.
I look down my nose at people who dare to look down their nose at people.
What is the big hurry behind that countertop?
Tim Mooney
Tim
"What is the big hurry behind that countertop? "
I wish I knew..
She wants it all done by Thanksgiving. I wanted to do it and her two sons will be available on the day after Thanksgiving and she iw looking for things for them to do.
But she wants it done now and has somebody coming today to do the counter top.
Pete
That is a good idea. I will try it, but I am not sure If I can cut that accurately. So I will have some plywood backer and scews with me
Okay its tomorrow, what happened?
Panama
The foil tape is a good idea and I had some their. Unfortunately I did not see this untill to late.
Gordsco
The whole job ended with more problems than Carter has pills.
Anyway I had planned to make cuts in the drywall behind the splash back to run wire from the box on the left side of the sink to one on the right. Nowever the box on the right was close to the wall and they have put some panneling over it that was staying. And the panneling was cut too big that a rework box would not fit. So I did not change anything that side other than disconnect the old feed wire and then used the cable that used to freed from the right box to the left to feed the other way.
Then I ran a new cable to the left box. And to do that I had to cut a section of drywall behind the dishwasher.
Screws that in place and then just caulked it.
By the way the next to where I cut and partial behind the sink cabinet there was an old patch with about 1/8 mud sticking out. Some of it started to flake when I make by cut.
Thanks for the update. One of the reasons this forum is so valuable is because even the smaller projects have so many variables.
you could never put all this into just one book
and you can actually get Durabond in "easy sand" formula as well, and in 5 minute cure times. Cold water extends your working time, hot shortens it. Cured mud in your pan or on your knife about halves the working time of 20 minute. So you can use 5 with ice water and get about 10 out of it, or 20 with a hot. Which, if it's just a little patch will probably do you just fine. I think the 5 is actually a little easier to work with. The 20 always wants to get kind of oatmeal consistancy on me, and the 5 seems to get smooth in consistancy at a thicker mix. Just pump the area full of mud down into the crack, lay in tape, and pull the knife to level it. That will sink the tape into the mud enough to stick. About 20 minutes later (it might get firm, but it really doesn't set hard enough to sand in 5) run the knife edge over it to shave any little ridges and put another thin coat on. Done. Stuffs great for filling deep gouges or places where your mud wants to slump out on you, like vertical surfaces, since it sets so quick, but when it starts feeling firm in the pan, times up. You've got about 60 seconds from then to either dump the pan and start washing or like stated - get out the cold chisels and chip. It seems to stick to plastic better, if you've got a stainless pan you might use it.
I'd just caulk the joints if they're unseen.
If the repaired drywall won't be seen, screw the patch in place, and then do a conventional taping job with one coat of conventional mud. The first coat of mud, which fills into the gap between the drywall sheets, is the one that provides structural strength and fire resistance. Subsequent coats make the joint look prettier, but that apparently isn't your problem. On your fast schedule, the one coat of mud will still be drying when you cover it up with whatever you're going to cover it with, but that's okay. Don't make your job more complicated than you need to.
take some of that foil tape the hvac dudes use, if you have half a roll laying around.
listening for the secret.......searching for the sound...