3 Common DIY Drywall Mistakes and How to Fix Them

It’s a widely-accepted opinion that homeowners can save money by taking on home repairs by themselves. In certain cases, this is indeed true: anyone with the right set of tools can check to make sure valves are properly tightened, batteries are installed, and small dents are filled in. But sometimes, with larger projects like drywall repair, homeowners may find that they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

The experts on drywall repair in Orlando at New Ceilings have patched up their share of homeowner errors, and have noticed that many tend to make the same mistakes. In their quest to save their sheetrock, here are three of the most common DIY drywall repair blunders made by homeowners:

• Oversanding. As you might have known, sanding is an important part of the drywall repair and replacement process. When it dries, drywall compound isn’t always flush and smooth, so the repair professional needs to sand it down to the point where it’s even with the sheetrock. However, many overzealous DIYers tend to sand a bit too much to the point where they wear down the drywall itself, damaging the sheetrock’s protective paper covering. To avoid this issue, keep a light at a low angle to the wall so you can see any hills or bumps as you sand.

• Tight drywall joints. Wait a minute–don’t you want your drywall joints to fit tightly together? Not necessarily. Drywall installers must be religious about keeping a ⅛” space between each joint to allow for the expansion and contraction of the wood beneath the sheetrock. This mistake has no quick and easy fix–if the joints are too tight, you have to start all over again.

• Misaligned electrical boxes. When you’re replacing a sheet of drywall in an area that already has an electrical outlet installed, it’s extremely important–and extremely difficult–to make sure the cutout in the drywall is aligned perfect. Any mistakes could result in cracked drywall, forcing you to start all over once more. There is an excellent tool called the Blindmark that uses magnetic guides to help you etch out the perfect square, but you’d have to spend the extra money on equipment.

As these mistakes may indicate, drywall repair isn’t exactly the simplest task for someone to take on! In the long run, calling an Orlando drywall repair team to take care of the project for you can actually save you a great deal of time and money. To learn more or to schedule your free consultation, get in touch with New Ceilings. Call us today at (407) 378-6040.