How to Repair Drywall in Mississauga

THE BIG DRYWALL GUIDE

Jump Links
What Are The Steps To Repair Drywall?
Silica In Mississauga
Mould And Mildew On Drywall
Asbestos In Drywall Compound And Plaster
Three Coats Of Drywall Compound - Necessary?
Sanding Drywall
Priming

What Are The Steps To Repair Drywall?

As a complete amateur, you may be wondering what the steps really are and how tough it really is. Let's start off by listing the steps. The real steps…. Aaaaalll of them.

Here are the complete list of steps for Drywall Repair

1. Lay floor protection

2. Build a small containment around your work area

3. Inspect hole for mould/mildew

4. Test for Asbestos (if necessary)
5. Cut out existing damage (if big enough)
6. Install backing
7. Cut new piece of drywall to fit hole
8. Screw in new piece of drywall
9. Tape seams
10. Wait for tape to dry
11. Coat with Drywall Compound X 3
12. Wait for each coat of compound to dry
13. Sand (preferably with a dust extractor)
14. Prime
15. Paint x 2
16. Spray down floor protection to prevent spread of dust
17. Remove containment
18. Remove floor protection
19. Clean surrounding area (X4 if containment was not tight)
20. Clean ducts

Quite a few more steps than other tutorials might list, but we want you to understand what it really takes and what we actually do. Some of these steps we're able to eliminate through the use of fancy machinery. One good example of this is cleaning the ducts. Because we use Festool Dust Extractors hooked up to our sanders, we barely have any dust and all our clients in Mississauga thank us. The dust extractor, in case you were wondering, is a HEPA filter Vacuum, which of course filters 99.98% of particles in the air. This allows us to reduce the amount of dust and comfortable serve clients with severe asthma.

Silica In Mississauga

You've heard people talk about Asbestos all the time and how dangerous it can be if disturbed. This is correct. But did you know that Drywall contains silica? While not as harmful as asbestos, the consistent breathing in of silica dust can cause silicosis, which is severe cases can be disabling, or even fatal. The respirable silica dust can cause the formation of scar tissue in the lungs. This reduces your ability to take in oxygen. This is very similar to the effects of asbestos.

Just like lung diseases caused by asbestos, there is no cure for silicosis.

Mould And Mildew On Drywall

Let's talk about this for a moment. If your drywall repair has come to be as a result of water damage in the home. It's not a bad idea to check for mould and mildew. While the majority of inside walls and ceilings we inspect have no mould or mildew, it sometimes happens. Usually an indoor wall or ceiling, means one that separates two rooms or two floors rather than separating the inside of the home from the outside of the home. These spaces don't usually have any insulation in them, meaning the cavity can dry up with reasonable speed. Interior walls and ceilings could, however, have sound proofing and fireproofing insulation. These retain water for a long time, this could cause mould. So it's important to inspect first. If you find any wet insulation, you have to pull it out and keep pulling it out until there isn't any wet insulation left. Drywall can be dried out if it isn't in bad condition. Simply point fans or air movers at the opening and give it 2 or 3 days. If you have dehumidifiers, now it the time the bring them into the area and blast them as close to that opening as possible.

Asbestos In Drywall Compound And Plaster

[Asbestos Fibres: Not actually green]

We've written quite a few articles about this on this site already, so we won't belabour the point here. If your home was built between the early 1920 and 1990, It's worth getting tested. Yes, we know that the legislation that prohibits the use of asbestos in residential properties went into effect on Jan 1 1986. That doesn't change the fact that it was still found in drywall compound in homes ranging all the way into 1990. Home builders had a lot of inventory to use up and somebody may have been paid off to turn a blind eye. We've tested homes between 1986 and 1990 that had asbestos, so we know first-hand. Asbestos can also be found in Popcorn ceilings or Stipple Ceilings.

Three Coats Of Drywall Compound - Necessary?

People wonder all the time "do I really have to put 3 coats on, or can I get away with 2?". Well, let's put it this way. If the pro's put 3 on and they're experts, chances are, you'll need at least 3 also. There are different levels of Finishing, 1 through 5. Your home is likely a level 4 finish. Commercial properties with a High Lustre paint finish will often ask their tapers/mudders for a level 5 finish. That means there is another skim coat on top of the 3 coats… so 4 coats on top of the tape.

Sanding Drywall

[Pro-tip: If you’re going to be sanding, wear a hat]

It's important to be very gently when sanding. If done right, the feathering out of the edges of the patch are very gradual. When passing the sanding sponge over these, you want to be very careful to not file this fine mud back down to the wall. You want a very light touch. The middle of the patch can be sanded a little harder if you have some more noticeable imperfections. Be careful however, as you may end up ruining the whole patch. If you're missing a bit of mud, it's best not to try and take the shortcut of trying to sand it down. Instead, grab your hoc and trowel and give the area another skim!

Priming

Did you know you can buy Level 5 primer? This is a thick/viscous primer that help hide imperfections in your mudding. It will also help fill in those little pin-holes. If you're planning on doing all this yourself, you may consider investing in a can of this stuff. You'll be glad you did.

There are many other things we could discuss such as the finesse required to feather out a patch properly. We could probably write 5 pages about that alone, but we'll leave that for another time. Should you have any questions or would like to hire us to do your drywall patching instead, don't hesitate to call us. If you have any need for drywall repairs in Mississauga, North York, Vaughan or the rest of Toronto and the GTA, we'd be happy to help.