The Evansville Home Expert

Drywall Joint Banding in Painted Walls

2011-11-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

Due to the building boom of a few years ago. There was a high number of people who got into the painting industry with little to no Experience. If your house was painted by one of those, theres a chance you may have some joint banding.
        Joint Banding or Telegraphing is the visual difference in the painted wall surface area, where the Joint compound is applied on the sheetrock. Either along the edges, seams, or nail heads, anywhere the joint compound is. In low light situations the wall may seem fine but if you have a large wall area that is lighted or you have a lot of natural light, this difference will show up easily when not properly finished. A drywall finish Level 4, is what is required for house walls. This produces a smooth and level surface to the touch, so even though you see the difference in the wall surface, when you run your hand across it, it feels smooth to the touch.
         The problem is produced by the 2 different surfaces. First the actual sheet rock, and then the Drywall compound. You may have noticed that sheetrock is paper coated, and the surface of the drywall mud is different. When there is no primer/sealer applied, to these two surfaces, prior to the top coat, they will absorb the wet paint differently, and dry at different rates. Therefore they reflect light light differently, resulting in the visual difference that you see. This shows up in Shiny finishes more than Flat finishes.
                                                              The Fix!

Paint another topcoat! This will usually do the trick in getting enough coats of paint to cover and blend. A tited primer/sealer should have been used prior to top coating. Always get you primer color tinted.
        If you had a Flat paint on your walls and see this, then your builder or painter used a cheaper product than they should have. Normally 2 good quality coats of flat paint will cover and not show any telegraphing. We would recommend Porter Paints' - Vinyl Flat, or Bher Premium Plus for flat paints.
          More than likely though, you have a shiny paint finish, Egg shell, Satin, or Semi gloss. The highest sheen wall paint we recommend for inside houses, is a Satin finish. When painting walls, shiney finishes show any type of banding or Drywall mistakes much more readily than flat finishes. For a residence, when putting a shiny finish on, you may choose to either Prime/Seal the wall prior to putting 2 finish coats on it, or you may have to paint a third top coat as I recommended above. If you choose not to prime your walls, then once you have painted 2 coats on (always paint 2 top coats) then you can judge as to whether it needs that 3rd coat on it to cover it up. Sheet Rock in residential houses does not necessarily have to be primed. For Historic houses and buildings, and commercial properties, the walls are always primed/sealed, and then painted with 2 top coats.
          Another option is to use the self priming paints. Always be aware no matter what you originally choose to do, some colors just plain do not cover as good as others and may need another coat. It is normal that the higher the paint sheen, the less pigment the paint has in it, and therefore does not cover as well.

" A Better Built Fence"

2011-03-12T08:40:00.001-08:00

          It's the end of summer and we're full into fall - and we are right in the end of Fence building season. A customer this week asked me the standard question that all people in business get from time to time. Basically what makes yours better than the last guy? Having seen thousands of fences in all their various stages of repair, I'm well versed in this subject.
First of all -
        Is there even a business behind the guy you see, or is it just him. How did you find out about him? Through a legitimate source or your Aunt Wilma's friend at the VFW knows him. Does he pay for legitmate advertizing? Business License - check it. Contractors License? Liability Insurance - check. Does he look he is financially stable? Does he look the part of a contractor or a helper. Can he talk all the lingo of his trade. Is his Estimate in line with the other estimates. Is his forms professional or just written on a piece pf paper. Company letterhead, Hat or shirt? Does he know about the correct permits? Does his company meet the OSHA safety standards?
      We'll start with how the business is ran. How long has he been in business, does he have enough time working in his trade that he has that vast amount of experience in all phases of Fence installation. No matter how good you may have been as a worker, that first year on your own in business is a doozy. I personally learned more in my first year as an owner, than the previous 6 as a worker. Does he have the proper finances, to carry a job of any scope. It's reasonable for a contractor to ask for 30% to 50% down for materials. If he does not, then he may cut corners that you can't see or don't know about, and he nickles and dimes, you, the customer on materials or work quality. That means you are not getting what you pay for.
       After making sure there is a business after the name, the first item is work Ethic. You need to check references. Does he show on time. Does he meet deadlines if applicable.
       Then comes his materials quality. Fence products come in all qualities. Make sure you're getting, and that he supplies, what you really want. Don't leave the decisions up to him. Ask yourself these questions. What are the measurable qualities of the fencing materials he's selling or installing. How thick are they? Do they rot - how soon? How tall? Does it do what it's supposed to do. Does it keep the animals in? Do you want that design?
        You don't have to be an expert in fencing or running a business but you should do some due diligence on your part. Then ask questions and some more questions. Hope this helps.

PATCHING A HOLE IN THE DRYWALL

2010-03-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

CAUTION: Prior to 1980 many joint compounds and the Sheet Rock itself contained asbestos, which is a known carcinogen. Ensure you take all precautions when working with Sheet Rock installed prior to this date. Always use eye protection and a high quality dust mask.

Materials:
        Various size taping knives - 6" and 10" is most popular and easiest for beginners
        Mud Pan
        Sheet Rock Compound
        Self adhesive Mesh Tape - best for repairs
        Sanding Sponges or Pole sanding setup using mesh screens
        Dust barrier

        Most everyone gets a small ding in a wall. For the ones that are smaller than say a quarter of an inch, in diameter, you can use lightweight spackle. For anything larger go ahead and use the regular Sheet rock Joint Compound. There are basically 2 types - lightweight and regular, the difference is thickness and weight. We prefer the regular, but if you are not used to mixing joint compound and using a taping knife, then the lightweight is for you. It comes in a dry mixture in bags, or pre mixed in plastic bucket containers. The bags obviously will last longer, as you only mix what you need then store the bag until needed again. The plastic buckets come in 1 gal., 2 gal., and 5 gal., containers. As they are not ready to use out of the bucket, both types will require some mixing with water. Use only enough water to mix to a warm "cake icing" consistency. Too much water will dilute the product and cause excessive shrinkage and also dilute the adhesive. For a small amount you can mix it right in a metal or plastic drywall pan with your knife. But for a large job use a paddle type mixer attached to your drill and mix in the bucket. Be careful not to mix too air into it, you may get air bubbles in the finished product. Mix slowly. Keep the top on your container when not in use to keep mud from drying out. For smaller dents and dings just smooth the compound into the surface with your drywall knife, leaving a small amount above the surface to be sanded smooth when dry. For nail pops, use a smooth faced hammer and tap nails back into the drywall just below the surface. Try not to break the sheetrock paper when hammering. Never put more than an 1/8" inch layer of compound product on at the time. For actual holes, all the way through in the drywall, take a box knife and trim all the chipped or jagged edges around the hole creating a smooth edge. Cut a new piece of drywall board (patch piece) wit a screw attached to the middle of it, that will fit thru the hole  so you can grip it and pull it up snug from the inside of the wall to the outside. Then attach a couple of screws around the edges of the existing hole and thru the patch piece drawing the patch piece up snug, and sinking the draw wall screws just below the surface. Fill the hole area with mud compound up to and even with the surface (as compound will sag it may take a couple of applications to build it up even with the existing drywall surface. Then apply self adhesive drywall mesh tape. Over lap the hole by atleast 2" inches on each side of the hole. It may take more than one width to cover the hole. Apply thin coating of mud overlapping the tape by approx 8" to 10" inches on all sides. Feather the edges. Let dry,then sand if necessary and re-coat with compound. It may take up to 3 coats. Your mud pattern should be wide enough so as to give the appearance of the wall being a flat surface again, even though it will be a slight elevation in this section of the wall. Allow to dry for 24 hrs. between coats. There are also many excellant metal/fiberglass patches sold in the big box stores that are applied basically the same way.
        Always store left over material in a cabinet off the garage floor.

        QUICKSET JOINT COMPOUND or HOT MUD
        A great product for the pro. It contains glue and dries much faster and harder than normal drywall compound. It is also harder to sand, so you need to be more exacting in it's application, and not put on too much. Has a range of drying time from 5 to 210 minutes and shrinks less than standard drywall compound. Not really recommended for the home owner or beginner.
        Sanding materials that are used for drywall are the basic sponge type sanding block, and the mesh type sanding screen that can be attached to a metal head to be used in conjuction with an extension pole, for large surfaces. These items come in all the grits that regular sand paper comes in. Depending on the size of the job you may want to set up a dust barrier this may be as simple as closing the room door or setting up a plastic wall.
Check out these links:
        http://www.dap.com/product_details.aspx?product_id=61
        http://www.buzzle.com/articles/quick-set-hot-mud-and-drywall-repair.html
        http://www.askthebuilder.com/B387_Ten_Secret_Drywall_Finishing_Tips.shtml

Building & Hanging Wooden Gates

2010-03-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Gates sag, betcha knew that. All Gates that are made out of wood and not braced with metal brackets or wires will eventually sag. It may take a year, 5 years, 10 years or more, but they eventually sag. I grew up on a farm and we were always fixing, patching, and making new gates, and we were expert at it, and eventually they would sag. We also fixed a lot of fences, as cows, pigs, or horse's inherent job is to find the weak spot in them and exploit it for the whole herd. At least thats my theory. Fences are stationary objects and their biggest adversary is the weather in their outdoor environment. Wood gates are different, they have movable, operating parts, and are only supported on one side when being used. All of you conduct maintenance on your car, but when people have a fence built they think the gate should last forever and never have to be maintained. It don't work that way.

GATE STRUCTURE

Gate designs are only limited by your imagination, but the components remain the same:

1. A braced frame, to which the fencing is attached. (Gate Frames are usually made of the same

material as the Fence Frame although not always).

2. Hinges, and other hardware of the correct size, and proper type.

3. Gate Posts of the correct size and proper type.

The basic framing structrure for a wood gate is at least two horizontal framing members placed approx. top and bottom with a "Z" type brace running from the lower hinge side to the opposite top. This design works well for up to a 4' gate. We recommend 2 - 10" Heavy Duty Maxima Hinges. Two hinges are fine for this application. If this gate is going to recieve daily use we recommend 3 hinges but dropping the size down to the 8" Maxima Hinge. Hinges are to be "Tee" or "Strap" type depending on the gate post setup. For a gate utilizing 3 hinges a framing member will have to be added to the center of the gate running from the hinge side to the angled framing member for hinge attachment. All hinges are attached thru the pickets and underneath to the 2x4 framing, from the outside or to the 2x4 framing from the inside.

4x4's are fine for the gate post of 6' gates as the gate post is only part of the structure for holding up the gate. Just as important as the gate post itself, is to ensure it is properly attached to the fence framing members. (2x4 horizontal members) Thereby transferring the force of the gate weight on down the line to the fence itself. Always try to install a gate where there is at least 1 section of fence installed in order to help transfer the swing force and distribute the gate weight throughout the fence not just the gate post. Still more important is the gate post depth. While it is fine for the inline fence post to be set to a minimum 24 inches. Gate post and Corner post shall be set to a minimum of 30 inches. While Inline posts can be tamped in, Corner, Gate and End Post must be set in concrete.

For 8' Tall fences we will always use 6x6s for all posts and these must be set to 30" depth for in line, and 36" depth for all Gate, End and Corner posts.

          People notice a sagging gate when they open it and it hangs up on the grass. It's the outer side (opposite from hinge) that normally sags so it's a real easy fix. Take the gate off and measure a line from "0" on the hinge side to approx. 1" on the open side. Use a skill saw, cut it off and rehang the gate. You may have to pick it up a little inorder to hit the latching mechanism when closing, but it's not a biggie. Every once in a while we find the lagscrews on the hinges have wallowed out and these need some work. Remove the hinges from the post and gate. Use a "Wood Hardener" all around and inside the old Lag Screw holes. Then apply a wood bondo material and fill the holes making sure to press the bondo all the way in, let dry and then sand smooth. The bondo material is actually harder than the wood so you are able to drill new holes where they should be and set the gate in the proper position. Needless to say follow all directions and safety precautions for the wood hardener and bondo. Last but not least if you have taken care of your fence - pressure washing and staining it as necessary, it will last a long, long time. The gate as a movable part will not last as long as the fence and will need probably require metal bracing at some point. It will also reach it's lifes end at some point and need to be totally rebuilt. You may have reached that point. By then the powder coating is also probably wearing off the gate hardware and may need replacement also.
        For 5' wide gates we recommend metal gate bracing from the start. They also make wheels for the open edges of heavy gates and while we hav'nt used them they may be an option for you. There are many excellant metal type braces available on the market today. Here are some excellant ones:
                            http://www.artisticironworks.com/gate.html
                            http://www.amazon.com/No-Sag-Gate-Bracket-Kit/dp/B0026KVMDG
                            http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10584

T -Hinges

Strap Hinges

~ Bad Built Fences

2010-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

        Man you won't believe it. He said as he came back into the door with that half smile/smirk on his face. Steve one of our onsite planner/estimaters seemed on a roll, so I bit. What won't I believe. All the crappy fences in this neighborhood. What neighborhood I asked.   ------ over by Blackman Highschool. Now this is something I hear all the time, being a contractor. Shoddy work. After pouring a cup of joe he went on and on about fences leaning, fences being propped up, 10' gates with only 2 hinges. 3 hinges on each side is the standard for 10 ' DDG gates, 2 hinges for 8' DDG gates. (DDG- Double Drive Gate) It was all one company. An out of county company. Most times when you see a fence prematurly falling down its due to a homeowner job. But these fences had a company name on them. I felt bad. I mean this is my business. I feel that when someone does shoddy work it is a reflection on all of the good guys out there who do great work. In advertizing any company can place an advertisement in any medium, in any location. This is the case with this company, they advertise in Rutherford County, get the job. Then a home owner ends up with a sagging gate, heaved posts, and generally, a badly constructed fence. It does'nt 5 yrs. much less 25 that it should last if properly maintained.
        Beware the lowest estimate! It's natural to want a good deal. As you already know everyone is in business to make a profit. The guy with the cheapest estimate is trying to make a profit the same as the guy with the highest bid. Basically a quality job will always take longer to do than a average job. No way around it, "Book It". There is a wide range in quality of materials for fencing. If you go with the lowest estimate you can rest assured you will get the lower grade materials, or the "Hurry up it's good enough" treatment, during the building.
        I reccommend you always hire local, in town, or county businesses. Especially small contractors like Carpenters, Painters, Garage door Guys, Concrete Guys, Fence Builders and so forth. The reason is simple, who do you think will come back first if there is a problem, a company located in the Boro, or a company up in Nashville. Ask the right questions. Is your work guarenteed. What do you mean by guarenteed. Explain how you set a post. What size connecters do you use. Think about your needs as a customer - timeline, financial arrangements, someone needs to be home, or maybe schedule the work for while you are on vacation. What building codes are important? Basically any question you can think of. Unfortunately even if they are good at answering question and they should be, it is only one indication they are qualified to do your work. Do they look like a "successful"contractor? Do they talk the lingo? Look for signs of advertising. Consider having your work completed during the winter instead of the summer. While no company may get a 100 on your test they should be in the "A" category.        Good Luck!

~ FINISHING OUT THE BONUS ROOM - INSULATION

2010-02-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

   The following websites explain in detail Insulation for Bonus rooms.

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/button-up-attic-doors-and-kneewalls.shtml
http://www.customhomeonline.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=207&articleID=258888
http://www.jmhomeowner.com/insulation/install/cathedralceilings.asp

     In recent years builders have come up with the grandiose scheme of leaving the "Bonus Room" as it is popularly called, unfinished. The electrical wire will be run in and thats it. Then they sell the house on the pretext the buyer is recieving something free.
        We have'nt seen it all here but we've seen a lot. Last month we were called to a house to price out a Bonus room for hanging and finishing Sheet rock.The homeowner had a couple of quick additions to his family and needed to convert the unfinished bonus room to bedroom space. He had already hired a carpenter to build the kneewalls and frame out a closet, had the electrical wire ran, and installed the insulation. The carpenters work was good, Electrical looked good (I'm no Electrician), but the insulation was a wreck. We've reached the reason for this weeks blog.
        As in everything in a house there is a code, or guidelines to go by. I did'nt want to embarrass him or call out the carpenter or electrician as sometimes people from another trade take on work for which they are not qualified. The home owner had installed unfaced insulation of what size or value I'm not sure, against the roof and had used wires to hold it in place. Mashing down the insulation against the roof about every 2 ft making it relatively useless. Mashing down insulation takes away it's effectiveness. No baffles were installed under the insulation next to the roof which is required in order to have air flow, and not burn the shingles off the roof in the summer. Unfaced insulation was used for this application and also in between the kneewalls. Not attached as it should be but just placed in.
        Lets talk about the correct way to install insulation in a bonus room. Anyway as you may know Bonus rooms are always on the second floor so you will probably have a cathedral cieling to work with. The framing for these cielings/roofs are normally 2x6s. We require 2x8s in order to put in the proper insulation. For these areas you must nail a 2x2 furring strip onto the edge of the existing 2x6 to increase the board width to 8 inches. This is done to have enough room to install the baffles next to the roof sheathing and insulation on the top of them. Baffles are made out several different products Polystyrene being the most popular. Check Home Depot for whats available in your area. Ensure they are placed ensuring free air flow from the crown to outside the Bonus room kneewall framing and into the attic a few inches. They are super easy to install, place them in the correct position in between the ceiling joists and staple down. Next, the insulation is placed over the top of the baffles. Insulation shall be of the Fiber Faced type, not the Foil type, with the paper toward the inside of the room. The paper is 1" wider on each side than the insulation, staple this edge to the facing edge of the furring strip or 2x8, or staple to the inside of the furring strip or 2x8. Faced batt type insulation shall be used in all applications for exterior walls, includes Cathedral cielings. Install insulation to the kneewalls in the same manner. Insulation always works best when contained on all 6 sides. This includes the back side of knee walls. No specific material is recommended and a code has not been established at this time for kneewall backing, but it is recommended to use Drywall, Roofing felt, House wrap, or just plain cardboard. If you do not contain insulation on all 4 sides your gas or electric bill will remind you. For those of you who consider you live in a fine custom home - crawl around in your attic sometime and check it out. For those of you having a house built make sure your builder Covers the back side of any kneewalls. Or call us.

~Choosing Flat or Eggshell/Satin Sheens for your Interior Walls

2010-02-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

Odds are, you have flat paint on the walls of your home. If you have bought a new house it's almost guarenteed. Even in the bath rooms, where it should definitly have eggshell or satin on the walls and possible even on the ceiling, depending on how good your ventilation is. Why builders do this is because it is easier and cheaper. Why pay an extra $ 50.00 or $100.00 per room when you don't have to.

Lets discuss the reasons for having a sheen on your walls versus a flat.

1. Small Children - nough said really, but I'll go into a little depth. If you have little kids and they are going to put their hands on the walls then you will need a coating that will be able to be cleaned, Eggshell, Satin and soforth. Hallways, Stairways and bedrooms are the prime culprit here. Current codes for stairs require just 1 hand rail on one side, but by placing a handrail on the opposite wall also, it will normally give the children a place to put their hands no matter which side of the stairs they traverse.

2. A room with high moisture content such as the Kitchen or Bath Rooms. For the kitchen, placing the fan over the stove to remove the moisture when cooking has virtually eliminated the need to have the walls painted with a sheen paint. In the bath if you have good ventilation it is not necessary to have a sheen paint. The problem is the fan placement. In the larger new houses the commode is often placed in a separate room inside the bathroom, and the exhaust is placed inside this room for obvious reasons. In this case the main part of the bathroom is often neglected as far as moisture control. Every bath room needs exhaust ventilation installed near the bath tub/shower area. This is the major factor in controlling moisture and keeping Toxic Black Mold out of this area of the home.

3. Lastly some people like one over the other. It's that simple. Like so many other things in life, one is not better than the other, just different.

Advantages

Flat Paint Eggshell/Satin Paint Easier to paint Easier to clean
Easier to touch up Generally last longer
A couple $ per gallon cheaper
Hides mistakes in the walls

Disadvantages

Flat Paint                                                            Eggshell/Satin Paint Does not last as long                                           A few $ more per gallon
Cannot clean as well as sheen paints                     Harder to paint
Shows leaching stains in high humidity       Sometimes takes multiple
                                                                                                coats to cover
                                                                                      Cannot be touched-up to
                                                                                         any visual satisfaction
                                                                             Shows all the mistakes in a wall
                                                                              Requires a level 5 drywall finish

Lastly, we're not using Semi gloss or Gloss for anything but doors and trim. The only time I put Semi Gloss or Gloss on walls is for some Commercial or Industrial applications. Never inside a residential structure.

~Fixing Peeling or Raised Drywall Tape

2010-02-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

This is a problem every homeowner encounters sooner or later. While watching your team blowing the lead in the forth quarter you look up at the ceiling in exasperation, to see the drywall tape coming loose. But this house is only 4 years old you say. Welcome to home ownership we say.
This job depending on your level of dexterity and desire to do your own maintenance can be accomplished by a home owner. If not then call your local painter. This will be a basic job for them. Sometimes tape raises seemingly of it's own accord. But it only looks that way. There are 2 general causes - 1. It wasn't applied properly the first time, and 2. Moisture, most likely from a water leak somewhere, (this is the problem in most cases).
Fixing this problem is easiest on flat surfaces. Corners require a little more technique, and with surfaces such as popcorn ceilings it's a little more complicated. First, using your box cutter, cut out the raised (non-sticking) portion of tape. Scrape out any remaining loose/deteriorated material around the edges. Take your dust brush and dust out the area. Dust will prevent a good bond between the old and new surfaces and may cause the patch to fail. Use your scraper or a sanding block and lightly smooth any rough/raised edges made by your box cutter. Try to be detailed in your work. Mix your Drywall mud according to directions. Using the proper size taping knife for the width of your damaged area, apply a thin layer of mud approx level with the surfaces on either side of the damaged area. Next cut a length of mesh tape overlapping the damaged area by about a 1inch on each end. Mesh tape has a sticky coating so it will stick to mud and dry Sheetrock. Depending on the width of the cutout it may be necessary to use more than 1 length to cover the areas width. Use another length or 2 as necessary to overlap the outer edges by a 1/2 inch or so. Use your drywall taping knife to smooth the mesh tape onto the surface of the wet drywall mud. Then apply another layer of drywall mud over top of existing mud and mesh tape. This time overlap both ends and edges by several inches. Try to taper the edges of your mud layer so they blend into the existing surface of drywall without a ridge. The top layer of mud should not be over 1/8 inch thick. The thicker the mud the more sanding you will have to do to get a smooth surface. Do not keep smoothing and thereby over work the mud. Let dry overnight. Use rectangular sponge type sanding blocks of a couple different grits. Start with 100 grit and then finishing with 175 will usually do the trick. If you have a sanding head and drywall sanding mesh screen you can use it but it is not necessary for small patches. Use a dust mask approved for the fine dust released when sanding drywall mud. A shop vac is also recommended for this fine dust as most household vacuums are not up to the task. At least 1 more coat of drywall mud will be necessary and most times a 3rd application is necessary for a finished look.. The surface will not be flat but if you overlap the original damage by several inches and sand smooth, it can certainly appear so.
For Textured areas it is the same process except for having to remove the texture around the damaged area in order complete the job. For areas where the tape is peeling on textured walls or ceilings we recommend you consult a professional, as sometimes the texture cannot be matched and other options such as total removal of the texture may be necessary.

Tools needed are: Box Cutter Knife
3 or 4 Various sized taping Knives
Mud Pan
Mesh Type Tape (Mesh works much better than paper for repair work)
Lightweight Drywall Mud or Sheetrock compound (Blue top or box)
Ladder (appropriate size)
Dust Brush
Shop Vac - Vacuum Cleaner
Scraper
Scissors
Optional Tools: Extension Pole with sanding Head
Sanding Screens