Asked on Oct 23, 2015
Sheetrock on garage ceiling falling, HELP!
by
Shana Bowen
+4
The sheetrock on my 30 year old double car garage ceiling is falling because of moisture and age. What is the easiest thing for a person with no carpentry skills to put up as a replacement?
7 answers
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It sounds like your drywall is nailed up, like ours! First, check to find where moisture is coming from and fix that problem. Second, screw your drywall back in. Be sure to sink screws into studs. Including the the centers of the drywall sheets. You can then put lattice strips on all your seams. This can be air nailed or use finishing nails. Then prime with kilz. Them paint. Also a pic would help.
Hope Williams
on Oct 25, 2015
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If it's too damaged to screw back in place, you could rip it out and paint the whole thing as is, studs and all...or replace it with OSB, painting that...plywood would be nice but more $.
Sophie Breau
on Oct 25, 2015
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I agree with Sophie. If you really don't have carpentry skills trying to screw in old busted Sheetrock is gunna be a pain. You'll just keep ruining the ends. Rip it all down and paint all the wood underneath. Spraying it is much easier than trying to use a roller or paintbrush. But you might need to go the roller & brush way if you aren't comfortable spraying. It will look ok when finished with fresh paint. If you can try to find where the water is coming from. That's kinda important. But if you don't know you might want to call someone after painting. They'll have to rip the Sheetrock down most likely anyway. So you'll be saving some money by doing it yourself. Painting before finding the leak might seem stupid but it will be easier to see the leak with fresh paint after it starts to leak again. Good luck.
David Gnida
on Oct 25, 2015
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If your sheetrock is even just damp it should go--it's a mold risk. If you find mold, act accordingly. Before replacing the ceiling figure out why there's a moisture problem. If it's a roof or plumbing leak--fix it. If it's humidity consider not replacing the ceiling or replace it with a plywood product.
Sam
on Oct 25, 2015
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I have seen dark tar paper stapled to the ceiling, with lattice panels nailed on top. Light weight and easy to handle. Two people could get this done easily without major skills needed. Check your local building code first, this might not be allowed everywhere. Drywall is heavy, fragile and cumbersome. When nailing over your head, it can be dangerous if you are inexperienced with it. You can rent a drywall lift to hold it in position while you secure it to the ceiling. This might be more than you want to tackle. Google drywall installation and watch some HGTV and You Tube demos to see if you are up to this. Tongue and Grove boards are easier to install, but can be expensive. If you like the rustic look, how about recycling fence panels? Corrugated panels? Check your local Habitat for Humanity RE: store or salvage supply for ideas.
Susan Bechamp
on Oct 25, 2015
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If it is a detached garage just take it down and leave the ceiling open...great for storage..If it is attached to the house then you will need to take it down and you could replace it with smaller pieces of sheetrock...Of a size that you can handle.
Charles Prock
on Oct 26, 2015
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When that happened in my garage (due more to the vibrations of the garage door opener and nails (instead of screws), we pulled down the rest of the existing/damaged sheet. I rented a sheetrock lift from Home Depot. Then my friend and I screwed on the new sheetrock.
Tracy Norr
on Nov 04, 2015
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