I’m a competent carpenter, not so much finisher. Do I double board up to my purple board. Prefill with durabond and tape as butt joint or just float all this out. Any tips help!
I grew up in a craftsman house, pier and beam, 12 inch pine walls, shaker shingles. Square in that place was a joke. It was more like a ship than a house. Curves like a galleon. That's just how it is with wood and old houses.
To do what you're suggesting, takes addressing the structure of the house first instead of each room or separate walls. And I don't suggest that. Lean into the uniqueness of the house. Put a tiny rock climber on it or paint it to look like a pimple.
Art isn't the only answer, bookcases can square a curve if it's necessary. It doesn't have to be straight, unless that's your vision, it can be anything if youre open to it.
Na, but when everything is out of level and cockeyed, building a bunch of stuff in the middle perfectly level stands out in a bad way. You can adapt and make things look good to the eye, or you can keep making things look worse.
Ur absolutely right. Back when I was on a framing crew doing multi-million custom homes, my boss would always remind us “if it looks out of alignment to the eye, then it IS out of alignment.” (‘Level and Plumb isn’t the whole story’)
The wall is out of “plumb”. There is a difference.
Put a ripper at the bottom as a gauge and screed Durabond with a long straight edge. Even adding board of differing thicknesses to get close is good too. Then fill.
Let’s at least try to do it right. Shoot for 100 percent. Because we are human when we fall short you will have a good job. Shoot for 70 percent when you fall for you have shit, hack work. Suggesting this not be fixed leave is shit, hack work.
Negative. Plumb and level are not the same. Horizontal is level, plumb is vertical. Level is never a vertical term. Carpenter for 40 years. I used a plumb bob or two in my life as well but never to level a counter top!
I said what I said and I stick with it - and you know why.
vertically, which is what we are looking at and the whole point of this thread, plumb and level are the same thing.
obviously horizontal is not the same. that's why I didn't even say it. you had to bring it up as your "gotcha" point, even though you know how stupid it is. kinda odd for someone trying to portray a 40 year carpenter.
Idk man, 20 year carpenter here and to call a wall level is kind of dumb if talking to other tradesmen. Maybe if youre dumbing it down to the customer would you call it level..i'd say "square" before i ever called a vertical wall "level"
How do you shim a wall im just curious. If it's 2 inches different at the bottom, do you coat it in something and screed it off with a 4 foot or 6 ft edge? Never understood how to shim a wall out besides adding furring or what you guys may call strapping, and hanging new sheet over it. Ive even seen guys cut 8 foot long "shims" in wedge shape 16 oc, every stud and rehang.
for what's pictured here, it looks like that purple is new board that has only been screwed to the wall, so the easiest fix is to remove, shim and reattach
Drywall is imperfect and there are speed bumps all over every wall. The key is smooth transitions and wide patches to not catch light. Although I do appreciate your will for precision, there are better uses of your time.
This is far far far out of shim territory and into beating the top of the wall over with a sledge hammer, unless you want to lose like 2 inches worth of stair width.
Im a far bigger option of number option C, pretending like I never saw it and finishing as. Normal.
It will look good from your house. It’s just finishing. Slightly out of plumb is no big deal . Just send it .the house won’t fall down and customers would never notice. Tell them either way but there is nothing you can do except a total redo job for the framing.
Either shim behind it to make it flatter or stop putting levels to it. I promise you if you go do that to all your other walls you’ll be even more distraught lol
And never forget! There is a big difference between level and square. Better to be square as possible with everything as opposed to perfectly level. Like others said, put the level away and just make it look good
Put the level down 🙏 Renovating an old home you learn REALLY fast that 'level' and 'plumb' are what your EYES tell you looks best. Yes, yes; certain things have to be level or have a certain amount of fall like plumbing and drainage etc. But for aesthetic jobs, you need to go with what LOOKS right.
My staircase walls are not plumb, the staircase wall deviates from being in line with the rest of the outer wall by several degrees, the top 3 steps are less wide, the floor/wall at the bottom is not square to the bottom step. You would not immediately pick up on ANY of this the first time you walk up the stairs because of how we have camouflaged these things and tricked the eye. Walking back down again for the first time, you start to notice a teeny bit of crookedness. Stand there for 10 minutes and you wonder how the fuck we built the staircase in the damn first place.
1) why would you float that out? You realize how much mud you would need to
2) why include a picture of a level when you’re not even holding the level properly ?
The plumb is sometimes irrelevant with existing structures. Nothing in my house is level compared to ground. I just make sure its as parallel or perpendicular as possible to things you'd visually compare it to. Unless its a shelf or something gravity impacts. Then I try and make it as inconspicuous as possible that it doesn't line up with other things
There is not fixing this. The carpenters should have caught this before drywall. Also, there's not enough wiggle room between the stairs and walls to shim it out to level anyways. Just forget about it and move on. Unless you want to rip the stairs and and fix the walls and redo the stairs.
Is it just me, or is that stairwell a little steep? Also, is there a railing on the opposite side? You may see the wall coming in a little at the joint behind the railing, but not that bad if feathered out nicely.
Do yourself a favor and trim the sheet rock off the floor. It will wick moisture and mold. Even the purple stuff. The gypsum behind the paper can mold. Taping mud will mold. Paint will mold. The sheet rock needs to be at least 1/4" (preferably 1/2") off the cement
If you dont wanna bring the other drywall out the the same plain as the upper section you could do a accent trim there half of it would need a backer rod to fill the larger gap on the low side but it wouldnt look the worst and is an easier fix then restarting the drywall. Would really depend on the person though I know many myself included would be bothered by a random trim like that.
My house is so out of whack. My daughter's room had a plaster ceiling and I went to put a curtain rod up the one day. It looked terrible so I grabbed the level and the rod was fine. I measured from the window frame to ceiling on both sides and it was off over 1/2 and inch. I just made the curtain rod crooked to match.
Most older houses I’ve worked on when dealing with walls, it’s common to have many that aren’t square and even, like others have said, just make it look as good as you can,
Tu aurais travaillé avec du regle plutôt que du niveau, tu prends un regle de 3 mètres tu le met en haut et tu le laisses descendre tu va voir ou ton plaque de plâtre dois finir tu marque avec une crayon tu entre 1,5cm pour fixer ton bois. Je parle français je sais pas si la traduction te donne la bonne explication de ce que je veux dire
Use the level as a straight edge and not so much as a level… put it flat on the old sheet and let it go over the new and see how much u need to fill… if its a lot remove the new sheet and shim the bottom…
Also check to see if there is a bump where the 2 floors meet.. it mite be easier to cut alil more of the old rock out to make it flush..
Either shim the bottom of the drywall or stop putting a level on it.
Stop putting a level on it is key!!!
We call it a plumb stick in this situation.
it has always been, and will always be a bubble stick
This. The wall is out of level - you can go through all the hassle of trying to level it out, or you can just make things look good.
Doing Renos on existing walls etc in a old house - most of the time its best just to put the level away and make things look good.
I grew up in a craftsman house, pier and beam, 12 inch pine walls, shaker shingles. Square in that place was a joke. It was more like a ship than a house. Curves like a galleon. That's just how it is with wood and old houses.
To do what you're suggesting, takes addressing the structure of the house first instead of each room or separate walls. And I don't suggest that. Lean into the uniqueness of the house. Put a tiny rock climber on it or paint it to look like a pimple.
Art isn't the only answer, bookcases can square a curve if it's necessary. It doesn't have to be straight, unless that's your vision, it can be anything if youre open to it.
"Who needs a level and tape in finish work?" My Grand Pa
Na, but when everything is out of level and cockeyed, building a bunch of stuff in the middle perfectly level stands out in a bad way. You can adapt and make things look good to the eye, or you can keep making things look worse.
Ur absolutely right. Back when I was on a framing crew doing multi-million custom homes, my boss would always remind us “if it looks out of alignment to the eye, then it IS out of alignment.” (‘Level and Plumb isn’t the whole story’)
Agreed at times you have to please the eye but the fact that OP can lose the build out at treads justifies padding and filling.
Plumb...the wall isn't plumb lol
Purple, plum…. Kinda the same thing. Wall is plum.
You’re supposed to finish the wall this goes onto to be straight first. A laser level will make that easy.
Not a single wall was plumb in my kids bathroom when i reno'd it and the goddamn tub space was 59 1/2 inches to fit a 60 inch steel tub. Fun times
The wall is out of “plumb”. There is a difference. Put a ripper at the bottom as a gauge and screed Durabond with a long straight edge. Even adding board of differing thicknesses to get close is good too. Then fill. Let’s at least try to do it right. Shoot for 100 percent. Because we are human when we fall short you will have a good job. Shoot for 70 percent when you fall for you have shit, hack work. Suggesting this not be fixed leave is shit, hack work.
I thinks it's just stairs to a basement or garage. It'll buff out.
plumb and level are the same fucking thing, at least vertically.
I am old enough I used a plumb bob for years when framing.
don't pretend to "teach" me
I bet this guy thinks the earth is flat and not level.
Negative. Plumb and level are not the same. Horizontal is level, plumb is vertical. Level is never a vertical term. Carpenter for 40 years. I used a plumb bob or two in my life as well but never to level a counter top!
I said what I said and I stick with it - and you know why.
vertically, which is what we are looking at and the whole point of this thread, plumb and level are the same thing.
obviously horizontal is not the same. that's why I didn't even say it. you had to bring it up as your "gotcha" point, even though you know how stupid it is. kinda odd for someone trying to portray a 40 year carpenter.
Never in my life have I ever heard "level" in reference to a wall. Plumb, straight, flat yes, but not level!
Idk man, 20 year carpenter here and to call a wall level is kind of dumb if talking to other tradesmen. Maybe if youre dumbing it down to the customer would you call it level..i'd say "square" before i ever called a vertical wall "level"
You're just wrong, man. Its ok.
In what locale is this true, where plumb and level mean the same thing but only in terms of a vertical plane?
“Stop putting a level on it” is DEFINITELY something Im going to tell my customers from now on
So glad this is the first comment
Measure existing drywall And shim wall behind drywall prior to install
Unless you want to just waste time floating it out
This is why those of us who frame and build are the key to every other component that follows on site
And the finish carpenters fool your eyes to make the imperfections not appear
You want it flat or do you want it plumb? You dont get both
Wait until they find out that none of the corners in their house are actually 90.0 degrees
How do you shim a wall im just curious. If it's 2 inches different at the bottom, do you coat it in something and screed it off with a 4 foot or 6 ft edge? Never understood how to shim a wall out besides adding furring or what you guys may call strapping, and hanging new sheet over it. Ive even seen guys cut 8 foot long "shims" in wedge shape 16 oc, every stud and rehang.
furring is probably what's needed here, but it's just building up the studs with something to make the final product more level/plumb/whatever.
So you wouldnt shim over existing drywall or repair it after the sheets are hung? You fix it at the studs immediately, hoping it was caught early?
for what's pictured here, it looks like that purple is new board that has only been screwed to the wall, so the easiest fix is to remove, shim and reattach
We make walls appear smooth , not flat. Nothing is ever perfect
It's drywalling, not plumbing.
You don’t want plumbing level otherwise there won’t be proper flow.
We’re talking about plumb not level anyway
It was a play on words 😅 cause they're testing the drywall's plumb level
Never, ever make a joke on Reddit. You'll get down voted to high heaven!
I see that lol. I thought reddit liked jokes.
Love you all!!
🥹👉🏼👈🏼
Lol carpenter all being carpentry with levels.
Drywall is imperfect and there are speed bumps all over every wall. The key is smooth transitions and wide patches to not catch light. Although I do appreciate your will for precision, there are better uses of your time.
Walls are rarely flat. Us as finishers just give it the illusion its flat by floating out ugly joints like that. Just float and feather out wide.
We make them mostly flat, not plumb
You worded it better, yes.
You make them smooth, not flat.
If the top of the wall is actually level, pull that board off and shim it. Running shims behind existing drywall atleast a few inches
This is far far far out of shim territory and into beating the top of the wall over with a sledge hammer, unless you want to lose like 2 inches worth of stair width.
Im a far bigger option of number option C, pretending like I never saw it and finishing as. Normal.
Maybe a longer level is needed ie 6 ft.
I hope you like wide butts.
Just wing it quick and dirty. Nobody looks at walls in stairwells anyhow
The triangle for this operation - level, smooth or square. Pick two.
You don't fix framing with shims and drywall.
It's a stairwell....how precise do you want it to be?
You could always put something like a chair rail across the joint.
Get a longer straight edge and mack sure it does have a bubble.
I had a similar situation when I finished my basement, plaster-drywall joint. I ended up with about a 3-4ft wide joint just to hide it.
Don’t keep a level by that wall ever and no one will ever know but you. And in a month neither will you.
Just tape and finish normally. You're not going to notice that it isn't level.... It's not worth the time and work to make it level...
Plumb
You can feather that out to give the illusion of flatness. Just don’t give your house guests a level lol
Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered. Looks good to the eyes - then it looks good.
See how it looks with out a level there
You couldn’t see that when you put the drywall in
Float it all out. You’re going to need gallons and gallons of mud. We’ll wait.
Srsly it’s fine. Don’t overthink it.
It will look good from your house. It’s just finishing. Slightly out of plumb is no big deal . Just send it .the house won’t fall down and customers would never notice. Tell them either way but there is nothing you can do except a total redo job for the framing.
Put a level on every wall in your house and see how many are perfectly level. Then let that help you determine what you want to do about that wall.
Plumb. We already established why. 😁
Oh, just float it
Either shim behind it to make it flatter or stop putting levels to it. I promise you if you go do that to all your other walls you’ll be even more distraught lol
And never forget! There is a big difference between level and square. Better to be square as possible with everything as opposed to perfectly level. Like others said, put the level away and just make it look good
Put the level down 🙏 Renovating an old home you learn REALLY fast that 'level' and 'plumb' are what your EYES tell you looks best. Yes, yes; certain things have to be level or have a certain amount of fall like plumbing and drainage etc. But for aesthetic jobs, you need to go with what LOOKS right.
My staircase walls are not plumb, the staircase wall deviates from being in line with the rest of the outer wall by several degrees, the top 3 steps are less wide, the floor/wall at the bottom is not square to the bottom step. You would not immediately pick up on ANY of this the first time you walk up the stairs because of how we have camouflaged these things and tricked the eye. Walking back down again for the first time, you start to notice a teeny bit of crookedness. Stand there for 10 minutes and you wonder how the fuck we built the staircase in the damn first place.
Walls never need to be lvl. They need to appear flat. Most walls aren't lvl or plumb ever. It's the illusion u do with mud
Eighter shim it , float it out ,or ove lay it up to where you can float it.
Gota get creative on stull like that
No one would notice that wall jamal
A 2ft level against a ~18ft wall.
Take the dry wall off, put a piece of 3/4” plywood at the bottom of the studs and bobs you’re aunt
How often do you do down the stairs on you knees? It will be fine just float it out
Nothing in my house is plumb or square, so I try to keep the esthetic consistent. Works for me.
1) why would you float that out? You realize how much mud you would need to 2) why include a picture of a level when you’re not even holding the level properly ?
What kind of carpenter does this lol
Fur it out
If you are worried about it that much ,just pull off the drywall and plumb the studs. Personally I wouldn't worry about it.
The plumb is sometimes irrelevant with existing structures. Nothing in my house is level compared to ground. I just make sure its as parallel or perpendicular as possible to things you'd visually compare it to. Unless its a shelf or something gravity impacts. Then I try and make it as inconspicuous as possible that it doesn't line up with other things
There is not fixing this. The carpenters should have caught this before drywall. Also, there's not enough wiggle room between the stairs and walls to shim it out to level anyways. Just forget about it and move on. Unless you want to rip the stairs and and fix the walls and redo the stairs.
I would do what you said if I had to do this most people would leave it and get on to the next job....
Old House Charm. Leave it
Why just don't add second layer of thin drywall sheet to flat the plane?
It’s not about making the wall plumb. It’s about making it flat. It’s about giving the illusion that it’s flat plumb and square.
Well try using a drywall knife for starters
"Competant carpenter" is negotiable if you're asking about furring/shims
Is it just me, or is that stairwell a little steep? Also, is there a railing on the opposite side? You may see the wall coming in a little at the joint behind the railing, but not that bad if feathered out nicely.
Use a 6’ straightedge? Thats another level!
Do yourself a favor and trim the sheet rock off the floor. It will wick moisture and mold. Even the purple stuff. The gypsum behind the paper can mold. Taping mud will mold. Paint will mold. The sheet rock needs to be at least 1/4" (preferably 1/2") off the cement
I never use a level on an old house you do one thing perfectly straight throws anything adjacent look off I just pull numbers from tape measure
If you dont wanna bring the other drywall out the the same plain as the upper section you could do a accent trim there half of it would need a backer rod to fill the larger gap on the low side but it wouldnt look the worst and is an easier fix then restarting the drywall. Would really depend on the person though I know many myself included would be bothered by a random trim like that.
My house is so out of whack. My daughter's room had a plaster ceiling and I went to put a curtain rod up the one day. It looked terrible so I grabbed the level and the rod was fine. I measured from the window frame to ceiling on both sides and it was off over 1/2 and inch. I just made the curtain rod crooked to match.
Most older houses I’ve worked on when dealing with walls, it’s common to have many that aren’t square and even, like others have said, just make it look as good as you can,
Are you missing your cat, that’s an extremely big bump, open it up and see want caused it than might be an easy fix, please post want you find.
Pleasing to the eye is the rule, not all is plumb and square, that one is not too pleasing- open it
My buddy who grew up doing drywall taught me how to mud a wall and the most commonly used word I remember from his lecture was "illusion".
Make it flat not level..
Furr strip out the purple board and fill with some coats of 20 min hot mud
Center a 1x6 over the transition and rip a piece of 1X to pack the bottom out to fill the void probably take 1- 1/2 hours if that
Tu aurais travaillé avec du regle plutôt que du niveau, tu prends un regle de 3 mètres tu le met en haut et tu le laisses descendre tu va voir ou ton plaque de plâtre dois finir tu marque avec une crayon tu entre 1,5cm pour fixer ton bois. Je parle français je sais pas si la traduction te donne la bonne explication de ce que je veux dire
Use the level as a straight edge and not so much as a level… put it flat on the old sheet and let it go over the new and see how much u need to fill… if its a lot remove the new sheet and shim the bottom… Also check to see if there is a bump where the 2 floors meet.. it mite be easier to cut alil more of the old rock out to make it flush..
Your finger is out of level
Ain’t sad, but that wall might need a little texture to help hide how about the framing is and there’s no way to fix it