straighten a drywall wall?

Question

my wall in my kitchen is not straight at all and it is going to cause problems when installing my new cabinets and countertops. anyone know the best way to do this? should I just use compound to smooth it out evenly?

Answer 1

Are you saying that the wall frame is not square chances are this happens a lot, but if real bad and it is the frame you may have to straighten the wall frame by re doing it to the ceiling or outside wall or what ever you are up against.

If it is just a little out you can make it look good with a Square and some shims to straighten the cabinets right. If you are just talking about the drywall corner then if you need to square it up with compound and make it look good.





Good Luck :)

Answer 2

The most visible area of the new kitchen counter tops is a the top of the back-splash of the counter top. So on the walls where the counter top back-splash will be, simply measure up from the floor and snap a horizontal line at 34" and another line at 42". Now this area between is the area you want to concentrate on getting straight or smooth. Place a straight edge up against the wall on the lower line and look for gaps behind the straight edge - make a small pencil mark below the line where you need to add joint compound. Now do the same thing on the top line.

Now start adding joint compound in increments of about 1/8" to these gaps. Let dry 24 hrs. and lightly sand off any ridges. Now using a 12' drywall knife , apply drywall compound all in the area between your 2 horizontal lines. Apply a little water to the drywall knife will help it skim really smooth over the drywall compound. Feather out the drywall compound on the top and bottom edges of the horizontal strip of mud.

The cabinets can be kept straight by using 12" x 1+1/2" wide cedar shims. Shim behind the cabinets at the gaps - run screw along side the shims not through them - that way you can go back and adjust the cabinets as you install them. When you have them where you want them - now, run a screw through the shims.

Another area you might want to look at is where the bottom of the wall cabinets will be. This is usually about 54" up from the floor to the bottom of the wall cabinets.

If you are using a plastic laminate counter top - ask the place you are purchasing them to add a scribe lip to the back edge of the back-splash. This allows the laminate to overhang about 1/4". Place your counter top in place. Now take a pair of pencil scribes and run along the wall to mark any variances in the wall onto the back edge of back-splash. Now take a belt sander with 80 grit belt and carefully sand off scribe overhang until it hits your pencil line.

Install top permanently and apply thin bead of paintable caulking along back edge - this way you can paint it the same color as the wall between the lower/upper cabinets.

Any good counter top fabrication company will know what a back-splash scribe is and how to do it.

I have done this many times on remodel jobs.

Answer 3

I think, since you have access to the back of the wall, have your wife in the bathroom with a straight edge held horizontally either above the medicine cabinet--or below, so she can clearly see the voids and while she is holding that, you carefully 'adjust' those screws on the studs that are out of whack. For example, if you need a stud to move in more, back the screw off so you have some 'room' to accelerate back into the wood farther than it was. If you just put the cordless driver into the screw from 'set' and try to drive it farther, you could just strip the screw head...unless you have those torx head screws--but even so, I would still back out a little, then drive it in just past where it was and see what she says-if that closed part or all of the gap. If the stud needs to come back, back off the screw some and use a small pry lever and gently give the stud a pull back-again asking her if she sees the gap narrow. You can do this gently without f'n up the finish. Gentle is the keyword.

Answer 4

I do this often in Home Remodel projects. It is a very good question and wise to address it properly.



Compounding over an already uneven surface will create many bad issues, both immediate and down the road, for you.



Take the sheetrock down to the studs. Take a long straight edge, and rock it against every stud, until you determine which stud protrudes the furthest. Attach/sister a 2x4 stud, to each stud on the left and right of the stud that sticks out the most, making sure they are absolutely even with each other and as square to the corner as possible. From these now even studs, you can easily wed/sister a stud to each existing stud to create that level wall you desire.



Attach your sheetrock over it. Tape and seal.



You will be a happy person for it.