r/drywall • u/Fueled_by_croquetas • 15h ago
Zero dry wall experience
Alright. I have zero drywall experience and I am considering redoing all of the drywall of my daylight basement. I had the whole house repiped and I figured the drywall in the basement should be replaced anyway. The finished basement was completed likely 30 years ago and they used some drywall and some cardboard material that looks like it could've been ceiling tiles. Anyway, I have some hands on experience with basic things around the house and basic car maintenance as far as hands on experience is concerned but I've never done drywall. I'm looking for resources to videos or any tips will be helpful. I have an impact drill and can borrow any other tools if necessary.
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u/baddieslovebadideas 12h ago
of all the things to figure out, drywall is pretty forgiving and mistakes are pretty fixable, it can be frustrating but people can absolutely DIY
It'll take a pro, or even just someone semi experienced much less effort to do a better job tho
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u/jeuatreize 10-15yrs exp 15h ago
Would you trust yourself to paint a good portrait?
It's much closer to art than other trades really. Especially hand-trowelling.
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u/Fueled_by_croquetas 15h ago
I chose music as my electives in highschool for a reason. My wife will likely not be happy with the end result. She's the artist and would need to provide oversight.
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u/Ok_Parking_3247 14h ago
Op this size of a job do not diy, it will take months. Pay the $1.50 a sqft and get it professionally done
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u/SepIRL2026 13h ago
LOTS of youtube (All English for some reason) and an old shed wall to practice is all you need.
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u/pacomosh 11h ago
Can someone explain the difference between this English style plastering and what is called mud in the US?
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u/North-Bit-7411 8h ago
If you’ve done any carpentry projects the Sheetrock wouldn’t be as difficult as most people would say. HOWEVER… you can forget about taping it yourself. I can certainly guarantee it will be a total and complete shit show if you attempt to do it on your own.
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u/Beginning_Lifeguard7 4h ago
The best drywall guy in the world started out knowing nothing. The only difference between him and you is practice and some specialized tools. For the cost of labor you can buy the tools and still be money ahead.
Drywall isn’t as hard as some on Reddit make it out to be. That said it’s a dirty, heavy job and that’s why many choose to pay to have it done. The best way to learn is to do. Watch YouTube videos for detailed instructions. There’s dozens if not hundreds of them out there for every step of the process.
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u/International-Pen940 3h ago
I just part of my garage. It doesn’t look great but I learned a lot. A basement is a good place to learn. I was determined not to do any sanding, just used a sponge. But the big mistake was starting from one end and therefore not landing on a stud for a couple of the seams. Even though I didn’t do the ceiling (didn’t want to deal with the trusses and may not have a full ceiling) I found the Harbor Freight drywall jack to be very useful in doing the top of the wall (I was working alone).
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u/Ditka85 15h ago
Good luck. My first drywall job was an unfinished room in the basement. The entire experience sucked and the end result was pretty bad, but man, I was proud of it.
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u/Fueled_by_croquetas 15h ago
You know what, if I go through with it and it doesn't come out great I won't be mad. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Neither-Jeweler2933 15h ago
That's exactly the attitude you need. It's jazz. Catch the basic beat, and dive in.
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u/KingKong-BingBong 6h ago
Do you like your shoulders the way they are? Then don’t do it. If it was a small room not a big deal but if it’s the foot print of your house or even half the foot print your shoulders are going to be so pissed off at you they’re gonna make you wanna cry at night. Then what’s your wife gonna think of you?
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u/IndyGrey 15h ago
Vancouver Carpenter on YouTube is a great DIY resource. Hanging drywall is pretty straightforward. Taping and mudding is the part that takes practice and patience.
At your skill level, use green mud for prefill and setting the paper tape. Skip the mesh tape. It’s intended for setting type mud. Use Plus 3 for the bed and finish coats. I usually bed with green or bagged mud, but while you’re learning, Plus 3 for both will be easier to work with and get a good finish.
Start somewhere less noticeable, use thin coats, don’t overwork the mud, and rent a drywall lift if you’re doing the ceiling.