Being the first (and only) wife of a guy who attempts anything, I learned to assist on some projects. That is how I came to hate sheet rocking. There are reasons you pay professionals to sheet rock that you only learn by doing it.
Project one: Finishing a basement in our first house. My husband, the optimist, hauled home a load of sheet rock. The pieces were taped two-together for easier transport. Easier to keep track of, but twice the weight. We dragged all that heavy stuff down the stairs.
Lesson learned: Cut the tape to separate the pieces if you don’t want to hear your assistant whine. (Would you like some cheese with that?)
He measured twice and then cut it to fit. After burning out a power saw, he learned his next important lesson. You do not saw sheet rock. You score it and snap along the line!
Project two: A family room addition with double thick sheet rock around area of fireplace insert. Double thick sheet rock is double weight sheet rock. Oh, my aching arms. His taping was getting a little better, but we still had to hire someone to spray that ceiling to cover the inadequately camouflaged joints.
Lesson learned: Hire the tapers unless you have practiced your skills on someone else’s home project.
Project three: New house and new project “ finishing” the garage. This time the sheet rock was 12 foot length pieces to hang on the high cathedral ceiling in the workshop off the garage. As the assistant, I am on a ladder lifting and then holding the sheet rock on that ceiling that reaches 12 feet at the peak while hubby screws it in place.
Lesson learned. Professionals and other do-it-yourselfers use a T-bar to hold the material in place.
Project one: Finishing a basement in our first house. My husband, the optimist, hauled home a load of sheet rock. The pieces were taped two-together for easier transport. Easier to keep track of, but twice the weight. We dragged all that heavy stuff down the stairs.
Lesson learned: Cut the tape to separate the pieces if you don’t want to hear your assistant whine. (Would you like some cheese with that?)
He measured twice and then cut it to fit. After burning out a power saw, he learned his next important lesson. You do not saw sheet rock. You score it and snap along the line!
Project two: A family room addition with double thick sheet rock around area of fireplace insert. Double thick sheet rock is double weight sheet rock. Oh, my aching arms. His taping was getting a little better, but we still had to hire someone to spray that ceiling to cover the inadequately camouflaged joints.
Lesson learned: Hire the tapers unless you have practiced your skills on someone else’s home project.
Project three: New house and new project “ finishing” the garage. This time the sheet rock was 12 foot length pieces to hang on the high cathedral ceiling in the workshop off the garage. As the assistant, I am on a ladder lifting and then holding the sheet rock on that ceiling that reaches 12 feet at the peak while hubby screws it in place.
Lesson learned. Professionals and other do-it-yourselfers use a T-bar to hold the material in place.
Project four: Hire sheet rockers for new great room addition.
Lesson learned: I don’t do sheet rock.
Lesson learned: I don’t do sheet rock.
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