New shop build - pay drywallers or DIY w/planex?

When I built my shop I hired the drywall out.  I did the same when I finished out the other half of the basement.  I've done drywall, don't really need to ever again.  When I did the shop, there was a slowdown in local construction so all the drywallers were hungry.  So, I could've done it myself over the course of probably a month worth of weekends, or hired someone and have it done by next weekend.  I already spoiled the ending and would do the same again.  IIRC, the difference wasn't $700 vs. $2500 for me though, more like $700 vs. $1300.  My $700 included all the supplies I would need (not a planex or vac though).  I'd hire it out, but I'd also try to get more estimates.  It's a shop, so you don't really need the best job.  Just hire a small timer or handyman type.  The drywallers that were doing my neighborhood for the builder wanted about double what I wound up paying some random dude with a beat up white van. [big grin]  But, when I did the other half of the basement, the company doing the 'hood were in a lull gave me a much better price.
 
I am a hard core DIYer. But I know what to get help with and that drywall. I paid someone $300 to tape and sand a bathroom I remodeled. He was done in two days and then I could start painting. My advice, sometimes you have to call in the pros.

Matt
 
Tinker said:
A level 5 finish is almost like doing a white coat with plaster. Everything gets atleast a skim. A good taper will do that without even sanding. However, even the best can run into problems with a level 5 at some point. On the last fireplace/chimney job i did before retireing, every sub ran into problems with the lady (I use the term subjectively only [mad] ) of the house. For my part, the first day was a nitemare and i should have walked away. it was a battle all the way. When the taper was finished with what I thought was about the finest taping job i had seen, ever, the LOTH brought a large portable light to check. She had a laborer hold the light at various angles close to the wall. she went around with a marker to show every shadow, no matter how insignificant. by the time she finished marking walls and ceilings, the poor taper had to do the entire house with, i guess you would call, a level 6 or maybe even a level 7. There was not one sub who finished that job with a smile. Even the hubby got out of there within six months of finishing the house. The builder was a great guy with tremendous patience, but he would never go back as well. That was one exceptional job. :-X
Tinker

That sounds like a nightmare. Getting a wall perfectly flat and smooth is impossible just because of the nature of construction and the materials used. Drywall itself isn't perfect and the studs behind it are far from perfect,all I do is create the illusion of a flat wall. There are tricks to make the wall flatter but they cost extra, usually a lot extra. As far as level 5 goes that just makes the texture of the wall uniform and does nothing to flatten the wall.
 
+1 on having the insulation done too. I found I could not buy the materials for less than what it cost to have done (materials and install ).

That's a no-brainer.
 
I stopped reading about halfway down so excuse me if already said. I worked for 37 years on commercial drywall jobs. DO NOT buy a planex. I suggest the walls in an exterior cdx (fir) if possible. Paint all white with an oil base primer first followed by a latex topcoat. Ceiling could be drywall, longest sheets available, staggered joints. If shop is not temperature controlled use fabric for tape and all three coats Durabond.With manpower help you can sheetrock the ceiling yourself. Pay a professional to Spackle. The plywood walls are all on you. MARK
 
Saskataper said:
Tinker said:
A level 5 finish is almost like doing a white coat with plaster.  Everything gets atleast a skim.  A good taper will do that without even sanding.  However, even the best can run into problems with a level 5 at some point.  On the last fireplace/chimney job i did before retireing, every sub ran into problems with the lady (I use the term subjectively only  [mad] ) of the house.  For my part, the first day was a nitemare and i should have walked away. it was a battle all the way. When the taper was finished with what I thought was about the finest taping job i had seen, ever, the LOTH brought a large portable light to check.  She had a laborer hold the light at various angles close to the wall.  she went around with a marker to show every shadow, no matter how insignificant.  by the time she finished marking walls and ceilings, the poor taper had to do the entire house with, i guess you would call, a level 6 or maybe even a level 7.  There was not one sub who finished that job with a smile.  Even the hubby got out of there within six months of finishing the house.  The builder was a great guy with tremendous patience, but he would never go back as well.  That was one exceptional job.  :-X
Tinker

That sounds like a nightmare. Getting a wall perfectly flat and smooth is impossible just because of the nature of construction and the materials used. Drywall itself isn't perfect and the studs behind it are far from perfect,all I do is create the illusion of a flat wall. There are tricks to make the wall flatter but they cost extra, usually a lot extra. As far as level 5 goes that just makes the texture of the wall uniform and does nothing to flatten the wall.

Agreed, many people don't understand the difference between "Flat" and "Smooth"........ For those of you not in the know, Level 5 gives you Smooth, but not necessarily Flat......  [big grin]
 
The only way to come close to flat is to use engineered wood studs like Timberstrand (or perhaps steel studs).

We've done this in kitchens to eliminate the need to shim cabinets into plumb.
 
Brice Burrell said:
joraft said:
estesbubba said:
So what would you do?

... Buy a Planex and CT 36 AC?

What do you think I should do?

I obviously hold the minority opinion here, but that's just what I did. Facing the same decision, I chose to take advantage of the recent discount on the Planex and do the job myself.

We are beginning an addition and remodel to our house this year and there will be a lot of drywall work, plus I've long wanted to get rid of the textured walls and ceilings that came with the house.

Thoughts that went into my decision:

1. While I've never done drywall hanging or taping professionally, I've done enough of this type of work to become pretty good at it. With the Planex I may even be able to take my work to another level.

2. I'm retired and have enough time to do the kind of job that I could not afford to pay someone else to do. I don't care how long it takes to make it perfect (although my wife may not agree on that  [smile] ).

3. I love the feeling of satisfaction that I get when I'm able to get a wall as flat and smooth as a piece of slate.

4. And maybe most important, it gave me an excuse to acquire another Festool.

Yeah, get back to us when you've actually done the work... [tongue]

I know, if folks would think about it for a minute,

They would have to ask the question why do pros have subs?
Why are there so many rocker subs out there.
Why are they always busy

 
deepcreek said:
The only way to come close to flat is to use engineered wood studs like Timberstrand (or perhaps steel studs).

We've done this in kitchens to eliminate the need to shim cabinets into plumb.

There are other ways to get a flat wall. Trim-Tex makes a product called shim on a roll, it comes in 1/16" and 1/8" thicknesses.

"150' Roll. Straightens uneven framing before hanging drywall. Flat walls simplify cabinet installation saving time and money. Vinyl shim is prescored every 18" and simply snaps off to desired length. 1/16"shims stack up to increase thickness for different sized gaps. Engineered holes allow stud adhesive to penetrate to framing."

atu3ate7.jpg
 
Saskataper said:
Tinker said:
A level 5 finish is almost like doing a white coat with plaster.  Everything gets atleast a skim.  A good taper will do that without even sanding.  However, even the best can run into problems with a level 5 at some point.  On the last fireplace/chimney job i did before retireing, every sub ran into problems with the lady (I use the term subjectively only  [mad] ) of the house.  For my part, the first day was a nitemare and i should have walked away. it was a battle all the way. When the taper was finished with what I thought was about the finest taping job i had seen, ever, the LOTH brought a large portable light to check.  She had a laborer hold the light at various angles close to the wall.  she went around with a marker to show every shadow, no matter how insignificant.  by the time she finished marking walls and ceilings, the poor taper had to do the entire house with, i guess you would call, a level 6 or maybe even a level 7.  There was not one sub who finished that job with a smile.  Even the hubby got out of there within six months of finishing the house.  The builder was a great guy with tremendous patience, but he would never go back as well.  That was one exceptional job.  :-X
Tinker

That sounds like a nightmare. Getting a wall perfectly flat and smooth is impossible just because of the nature of construction and the materials used. Drywall itself isn't perfect and the studs behind it are far from perfect,all I do is create the illusion of a flat wall. There are tricks to make the wall flatter but they cost extra, usually a lot extra. As far as level 5 goes that just makes the texture of the wall uniform and does nothing to flatten the wall.

I agree with Saskataper, flat walls are an illusion, not worth chasing unless it is your field.

Walls don't have to be perfectly flat (and never will be), but they should be smooth and paint well.

 
When I build my workshop at some point this year, I like the idea of using plywood on the walls for the sole purpose of hanging cabinets and tools and what not on the wall.

But as for drywall DIY, have the pros do it all except for painting.  +1 to everyone else that stated the material cost of insulation and drywall will be that same as DIY.  And + infinite for taping.

But as for painting, you could rent a spray gun and have all the walls painted in a day.  And the next day spray all the trim prior to installing.  I sprayed two coats (primer and 1st coat finish) to my 1500 sf basement in one day and that included back rolling it.  Spray a section and roll it.

I then sprayed two coats on the trim before installing.  Once I installed the trim, I sprayed the trim in place and hand painted the final coat on the walls.  Done!

 
Make sure you know your local building codes for fire rating before going plywood.

Especially for those who put small shops in basement and attached garages. Plywood could be a no no come resale time.

Beyond that, yes, plywood is more durable and better to mount stuff to in a shop.
 
I've done quite a few large scale drywall jobs as part of the basement remodels that I do.  For the vacuum question, I've used either a Fein Vac, CT22 or Clarke vac with bags with no ill effect.  You go through a few of bags, but it's better than it all falling to the floor.  Unless I only did drywall, I wouldn't buy the dedicated drywall vacuum.  I've even used the Festool Longlife bag in my CT22 for drywall and it worked fine - no filter build up when compared to the standard disposable bags.

I use the Porter Cable drywall sander and have had a few of them for near 10 years.  The PC sanders get a bad rap here, due in part I suspect to the need to make the Planex shine brighter, but I've had no problems with the units I've had and have sanded drywall repairs in finished spaces with near 95% of dust collect efficiency.  I have noticed that the older US made models run at a much slower RPM than the newer models that are now made in China.  Something like a 800-1500rpm speed range for the US models vs. 1400-2100rpm.  I know I use my sander around the lowest speed usually, so the higher speeds of the current production models could account for some user's problems.  Last time they were discussed here, there was some mention of broken pivot joints or vacuum fittings, but with fairly heavy frequent use of the one's I've owned, I've never had one break on me.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the obvious - if you DO do it yourself, don't hang the ceiling without the use of  drywall lift.  These days, you can rent the Telpro for $50-60 a day or buy a chinese import new for $150 and sell it on CL after for $100. 

Many opinions on whether to hang and finish the drywall yourself, but there shouldn't be any disagreement about whether to use a drywall lift if you're hanging a ceiling.  A drywall lift is like a $120/day helper you only pay once and never talks.

JT
 
+1 on Saskataper's technique.  I'm a GC and use this method with Stabila's plate level.  My rock subs love it.  They know my framing work is spot on.  My architects and clients love it because tolerances on modern design are tight for cantilevered vanities and millwork.  Doesn't really apply to a workshop but it's not that much more effort to have perfectly plumb walls and level ceilings.
 
Looks like a chance to wait until something interesting turns up.  Keep your ear to the ground and maybe an interesting material choice may present itself for next to nothing.  Something from a demolition somewhere.  You know, one of those "you can have it for free if you just come and get it" kind of things.

And if nothing turns up after a few months you can always come back to drywall.

One thing I would suggest for a shop would be slatwall like they use in retail.  It's pricey so maybe from 4' to the ceiling.

How about a reflective ceiling?  You gotta have lights anyway so why not 2x4 florescent?

As for drywall, there are things you can do to make it easy on yourself, especially in a shop.  Corners are tricky so don't even do then.  Just hang trim.  If it's not going to create a waste issue hang the walls vertically and you'll only have factory seams to tape.  You can Then you can go with a thick stomp on the ceiling which will cover a multitude of sins.
 
Saskataper said:
deepcreek said:
The only way to come close to flat is to use engineered wood studs like Timberstrand (or perhaps steel studs).

We've done this in kitchens to eliminate the need to shim cabinets into plumb.

There are other ways to get a flat wall. Trim-Tex makes a product called shim on a roll, it comes in 1/16" and 1/8" thicknesses.

"150' Roll. Straightens uneven framing before hanging drywall. Flat walls simplify cabinet installation saving time and money. Vinyl shim is prescored every 18" and simply snaps off to desired length. 1/16"shims stack up to increase thickness for different sized gaps. Engineered holes allow stud adhesive to penetrate to framing."

atu3ate7.jpg

I use this or the drywall shims that come in 3' lengths.

Tom
 
I am buying a planex to do the shop. I am going in fix a lot of other errors in the home and then paint.
 
I would hire somebody to do the whole job.  Experienced guys will hang the dry wall in one day and finish it with paint in a few more days.  A DYI project for a first time person can easily eat up weeks of effort.  I speak from "experience and have a burnt out shop vac to boot!

Jack
 
I would recommend doing your shop walls and ceilings with plywood, but use screws. You can buy a new T-18.
 
Back
Top