Repairing drywall that had paneling over it?
Question:i would like to take down a wall that is paneled in my livingroom with out having to take down the drywall. i think that it's glued on.
Answers:
Part of my construction business involves renovation and i've converted many paneled rooms to drywall. There are a few things to consider in your situation such as what impact will reducing or increasing the wall thickness have (i.e. junction boxes for receps & switches, trimwork, ect.). If the paneling is removed and the drywall repaired, most likely the electrical junction boxes will protrude beyond the existing drywall. Also, removing the paneling may adversely impact window sills and other trim in the room, if any.
Here is how I would attact the project. Find the easiest section of paneling to remove and do it. What do you see? Was the paneling glued excessively (hard to remove and/or did it leave behind alot of glue that must be scraped off)? Try scraping (a 5-in-1 painter's tool works well) some of the glue to get an idea of work involved and the amount of patchwork that would be required to achieve the desired finished surface.
Or did the glue tear the paper facing from the drwall where patching may be problematic if too much has been removed? If this is the case, removing the paneling and replacing with 1/4" drwall would work well and the increase in wall thickness would minimal, if any. Additionally, are there any corners involved around windows, doorways, etc?
Note: sometimes the drywall under the paneling has been reversed so the factory tapered edges are against the studs. If that is the case, you cannot achieve the finish without installing new drywall over with the proper side facing the room.
If your lucky, the paneling glue did not cause much harm and the drywall surface can just be smoothed over with joint compound. The challenge is that any electrical boxes may be protruding beyond the drywall surface. Steel boxes most likely will have to be replaced which is not necessarily a do-it-yourself project.
What I find is that in many situations, installing 1/4" or 3/8" drywall right over the top of the existing paneling is the best method. If you have to do a bunch of scraping and patching why not just start with a fresh new surface. Although the wall thickness increases to the extent of the new drwall (1/4" is minimal) and corners may have to be redone, the benefits include a very solid wall with paneling behind new drywall and may ultimately be less work than paneling removal.
If you opt for new drwall you should glue it & screw it. Be very liberal with Liquid Nails or other construction adhesive. Doing so will make the old and new panels one solid mass. Also, you will need to install box extensions at the recep & switch locations to bring the box flush with the surface of the new drywall. These can be found at home improvement and many hardware stores and are easy to install.
The method you choose depends on the challenges posed and amount of work involved. Hopefully, this will help. Good luck!
If it was done correctly, you will have an absolute mess. The adhesive will be put on in a serpentine manner and the paper on the drywall will come off with the paneling. If it was done with the "dabbing" method, you may only have small areas to patch.
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