September 8, 2008
Pegboard is a good alternative to pricey panels
Our home was built about seven years ago, and the drywall tape in the garage has started to peel away from the joints. It looks terrible. I wonder if we can use some of the garage panels you wrote about several months ago to cover these unsightly spots. The panels look so nice. Are they difficult to install, and would they cover the mess? -- Mary M., Hammonton, N.J.
Several of these garage panels are components to storage systems and can be quite expensive. And while some can be installed by the homeowner, most of them must be special-ordered. Other systems must be installed by contractors. So, you'd be looking at several hundred dollars, at least, just to cover a portion of the garage. In some installations, paneling one wall can easily run $1,000.
I have a couple of suggestions. If you want to cover the existing wall with panels that will provide an organizing feature, consider sheets of 4-by-8-foot white pegboard, available at home centers and hardware stores for about $15 apiece. Secure them with furring strips, which are 8-foot-long pieces of lumber, usually 1-by-1s or 1-by-2s, nailed to the wall. The panels are then nailed or screwed to the furring strips, and items can be hung on the pegboard with specially made hooks. This is much cheaper than installing a custom-made garage storage system. You can cover one side wall for about $125.
But if you are concerned with only the faulty drywall tape and the look of your garage walls, why not just retape? Use a fiberglass mesh tape that will resist peeling. Cut off hanging tape and scrape away any loose drywall compound - that white, chalky material between the joints. Apply the fiberglass tape, sticky side toward the wall. Then use a drywall knife to butter over the tape and joint. If you can butter bread or frost a cake, you can apply thin coats of drywall compound. If you drop some, don't worry, it will scrape up with a putty knife and dissolve in hot water.
The drywall compound can often be a bit thick; thin it with water. When it dries, sand the wall smooth. You can then prime the wall and paint it. An eggshell white probably would brighten the garage and hide all those unsightly taped joints.
Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.
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