How to finish this drywall ceiling

Submitted by wildatheartmjs t3_ymubxm in DIY

Hi all,

Been working on refinishing my attic. This post is not about insulation or other things (I've gotten my permits and have my insulation plan + venting approved by my local city and other professionals). This post is about drywall and the issue I'm running into. Basically, the sloped portion of the ceiling has rigid foam board underneath it to help with insulating that portion of the roof. The drywall on this section has been exceptionally challenging. The top part of the ceiling and the sloped portion aren't meeting unfortunately, and I don't know how to tackle this at this point. Check out these photos to see what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/dxde9Ma. My ideas have been to cut slim pieces of drywall and put them in the space, and then doing a tough tape + mud job on top of it. I don't know what my options are. I really don't want to take the sheet off the wall. I'm specifically asking how to avoid taking the sheets down and how to best fill in this gap.

Replies that basically say this is a crap job and I should start over and hire a professional...please move along. Asking for some input to help make the most of this. I am not looking for a perfect or professional looking job, just good enough. Only going to be me up here in this attic.

ALSO, please note I know that the drywall that's on the wall currently is not properly screwed down - I will be adding more screws on the studs about every foot.

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sergeantorourke t1_iv5iwyb wrote

You can bend Sheetrock by scoring it. You should be able to find a YouTube video for guidance.

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jtmarshiii t1_iv6ahid wrote

This is the answer. You’ll score the back and bend the sheet. I find that you may need to use construction adhesive with screws to hold the panel to the wall since you weakened the backside. Also, do’n worry too much about gaps and misaligned panels, that’s what Jesus (former carpenter) created drywall mud and paper.

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Amarol t1_iv5ols8 wrote

Hi there, I do drywall for a living so maybe I can help here. Is there anything behind the insulation you can still screw to?

Its always hard to tell just by pictures, but I suspect if you are able to fit in smaller pieces of drywall in those gaps as you were saying, and get everything screwed down good and secure, you can use a product called flex tape. We use this stuff at work all the time for these sloped corners. It has either hard plastic or metal inside the tape depending on what brand you buy, which keeps it very straight and rigid. Even if the drywall is all crooked and not lining up like yours is, this stuff will basically make a new straight corner for you.

This stuff is usually pretty wide, 5-6 inches I would say? It can cover up small gaps of a few inches but anything bigger than that you would definitely need to try and fill in as much as you can. The tape will cover it up, so it doesn’t even have to be pretty, just as long as there’s a good backing there. Small pieces of drywall you can screw down or even a quick set mud to fill in the gaps with would do the trick

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wildatheartmjs OP t1_iv6rqjb wrote

Yes for a lot of it I can still screw into stud. You sir have been extremely helpful. Thank you

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Amarol t1_iv7p4hr wrote

It's no problem at all, friend. Just to clarify, this is the product we use: https://www.amazon.com/Grabber-318111-No-Coat-Ultraflex-Flexible/dp/B07DX4STXF/ not that stuff from the tv infomercials lol. You can bend it in the middle to match the angle of your corner. It comes in a big roll so you can just roll out as much as you need and then just put it on with some mud just like you would with normal tape.

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If you have any other questions I can help with just feel free to shoot me a pm or something :)

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OhCrapItsYouAgain t1_iv5jx27 wrote

Thoughts on putting a beam in there instead of sheet rock? It’s change your look quite a bit, but depending on the span of the room it may look decently natural.

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FreyasYaya t1_iv5m8n4 wrote

This was my thought. I think it could look really nice in a space this shape. A second one on the other side of the window would help make it look more structural.

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Thegrackl3 t1_iv5k9gc wrote

Maybe you can just hide the gap? Put a piece of trim over it instead of trying to drywall it. I think you are going to have a hard time trying to get little pieces in there if there is nothing to screw to. It likely won’t look great and you’ll have a heck of a time mudding it. Make a design element by adding a 2x6 or something along that space to cover the large gap.

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DotAccomplished5484 t1_iv5oor8 wrote

That is a wide gap without any studs. The suggestions of spanning it with lumber are the best option.

You will have to cut bevels on the back side of the lumber to get a good fit. The bevel doesn't have to be exact, paintable caulk will suffice.

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ssdiconfusion t1_iv5xdrt wrote

I agree with the comments about adding wood, at the very least 2x2 furring strips, to support the drywall. You're going to want drywall screws every ~ 12" in the centers of boards, and every 6-8" on edges. If you attempt to mud what you show in the pictures, it will crack and sag and possibly fall within weeks.

Once the drywall is properly supported, I recommend "no coat" flexible corner 450 or similar product as a corner edge bead for something like this. It's expensive but very durable and easy to mud.

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ssdiconfusion t1_iv5yj9i wrote

To be very clear, gypsum board by itself is not a suitable or durable wall or ceiling material. It can crack in half if you lean on it the wrong way. If it's not supported at proper intervals, it will sag and crack over long time periods because it is not rigid. In fact, spanning large gaps and letting it sag is how gypsum board is purposefully bent by professionals to match smooth contours.

Gypsum board only gains strength because it acts as a system with the dimensional lumber backing that it is mechanically coupled to by screws. The tape and mud add a small amount of additional mechanical stability.

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amabamab t1_iv6p33r wrote

I would move the ceiling a little down to create a smooth transition

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RePsychler1 t1_ivd2mcw wrote

Just a real quick thought; had a similar situation once helping a pal. If you have the means, most important being something above the ceiling drywall to nail to, you might consider a "faux beam" to hide the ...joint, or gap. Although there are several ways, a cost and weight- considerate method is to simply run a 2x (your choice of width), down the length of your ridge, (make sure its straight), then "box" it in using 1x6 or whatever. Ideally, the base at the ceiling would 'match' your span. ex; 15' long room would look right w/ a 5" w x8 or 9" high "beam", while a 25' room would want a more substantial "hollow box". You seem bright enough so I'll leave you to imagine how that addition could accent ... Plywood is another alternative to box it in, giving you the options of maple, oak, walnut, etc, which of course is pricey, while cheaper ply could be painted ceiling color or any accent/trim color you may have going on. I hope whatever you do, you do safely!

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