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The Handyguys received a distraught email from one of our listeners regarding a DIY disaster. It seems that Leroy has the challenge of fixing a hack job from the previous homeowner.
Hi guys, I recently purchased a house. The home was built in 1990. In the master bedroom there is an 8 inch paper boarder up high on the walls. Instead of taking the boarder off, the person who lived here prior apparently used some sort of mud to (poorly) blend the lower portion of the boarder to the rest of the sheet rock then used what looks like spray texture to try and match the knockdown texture currently on the wall and then painted the entire room. At a distance, you can kinda see the patchwork but up close it is very unattractive. My question is how would you go about removing the boarder and making the wall look uniform being that there is knockdown texture on the wall. Thank you so much. Love the podcast and fyi, I wrote a review on Itunes.
The Handyguys make an effort to rescue Leroy from this potential mess. In summary, there are three choices that the handyguy can make to fix the funny looking walls:
- Just tear down that drywall and install new! Obviously this is a drastic solution but it would work.
- Try to create a texture over the wallpaper boarder that matches the rest of the wall. The Handyguys discuss the texture options.
- Camouflage the problem. Either use another wallpaper border that is thicker then the one used previously or repaint the room with a faux paint process that hides the problem.
Water Pressure in the Home
Is your home water pressure to high? Many newer homes have pressure regulators which reduce the water pressure coming into the home. However, if these regulators are not set correctly or are faulty, you could have high water pressure which may cause a plumbing disaster. A typical home water pressure is measured at 70psi or below.
However, Handyguy Paul has heard from neighbors with readings above 100psi. This high pressure can raise the chance of having a plumbing failure, particularly with one of the many fittings to toilets and sinks. If you think you may have high water pressure, get it checked.
If you want to check your water pressure yourself, you may want to consider picking up a water pressure gauge
Channel Lock
Channellock sent us their newly released tool: the 6.5″ V-Jaw tongue and groove pliers to check out. They look useful and more versatile than regular pliers. The Handyguys discuss some possible uses, keep them handy and report back when we use them on a future project. We love that they are made in the USA! Thanks Channellock. You can get Channellock products at Amazon by clicking this link
Quick note: I don’t carry “normal” pliers in my tool kit anymore, mainly because I find the places they can be used properly far and few between. Yes, I have a pair in my workshop (somewhere), but channellock pliers and needle nose pliers are used much more frequently by me, so it is essential that I don’t leave them lay around and have my wife put them away (in the wrong place) for me.
Good point Mark – Pliers in general are one of those tools that are ubiquitous but often there are better tools for the job.
In regards to Leroy’s situation…
I never take on a home improvement project that makes things better but ultimately lands me in the same place as when I started. Removing the border only to end up with a wall that looks normal would fit into that camp.
So, options I would look at would be decorative elements that improve the look of the room and cover up the border mess at the same time. Crown moulding is the first thing that comes to mind. An eight inch (or more) profile can be built up using multiple trim elements assuming the ceiling height is enough to pull it off visually. One task I would like to do in my master bedroom is to mimic a raised ceiling by building a “box” around the ceiling perimeter. The portion of the existing ceiling not boxed in then becomes the “raised ceiling”. The box can be filled with recessed lighting and speakers or whatever else I want so I improve the look and function of the room at the same time. The same issue as with the moulding exists though — you need at least nine foot ceilings to pull it off visually.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Jeff, some good tips!