Masonite

[ETD66SS]

If you're only going to be in the house for 5 years why not buy new trim and save the custom stuff for the new house?
Pops

I have maple coming out of my ears... I figure I'd rather save the $$$ and make my own, instead of buy new trim. I have enough maple to trim multiple houses...

As far as hiring a professional, I have done drywall before. I can't say I'm very good at it, but I can do it myself, plus I need more practice at it. I'm the type of guy who never hires a professional, I always do things myself, even if it's a painful learning process

What about sanding? If I sand too much will this stuff get all hairy?

 

[ETD66SS]

Yeah, the ceiling is drywall, only the walls are the Homasote crap...

I may just cover the walls with 1/4" drywall. If I can locate it at a lumber yard, otherwise just go with 3/8" from a Home Depot.

 

[jenkinsph]

Think about how fire resistant drywall is vs. how non-fire resistant masonite is, and consider either replacing the masonite or covering it completely with drywall.

I agree 100% with Dave.


Drywall is available in 1/4" sheet thickness to skin over an existing wall. I think by the time you try to coat and smooth the masonite you will have more time and money in it than it is worth.

Old walls mean old electrical and plumbing in most cases this needs to be fixed before you put alot of time in the wall finishes. That said I would budget a room at a time and fix the electrical and plumbing issues and then install new 1/2" drywall. Do it once and do it right.


Steve

 

[ETD66SS]

I agree 100% with Dave.


Drywall is available in 1/4" sheet thickness to skin over an existing wall. I think by the time you try to coat and smooth the masonite you will have more time and money in it than it is worth.

Old walls mean old electrical and plumbing in most cases this needs to be fixed before you put alot of time in the wall finishes. That said I would budget a room at a time and fix the electrical and plumbing issues and then install new 1/2" drywall. Do it once and do it right.


Steve

Well, there are no electrical & plumbing issues...

The plumbing was redone in the late 90's, and a new electrical panel with breakers was installed in 1986.

As far as the wiring, yes, it's the old black cloth wrapped wire. However, it's 2 conductor wire with a ground, all the metal boxes are grounded, so I can easily make a jumper wire when I switch to 3-prong outlets. The wire is copper, not aluminum, so I really see no reason why I'd need to pull out all the wiring & redo it just because it's 55 years old. Yes, it's nice to have all new stuff, and I'll have that in 5 years or so when I build a new house. Can't go crazy tearing this one all apart just because old walls may have issues. Eventhough I would like to rip off all this board, replace all the wiring, and put in all new insulation, I have to stop myself from doing that. This house is not meant to be a project like that, and I'd never get my money back out of it.

I'm still not sure if I want to do the drywall. I pulled all the trim off last night in the first room I plan to remodel. I may just fix the imperfections in the walls (small holes from nails used to hold picture frames & such), paint it and put in new trim.

I did notice, this Homasote board originally had some kind of light yellow textured paper on the outside of it. They mudded up the seams & nail holes 55 years ago and none of them are cracking. I'm wondering what the best product is for fixing the small imperfections. Something that will stick well to a few layers of paint. A tub of drywall mud as opposed to a tube of spackling?

 

[jenkinsph]

What is wrong with using caulk if you are going for short term cosmetics? I think most of us who have been through lots of remodels would caution you to either tear it out completely and rework

OR

as one poster said add the 1,000,001 coat of paint and get by. That is if you can handle 5 years with it. I agree that you can get lost in this type project and would cause a delay in building your new home. Curious if you would be selling this one to apply to the new house? Depending on what work was done you may be able to add some value to this one over the next five years.

Steve

 

[ETD66SS]

What is wrong with using caulk if you are going for short term cosmetics?

I don't think caulk is going to look anywhere near as good as using some type of compound I can sand flat.

I can't believe it's an all or nothing proposition, crappy looking caulk or tear the whole house apart replacing everything that is not perfect.

Someone was able to mud the seams & nail holes of the Homasote 55 years ago and make the walls look nice & flat. That has to be possible these days with all the products available.

I guess I'll just have to experiment.

I'll try drywall mud first.

 

[Danno1]

...... Or cover it all with sheet aluminum........

Ya, diamond plate!!!!!!!!!!


.

 

[ETD66SS]

Ya, diamond plate!!!!!!!!!!


.

Yeah, wonder what the fiance would say about that...

Diamond plate in the bedroom

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't think caulk is going to look anywhere near as good as using some type of compound I can sand flat.

I can't believe it's an all or nothing proposition, crappy looking caulk or tear the whole house apart replacing everything that is not perfect.

Someone was able to mud the seams & nail holes of the Homasote 55 years ago and make the walls look nice & flat. That has to be possible these days with all the products available.

I guess I'll just have to experiment.

I'll try drywall mud first.

Caulk when properly used and applied will smooth out nicely. I use a damp sponge to wipe off nail holes and cracks. I find that the cheaper painters caulk is easier to work and wipe down.

About the homosote board, bear in mind that when it was new without 55 years of aging it was easier to work with. Now with years of painting, some of which is likely to be lead based, you are needing something to smooth out that sticks to paint.

Good Luck wiht your project.


Steve

 

[Pops15]

There a few different things you can use. Some will yield better results than others. Drywall mud and paper drywall tape will yield the best results and also be the easiest to use. Caulk would be very low on my list of products to use for something like that.
There are two issues with Homasote. One is its fairly soft so the walls can get dinged easily. The other is it burns. I would guess that faulty wiring or grease fires in the kitchen are the most common causes of home fires. Fires caused by faulty wiring are usually inside of walls, in attics, or crawl spaces. Covering your walls with drywall won't do much if you have an electrical fire inside a wall. At most it will give you a little more time to get out. If you have a grease fire in the kitchen, drywall isn't going to help you. In addition to the grease, your wood cabinets, and curtains will already be burning.
You're on the right track not wanting to over remodel a house you're going to sell in a few years. Its unlikely you'd recover your investment.