How do I go about covering a plaster wall with drywall?

Question

I took some wainscotting off of the wall and rather than scrape away the adhesive (there is a lot!), I'd like to put a 1/4 inch sheet of drywall over it. I would like to do the work myself, but I've never done it before. Could someone please tell me what materials I will need for this task, and the best way to go about it? Thanks.

Answer 1

I'd say go with the drywall, except that if you don't know how to apply the mud to the joints it may end up looking pretty cheesy. Cutting and hanging drywall is the easy part, it's the taping (applying the mud) that makes the job a success or not. I still think taping drywall joints would be easier than applying a finish over an entire wall surface by hand.
The materials you would need are drywall, a large (12") drywall "knife", a trough for the mud, joint tape (I prefer mesh rather than paper), and mud (comes in bags labeled with a number saying how long it takes to dry) I'd use either 45 or 90 since you're just starting out. Only mix up as much as you can use before it dries.
Then you need sand paper (I prefer the foam sanding blocks. To get a really smooth finish the last coat is a special goop (not a powder) called top coat that comes in a square box.
For specific instructions I'd spend the $20 and get a simple how-to book. That way you can have the reference with you as you go.
Good luck!

Answer 2

Flimsy 1/4" drywall is normally glued to the surface. You sound adventurous and that is great! Keep it up however read up on drywall and drywall finishing first. To this end I recommend Taunton Press' Drywall techniques book by Myron Ferguson. This book is readily carried at HOME DEPOT and shows all the options cited in the other answers as well as sound advice on methods. Good luck!

Answer 3

I doubt if you can find 1/4 inch drywall even if you could you'd be really sorry trying to install it. Think about using paneling you can get just about anything you want and it will glue up real nice just coat your wall with paneling glue one sheet at a time place your paneling up against the glue press it down real good then take it away for about 5 minutes then press it back in place.

Answer 4

I'm going to make a suggestion that I think will save you a lot of aggravation. Instead of fooling around with the 1/4" drywall, which is very flimsy, and still has to be finished, why not just coat the rough surface with joint compound to achieve a smooth surface? If you don't get it absolutely perfect with your trowel or knife, it's an easy enough matter to sand it to a smooth finish.