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removing batten strips

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:51 am
by jasonsdad
and underneath the sheetrock is not factory edge to be mudded? how does one do this and not create a hump with tape and joint compound?

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:12 pm
by gtpvette
I had issues with this myself. The reality is you feather it out,,, way out and it can look OK. Also if you're looking for a smooth finish they'll be lots of sanding involed which means lots of dust.

Here is a couple of shots of walls in my place.

Image

Image

As you can see between the joint and the screws I ended up with a lot of joint compound on the walls. What I ened up doing is just texturing the whole wall with joint compound. It hides all of the imperfections, looks really good and there is no sanding involved. It kind of like knockdown or stucco.

After texturing it,,, it looks like this

Image

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:42 pm
by jasonsdad
so we closed yesterday on this property. i have gone back and forth deciding whether to remove and replace or trying to mud under batten..

this is vinyl covered sheetrock, what do most people do?

after removing batten strips and seeing it isn't two factory edges like in my current home i want to tear it down....for me, i want really smooth traditional walls. it's one of my "things"

we also found out subfloor is particleboard so that has to come up and be replaced with plywood.

it is a 2002 liberty sw 16x64

thanks,
kristin

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:30 pm
by Greg
Vinyl sheetrock, you have a few choices. Live with the strips, Fill in the gaps and skim coat the wall to make it all smooth. Or replace all of the sheetrock. I will tell you that in all likelihood you will have cracks develop at the seems. you can try some printable caulk, this will give it a little flexibility and may not re crack.

Unless you are planning on redoing all of the floors, I would do patch jobs on the bad sections of particleboard.

Greg

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:26 pm
by jasonsdad
Greg,

are you saying that new sheetrock taped with mesh and compound will eventually crack?

yes, we are replacing floor throughout with solid prefinished hardwood.

can i run a bead of caulk before taping?

thanks again,
kristin

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:54 am
by LisaBoyer
Hi,

I am by no means an expert, it's strictly trial by error here! I hated the strips, so removed them all and used paintable caulk to fill in seams, and inside corners (working on outside corners now with a metal bead frame, mudd and LOTS of feathering and sanding)....painted over the caulk, and so far, knock on wood, it looks great. However....when the light hits the wall at just the right place, I can tell where the seams were. I used paint and primer, satin, Behr...it covered the printed vinyl very well, no complaints there. I'm thinking...I wish I knew more, I probably would replace all the walls with sheet rock and build from the ground up! Good luck with your project! :mrgreen:

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:32 pm
by cattus
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Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:12 pm
by Greg
Depending on your location, how your home is supported and even the wind can be a factor.
Any type of movement can allow the wall to flex ever so slightly that can lead to cracking, That was the reason for paintable caulk. In my area the ground freezes and can shift homes that are not on below the frostline footers.

Some people , (as noted in other posts) Seem to have found ways around the problems. Perhaps you can get lucky.

Greg

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:44 pm
by jasonsdad
thanks everyone so much for the suggestions...i love the cake decorating gizmo, great idea!

kristin

Re: removing batten strips

Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:05 pm
by Lorne
I used "Setting Type 45 minute compound where the battens came off and the standard compound for areas where drying time wasn't an issue.

The Setting type drys fast (20-45 or 90 minutes) where I figured that a 2nd coat would be needed. So far no cracks have appeared after more then a year.

Check out Youtube videos for actual mixing techniques and applications.

Even in corners I removed the corner battens and used vinyl tape and mudded over it. Worked great. Anything to get away from the Mobile Home look.