Answer (1 of 7): How do you tell if a concrete wall is hollow or not? If a wall provides direct support to the structure of a house, it's a structural wall that you should not remove. If you don't it anything use toggles, concrete use tapcons or a sleeve with fastener. Here the furring strips are attached to the basement wall to give support. As you drive in the pin, the sleeve expands outward, trapping the anchor in the hole. Before removing the cover, turn off the outlet (or the entire house if you're not sure). If it is a concrete wall, it is most likely solid, unless it is tilt panels that were prestressed and have hollow cores, since pouring a concrete wall with a hollow cavity is very difficult and expensive, compared to just pouri. Multi-read content drywall vs plaster how to tell. Drive five screws, in a single line, across the middle of the drywall piece and into a a single strapping or joist. For concrete, this makes it waker, less dense, and more porous. At that point it will be recessed into the wall and you can just pop it into the wall with a aul or just Spackle right over. However weird this may seem, you should knock (lightly) on the surface of the wall. Grab a basic push pin and press it into the wall. If they both run parallel in the same direction, the wall is likely not load-bearing. Check the cross section of the wall to see if it is drywall or standard drywall. If there are studs within reach, use wood screws to attach to the studs. Joint Compound for Faux Concrete Wall: Drywall Joint Compound at Lowes or at Home Depot. Now the surface - in most recently built homes this is wallboard (also called drywall or plasterboard) ranging from about 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) thick to 3/4 . Then check to see if there are studs in the immediate vicinity or close. If you, however, find the hole too big for the plug and see not even its teeth getting stuck on the hole then select a smaller drill bit. The first thing you want to do is locate the top of your foundation wall. . If a wall runs at a perpendicular angle to the joists, it is load-bearing. So Yes, Stud Finders Do Work. Run your furring strips vertically, on top of the concrete and in line with the studs, and extend the furring strips from the floor to the ceiling. it's going to happen somewhere at some time. The spring loaded metal wings make this an excellent choice for overhead mounting. These are just very basic ways how to tell if they are . If you don't have a drill you can use a hammer and a long nail. If you also need to add your vapor barrier, use generous amounts of adhesive in S shapes on the wall and then add the barrier material. It also saves your knuckles for more important tasks like gripping a hammer drill! Use a flashlight for more light if necessary. Differentiating between mold and minerals is easy. (If the masonry is damp, dry the area you'll be gluing with a flame from a propane torch first.) Traditionally, drywall sounded hollow when knocked. How To Remove Mold From Concrete Walls Fill a bucket with 1-gallon of warm water and add cup of liquid laundry detergent. To determine if the walls in your home are drywall or drywall, first remove the switch plate or electrical outlet cover. Step 1: Assess the Wall for Stud Location. Then 4' x 8' drywall mounted to the Furing Channels with screws. Spray a small amount of water on the substance. With a pencil and straightedge, lightly mark a square approximately 6 inches by 6 inches. Exposing certain brick walls can take . NOT suitable for stud walls ; Convenient to install,just need gently knock with a hammer,less damage to the surface of the wall,the traces on the wall is not abvious after remove and uneasy to fall off after installation You cut out the drywall, put in a block and then put the piece of drywall back on top of it. Cut along the outline with a drywall jab saw. Block walls run continuously from slab to roof. Especially in ceilings that run through several rooms where there are no headers in the doorways. Winner: Drywall. You will see layers of plaster with no paper in sight. [bottom] Look at the difference in "grab" on the wall that the toggle has over the expansion anchor. If you need to probe around the exterior of the box to get a better view - remember, electricity runs thru the wires in the box! If there's no drywall, just knock on the wall. There are exceptions to this rule, however, so don't rely 100% on this method. Therefore, when you put a . It should look something like this: Drywall is flexible enough to accommodate push pins, but plaster is hard enough to put a push pin inside of it using hand. A hollow sound indicates drywall, while a more solid sound means the wall is made of concrete. It performs better than plaster at keeping heating and cooling inside the home, and when coupled with today's insulation options it's even better. If the noise you hear sounds hollow, chances are likely that you have yourself a regular wall. 3. Strength, Durability, and Weight Bearing Capabilities Concrete is extremely strong and can handle up to 4000 PSI. These panels can be used for your basement finish without using studs and drywall. The gypsum core of drywall is a white/grey color with paper on each side. In the end, you need a good stud finder. A common method of finishing concrete walls in suites is by laminating a layer of drywall directly to the wall using an adhesive. Block is not covered with siding on the outside and it is uncovered on the inside, with the block painted on the inside and outside faces. Brand: SWELGO. Remove a switch plate in your home. Brick is holding the house up and therefore can be found on both exterior and interior walls. Plaster will have layers of solid plaster without paper. Stucco over concrete block will feel like solid rock. Drywall is normally 1/2" thick. Make a hidden hole in the drywall by using a tiny drill bit and a drill. Benefits to this type of wall are an increased insulation value and ease of adding . Put your thumb on the wall and push a pushpin. You may see thin wood strips beneath the plaster. 3. Estimate stud locations by looking at the wall. There are four ways you can find out whether the apartment has drywall or a plaster wall: Remove an electrical socket Do a hardness test Check for cracks Find out the age of the home 1. Then drill holes big enough for the fasteners of your choosing. Drywall is soft so that a pushpin can pass through it with little force, while the plaster is hard, so putting in more effort is needed. This is probably the simplest and the quickest way to tell whether you have plaster walls or drywall. If you're unsure whether a wall is made of drywall or concrete, there are a couple of easy ways to figure it out. Inspect your attic for the inside ceiling and walls. One common technique is to cover the block wall with drywall. Simply drill a hole into the concrete, hold the fixture you're fastening over the hole, then use a hammer to tap the anchor into the hole. [5] 4. Outlet cables tend to be about 12 inches high. Drywall is characterized by paper on either side of chalky gypsum. On the left, this is what the cross-section of a plaster wall looks like. Framing basement walls against concrete a step by guide validhouse 10 ways to cover in finish how drywall wall today s homeowner directly on diy home improvement remodeling repair forum finishing painting beginners installing semigloss design make your below grade space livable bob vila beautiful insulated panels inorganic insulation installed contractors hanging nine steps take before near . Inspect the sides of the hole cut for the switch. I know someone here will think I'm nuts, but I put up 12" of durorock around my garage. If you don't believe it, lay a piece on a basement slab for a day or two, then see how easily you can bend it without it breaking. The combination of a housing boom and technological advances led to the use of factory-made drywall, which decreased the labor time and costs of finishing interior walls. However, if the noise is muffled or dull, it might be a load-bearing wall. Check the Ceiling You see, drywall is relatively soft material which means that your push pin will come into it quite easily with just a thumb pressure. Slowly incorporate in the water until the compound is smooth. Ensure that the vapor barrier completely covers the concrete . This creates a small void (usually around 10-20mm) in the wall which is faced with plasterboard. While nearly all homes built in the past 50 years contain drywall, determining what type of walls are in your home is a relatively simple process. Framing: You should expect to spend about $1 per square foot to frame your basement. Let the repair dry for 10 to 20 minutes. Wires. Any wall that doesn't support another wall is most likely not a load-bearing wall. If there is no insulation in the wall, look at the back wall. This will leave a bit of cavity between the drywall and the XPS to help dampen sound on the basement walls with the concrete . They come in two distinct types: loadbearing. The strips usually run vertically along the wall. # 3. How much does it cost to frame and drywall a basement? Cover the crack with either mesh joint tape or joint compound and paper tape, followed by a thin layer of joint compound, extending about 2 inches on each side of the tape. Remove the cut-out and inspect its back for mold. If the bit stops going after an inch or two the wall is concrete. In your particular case, figure out where you want your speakers. Double brick row homes have a lower chance of shared brick walls. Here are a few guidelines for determining the type of house structure hiding under the surface: Stucco or EIFS (Exterior Insulated Finishing System - also called synthetic stucco) over a wood frame wall will sound slightly hollow when you pound on it with your fist. That said, drywall is much easier to work with. That's partially due to cost and time, but also due to the insulating properties of drywall. Examine any cracks that may be present within the wall. How to Tell If Wall is Concrete or Drywall? You may also see plaster that seeped out between the laths; we call them "keys." First, knock on the wall and listen to the sound that the knocking creates. Upvote # 9 If you need to hang a bracket or something else on a hollow concrete block wall, you should consider using a metal sleeve anchor. Here are some tips to . Texture wall panels are considered as drywall alternatives that increase the home appealing. Our services include: * Concrete * Drywall * Plaster * Texture * Stucco * Exterior Insulation Systems (EIFS) * Painting Contact us today to find out more or to request a competitive quote that . Apply two or three more thin layers of spackling paste or joint compound over the seams of the patch until the entire area is flush with the surrounding . Otherwise, head to your attic to see the back of the walls. If it doesn't, it's likely mold growing in your basement. You can observe imperfections like cracks, roughness, paint peeling, and curves. You've got drywall if the pin goes through easily. The other answers seem to show how to distinguish between concrete and drywall. To poke the holes, you can use an awl or a very small drill bit. Moreover, it's also rock-solid, very dense, structurally sound, and can bear a lot of weight. A 1/8 toggle can safely hold 50 lbs on 1/2 drywall a 3/8 toggle over 100 lbs. Shut off power to the area at the electric service panel. Hoist the drywall panel up onto the ceiling, starting from a corner. If you have a small project, you can get a 3 quart size instead of the 4.5-gallon shown. Then take a pair of needle nose pliers and grab the extroior metal to snap it off it's very flimsy. The fasteners give you a good estimate of the center of the studs. Drywall Anchors(20pcs), Drywall Anchors Heavy Duty, Wall Anchors and Screws for Drywall,Concrete Anchors 240 lbs in 1/2" Drywall for 3/16"-24 UNC Fastener Size . Ideally, it should extend above your grading at least a few inches. Pro tip for next time. If one can hear a wall clearly from the outside, it is likely made of concrete. Internal walls are usually defined as walls that divide rooms, as opposed to the insides of the external walls. If it dissolves away, it's efflorescence. If water is on top of the compound, use a 12-inch (30.48 cm) drill to toss a mixing paddle in. Tape a one-foot by one-foot square of plastic sheeting (plastic kitchen wrap will do) to the concrete wall in your basement with duct tape, and leave it in place for 24 hours. They comprise of a solid wall with plasterboard stuck on to it using "dabs" of adhesive. A typical three eighths inch expansion anchor which is embedded only 2.5 inches in a sound concrete wall can resist 1,200 pounds of pull! If you can see the front and back of the paper across the gypsum Furring strips are long, narrow strips of wood that are attached to the concrete block. 3. If the wall feels like concrete, it most likely is. Just apply a vapor barrier with nails on 13'' strips of wood by using masonry nails. 1. At the same time, mark a pencil line perpendicular to the crack at that point, and measure its width to the nearest 64th of an inch. The trick to these is in the word "hollow" sound echoes in the cavity when you knock on the wall, so a . Leave the smooth side out and flll the gaps with caulk. Texture wall panels. You want the edges to be perpendicular to the strapping or joist and tight against the wall. If the wall feels as hard as concrete, it probably is. Rinse the concrete wall with a garden hose and allow it to air dry. Any board should be held at least 1/2" from the floor, to prevent moisture on the floor from soaking up. Light switches are around 48 inches high, so expect to see electric cables around that area. 1) The noise that the wall makes when you knock on it. Vacuum out loose material. If not, grab a shovel and pull back the soil enough so you can expose the top of the foundation. Electrical cables are usually behind drywall, either running horizontally through holes in the studs or stapled vertically up the sides of studs. With the pencil, mark every 16-inch increment on the stud until you reach the end of the board. Hook the end of the tape measure on one end of the stacked plates. These types of support are usually continuous across the whole wall. You can also tell if a wall is load-bearing by inspecting the joists. Knock on the wall if there is no drywall. How do you anchor into concrete? 2. non-loadbearing. Push a pin into the wall. On drywall walls, raised or sunken imperfections running vertically indicate fasteners that secure the panels to the studs. Allow to dry. Photo below shows an expansion anchor [top] and a toggle bolt not yet tightened. Want the block wall in your basement to have a more finished appearance? Remove a switch plate or electric socket so you can take a peek and check the cross-section of the wall. If you live in a double brick house more than likely you'll find brick beneath plaster. If the hole seems too small use a larger drill bit. Fits for Cement walls, lime wall,wood wall, wooden doors, whitewashed walls,stickers wall.Suitable for hard wood and solid walls. Double brick and triple brick represent full brick houses. Put pressure on it while you are unscrewing it to partially loosen it. All the same, there are many others ways to know. I put a pvc base-trim on it as well. Plaster will have lath [wood or drywall] and then a layer of plaster between the lath and the paint. If there is drywall, take a drill and a very small bit and drill a hole somewhere inconspicuous. $20.99 $ 20. The compound is ready to use if there is no water present. 0 seconds of 1 minute, 50 secondsVolume 0%. Remove The Electrical Socket If there are any electrical sockets on the wall, pick one and remove it using a screwdriver. While the knuckle-knock test works a majority of the time on simple drywall, a good stud finder gives you more precision. Drywall: made from paper sheets and gypsum; available in 48- 410 sheets and 0.5-0.625 thickness. Find a scrap of thin glass and glue it across the crack with five-minute epoxy or super glue. 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