# Mud over Shiplap or sheetrock first??



## Justin Timberleg (Jun 16, 2009)

I have an old house with shiplap walls.. The wallpaper was secured with cheescloth and 3 million small nails.. Looking for the least expensive way to "update" the interior..


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## FishinNutz (Dec 31, 2009)

What kind of shiplap are we talking about? Wood? Something worth putting the work to revive it?

If it's just junk, I would suggest going the hard route and pulling it down and sheetrocking. In the long run, it's more work, but the finished product will be more professional.


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## Justin Timberleg (Jun 16, 2009)

Its about 12" hard wood shiplap. The wood is nice, but it has atleast 6 million small tin nails that hung the cheese cloth before and are nearly inpossible to remove.. I plan on renting the house out and looking for the least expensive option.. 1/4 inch sheetrock over the shiplap was what I am considering but looking for a cheaper way.. I once put mud over paneling and it did fine, but this has alot of seems..


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## FishinNutz (Dec 31, 2009)

Thats a shame that they did that to that wood, and with the nails, even painting the wood doesn't seem to be an option. I'd probably go with the 1/4" sheetrock myself, but mud would probably be OK over the wood if it's primed, as long as it's not too thick (if it's gonna be thick, it would probably need a mesh backer to hold up), but at a few $ a sheet, the sheetrock may well be cheaper than the labor to do the mud if it's gonna take alot.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

I've been doing Sheetrock work for almost 30 years now. I know exactly what you are talking about as I have done those jobs a lot in the old Victorian homes in Galveston. 
We always use 1/4" rock as it leaves a nice reveal around all you trim work. We hang right over the wood. Tearing all that old wood out is very hard. Leaving it keeps your house solidly built also. 
Once hung, simply tape and float. 
Fishinuts, that is how they built house back on the day. The whole interior was shiplapped for strength. Then wall papered over. The wood was notty pine wood, nothing pretty to finish out. 


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## Justin Timberleg (Jun 16, 2009)

Yea house was built in 1936 I like the wood look, but the nails are EVERYWHERE!!! Question for ya, my doors and entrances have rounded corners, whats the best way to attack those with sheetrock?


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

I used 1/2" SR.....on mine.


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## FireEater (Jul 31, 2009)

Justin Timberleg said:


> Yea house was built in 1936 I like the wood look, but the nails are EVERYWHERE!!!
> Question for ya, my doors and entrances have rounded corners, whats the best way to attack those with sheetrock?


They used the small nails back then to attach the cheesecloth before applying the wallpaper. 
The rounded (arch) areas are hung like the rest, but you use a rotor zip to cut them out, making sure you do not cut into any trim if it is still up.

The reason we use 1/4" rock is to get a nice reveal on the trim. We have used 1/2" by customers request.

We do use 1/2" if all trim has been removed and they are going back with custom installed trim to compensate for the rock.

Usually on the old houses, they leave all the ornate trim up, so that is the reason to try to get a nice reveal on the trim.

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## Bayman (Oct 18, 2004)

I redid a house like that when I was in college. The house was 100 years old and we sheetrocked the whole thing, including the ceiling, with 1\4". One word of warning, this stuff is hard! On some of the walls and ceiling we had to predrill the holes before we put the screws in. Trying to hold up 1/4" SR on the ceiling and predrilling for screws is at least a two man job. The 1/4" is kind of fragile so be careful.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

i remodeled a house with shiplap. i took it down, sanded the side opp the tacks, put it back up and put polyeurethane on it. beautiful character, but a lot of work. as it eventually became a rental unit, i probably would have been just as well off using drywall. i'd use 1/2" as it hides ups/downs/imperfections in the level of the shiplap.

bayman is right about that stuff being hard as a rock. i shot the shiplap up when going back with it.


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## Justin Timberleg (Jun 16, 2009)

Sounds like I got a job ahead of me.. Looking to fix this ol house up and sell it or rent it and get out the ghetto! Thanks for the help, wish me luck!!


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## iridered2003 (Dec 12, 2005)

FireEater said:


> They used the small nails back then to attach the cheesecloth before applying the wallpaper.
> The rounded (arch) areas are hung like the rest, but you use a rotor zip to cut them out, making sure you do not cut into any trim if it is still up.
> 
> The reason we use 1/4" rock is to get a nice reveal on the trim. We have used 1/2" by customers request.
> ...


what he said. i stripped the wood out of a house like this one time. thats all it took, one time. never again. 1/4 rock that badboy and be done.


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