[m_ridzon]

I am finishing some drywall. Please see the attached pic, describing the issue. My window has a drywall channel around it for the drywall to terminate into. But it then leaves a tiny visible gap between the drywall and the channel that I don't like. I thought about mudding over the entire window recess from the gap to the metal edge guard, but I'm not sure if that's the best idea. Has anybody else run into this before? Any tips on how to finish this nicely?

Thanks in advance,
M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

Folks,

Thanks for the info. Admittedly, I am the DIY'er who connived and did this arrangement, but I'm now not sure it was the best idea. And since I'll be finishing it soon, I want to do it right, which may mean revising my initial plans.

The white plastic channels on the window came with it and are "drywall return channels"; i.e., they are meant for drywall to terminate into for a cleaner look. At the time, it sounded like a great idea and easy way to take care of the drywall ledge around the window. But after the fact, I see the unsightly tiny air gap and wonder how to deal with it. Having gone this far, is it absurd to consider mudding the whole ledge to include the plastic return channels? Or will the window expansion/contraction eventually crack the mudding?

If the mudding idea is completely absurd, I can pull off the drywall ledge and the return channels can be discarded. Should I then simply butt the drywall up against the window? What about having a clean look where it butts to the window? Should I just caulk it or use end molding? Which will be better?

Thanks again!
M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

I don't think that channel is attached to the window. It's probably this:


https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...-x-10-vinyl-j-bead/p-1444450728198-c-13053.htm?tid=-3587306395888177447&ipos=15

It is attached to the window, but comes off very easily when the drywall is removed.

M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

I tried finding a good YouTube video for you but couldn't. The only one half way decent decided to mitre the tear away portion and leave it on permanently. WTF?

The basic idea behind tear away is you have a small ledge that you fill up to with mud leaving you the flange to tear away AFTER prime and paint. You'll want to score the tear away line with a sharp knife to prevent peeling paint or chipping mud.

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to the store today so I'll take a look at this and ask an associate for some explanation about using it since YouTube wasn't very helpful. Once complete, is there a need to caulk the joint at the window or is this idea intended to remove any need for caulking?

Thanks,
M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

Here's the one where the the fabulous host mitered.


https://youtu.be/2depCjjQpWg

I'm pretty sure that was a tranny! :vs_laugh:

At 7:20, he/she showed a close-up of the tear-away. Did he install it backwards? It looks like the side that gets torn away was tucked into the gap, thus prohibiting it from being torn away. Am I seeing that correctly? Granted, I know he was taking a different approach with plans to not tear it away, but that's not the approach I want to take.

M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

Drywall window trim vs wood trim is a matter of personal preference. I would remove the drywall and the plastic and put real wood in there, 3/4" in pine, fir or spruce, whatever you have in your part of the country.

Drywall window trim started as a way for builders to save money, because real wood moldings are getting expensive. Maybe drywall labor rates are less than finish carpenter rates. Some people might like them for their clean minimalist look. Maybe part of the reason I prefer wood trim is because I hate doing anything with drywall and like working with wood.

New update: my wife chimed in and decided that she'd like to take the approach of the wood trim instead of the drywall finish around the window. So I'll be removing the drywall and installing some nice wood trim instead. Is it necessary to caulk the joint where the trim butts up to the window? On many other finished windows I look at, I see no caulking so my guess is that it's unnecessary.

Thanks again.
M Ridzon

 

[m_ridzon]

After you remove the drywall, you might consider shimming out the studs/sill to bring the new wood jambs tight and consistently spaced to the pvc.
It can be done by using an offcut of the jamb material as a spacer to shim to.
Cut a handful (box full) of various thicknesses of material like formica, 1/8 hardwood, 1/4 inch ply, etc into squares and have at it.

The PVC channel on the window is easily removable once the drywall is gone. So I'll just rip it off and butt the wood trim up against the window frame, simply overlaying the studs/sill with the finish trim. That should be pretty straightforward and no shimming should be needed hopefully.

M Ridzon