[tawneyj]

on the ceiling...(60's ish house and the wooden boards are right tight together)

i was going to just repaint my son's room...simple two day at most job...went to scrape off a paint bubble on the ceiling and voila...mould! so i go back to store and get all the supplies needed to cut out drywall and replace as there are two spots of mould from leaks (i know the source and how to fix that)...
tried to saw through the drywall but it was really really hard to do so i just opt for pry barring from the seam and yippee ...there's wooden boards (just like on the walls) underneath...so i now have all the mouldy parts removed but not a clean cut line anywhere...
what do i use,, how do i make a clean cut so i can put up new drywall???

and i don't mean studs with spaces between...i mean like old 6 inch wide wooden boards kinda like a cheapo hardwood floor...

 

[chrisBC]

you just want a clean cut out for the drywall? i'm assuming you are just talking about cleaning up the edges of the drywall to get ready to install the repair piece.

just grab a straitedge (or chalkline) and a tape measure, measure out the piece you want out, trace it with the straitedge, score it with a knife (go lightly, several passes will be needed to cut through) it's not that easy a task for a ceiling if you're not used to it, but just keep at it.

You can use a sawzall too, just be careful not to cut right through the boards beneath. This will be a lot more dusty too.

Then you are ready to tape and mud. Make sure you prime this before you paint.

It sounds like you really don't have much experience with drywall- Some words of wisdom- It may be in your best interest to have someone come in and do the drywall repair for you- it is a task that takes a bit of practice to produce great results, especially on ceillings.

If you want to do it yourself, cool. Just be prepared to be patient and learn as you go, if it doesn't look good just sand it and mud it again, the farther out the better. Hard for me to tell as I have no idea how big the area you are talking about is

good luck

 

[tawneyj]

THANK YOU!
you are right, super duper beginner with drywall! because it is on the ceiling, the whole "working above my head" seems to be the most trouble but i just borrowed a much higher ladder and will see if getting closer to the ceiling will help facilitate cutting...the holes cut out themselves are not that big (1 foot by 1/2 foot? approx)
I will just continue to be patient so that i get it looking as best as possible...if not i'm hoping that painting clouds on the ceiling after will hide the imperfections...thanks again!
:yes:

 

[kuj0317]

A sawsall will be overkill and unwieldy IMO. Try a dremel or multimaster tool instead.

 

[chrisBC]

A sawsall will be overkill and unwieldy IMO. Try a dremel or multimaster tool


if you want overkill and inwieldly give me a chainsaw and a six pack...