I have a small remodeling project that needs to get done in our kitchen. We have an alcove which our refrigerator sits, however the fridge is tight to both walls causing problems moving it. I need to gain at least 1/4" to have enough room to at least be able to move the fridge without it getting pinched by the side walls. I have a few questions here:

1) Is there a way to shave drywall? If so, is it a good idea rather than taking down the existing drywall and replacing it with new drywall?

2) Is there a good board to use than 1/4" drywall for this application? I'm only looking to gain minimal space for the fridge, and it doesn't have to be the greatest stuff...just has to look the same as painted drywall (after being hung and painted) as it is exposed for about 9" above the fridge.

3)If shaving drywall is not an option, what's the best way to remove drywall and associated corner beads?

I was told of a product called dairy board...something I've never heard of. Has anyone heard of such a thing? Does anyone know of a board that could be used to cover stud work to gain the most space inn this odd situation?

Thank you in advance...

 

Is your house newer or do you have the lath n' plaster?? IF you have lath n plaster, then you could tear that all out and put up 3/8 inch drywall. I have lath n plaster and thickness of that is roughly 7/8" thick! That is the thickness of the plaster and the lath together. So you will have room then and gain that 1/4" you need for the fridge. If you have a newer construction, then you could still tear that off b/c newer homes are generally built with 1/2" drywall. So you could still put up the 3/8" thick drywall and it would also help you out.

About shaving the thickness, not sure you can do that b/c you would shave off the paper of the drywall and that gives the strength to the drywall. Hope this helps.

I am no pro just an avid diy'er!!
Good Luck

 

As noted above - you can't shave drywall!

Why don't you want to use 1/4" drywall? Unless you have plaster, that's about the only way you will gain a 1/4" I suppose you could use paneling but with 1/4" drywall it will look just like the rest of the house when finished. You could add some 2x blocking in the wall if you are worried about strength but with the fridge on both sides it shouldn't need it. 1/4" drywall is what's used on all the walls in the newer MHs.

Basically you rip out the drywall and corner bead, install the new and prefill the gap at the back, tape and finish. I've not heard of dairy board either.

 

I didn't even know they made 1/4" drywall!! I thought the thinnest was 3/8". How do you handle a 4x8 sheet of 1/4" drywall. It would be like carring 20 dozen eggs!!

 

Thanks for the insight...I was planning on using the thinnest drywall I could find, but the task now is get the fridge out and find out what is hanging up there. I draw this stuff all day, now it's time to actually do the work...

To answer your question, it's a 1961 house, but the kitchen was remodeled a few years ago...and seeing what they did makes me wonder why they did some things. I could write a book on this post describing the questionable things, but I'll spare you all. Bottom line is, they didn't tile under the fridge when they redid the floors, so I'm assuming the left the fridge in place during the duration. So I guess I get to poke around...here's hoping it's plaster and lathe (for thickness sake, not for my time to remove it).

As I'm constantly told...ah, the joys of home ownership (becomming my least favorite phrase). Thanks again all.

 

I love working on my house. If I could stay home all day and work on my house then I would. I love it. Now when I have a problem or have to look into hiring someone then that is what ticks me off b/c I love doing as much as I can w/ little help, other than my friends.

I hope you can get the fridge out, there is going to be a nice size lip there that your fridge will have to roll over, especially if they put that backer board/cement board down before the ceramic tile!! Good Luck and if you can post pics that will help with answering your questions. To do that create an account at photobucket and follow the instructions! Good Luck

 

bsarch - Ideally you would put down tile under the fridge but short of that, installing plywood to make up the height difference would be a good idea. While a lot of homes used drywall in the early 60's, many still used plaster. Even though removing plaster/lath will give you more room, hopefully it's drywall - less work and not near as messy!

diyplank - 1/4" drywall is mainly used on curved walls. It bends easy and if you double up the sheets on a curve - it will line up with the 1/2" on the straight walls. If I remember correctly the 1/4" costs a little more than the 1/2" or 3/8"