I had some drywall rot around the tub. I pulled away the cracking drywall with the intention of patching a 2x2 section and doing a re-caulk and sand to try and clean the area up. The moist drywall peeled away easily but having a ***** of a time with the larger cut. As you can see from the picture it looks like the drywall was mounted onto wood paneling. How best to cut my 2x2 piece away without cutting through the wood behind the drywall? I'm thinking once my section is clear to just use drywall screws and mount into the wood paneling.

Zero DIY skills but I did buy what is needed I think to get the job done. If the drywall was just attached to studs I could cut away but the solid back with wood paneling has me screwed up.

 

Thanks for the picture. I'd say you need to remove another layer until you see vertical wooden studs. It looks like water damage and mold have taken hold. I suspect the problem has traveled further.

Can you provide a bigger picture of the whole wall or bath area?

 

Best I'm going to get. Bathroom isn't that big. As far as pulling more wood down not sure i was hoping for that. Rather just get a sander and tear into that wood. Believe it or not the wood and behind the tub are dry. The bathroom walls just get very wet after showers.

 

To answer your question on how to cut away a 2 X 2 piece of drywall is not hard, Just use an exacto knife with a sharp blade and run it along a metal straight edge multiple times,,, (for a straight edge you can use a carpenter's square or a level) it won't take long before you're through the drywall and can simply pull it off.

From the picture though I think you likely have an issue that requires more than just replacing a small piece of drywall. You have standing moisture and therefore mold that goes deeper. You should find and stop the source of the excessive moisture. You should also take down more of the drywall and wood paneling to assess and fix the extent of the damage.

Good luck.

 

Thanks. I used a box cutter and while I'm cutting through easy enough it isn't just popping off. Almost glued to the wood it feels. I couldn't find any leaks from the tub. From the flashlight in the opening all looks dry. I figured it was moisture from steam or some water coming over the tub ledge during showers. Behind this wall is another bedroom with an access panel to look at the tub. I will pull that tomorrow and run the shower to see what gives. Again, from the dryness behind the wood it doesn't look like a leak but I could be wrong.

 

If adhesive was used, the drywall might not just pop off but it doesn't hurt to scrape or use any other method to remove the bad drywall. The straight line you cut with the utility knife should keep the removal clean around the edges.

Is the bath rm painted with an enamel? Flat latex paint won't repel moisture like an enamel will. The tub should be caulked against the drywall to prevent water from entering there.

 

Thanks for the second picture. At first I thought you were working in the tub/shower area. I have problems like your quite often with my rental houses. If the shower curtain is not properly tucked in some water splashes or leaks out right there at the corner.

Don't be timid about removing the sheet rock. Sometimes I use an old chisel, pry bar or heavy duty painters scraper. Just rip it out anyway you can and keep going until you get down to the bare studs. You may have to put in two layers of wall board to build back up to the correct thickness when you start repairing.

Most home improvement stores sell plastic "triangles" that you can caulk/glue into the corner between the outer edge of the tub and wall. They do a good job of keeping the water in the tub in that problem area.

 

Did have a triangle. That's what the towel is resting on. I thought it was part of teh bath insert. Thanks for pointing it out because I just cut it out ans never put it together what it was for. HD looks to have a much larger one and the old one looked like heck with the caulk job they did. So going to buy new and larger. I pulled everything out of my closet to look at where water is coming in during the wife's shower no visible signs of water leaking. Pretty dry so I'm thinking this overflow of water near the triangle is causing the rot in that area. Also, blew the dust off my toolbox and found a chisel so doing the drywall now. May need a new cutting tool because the box cutter I had for opening packages blows.

Any suggestions on a non powered cutting blade to cut into this drywall?

Any suggestions on if that same blade can be used to scrape old caulk or any suggestions on how to scrape caulk and generally prep the area for the new triangle? Looks like heck right now but scraping away.

 

Generally a key hole saw or utility knife works best, if you use a saw just be mindful of anything that might be in the stud cavity. Knife blades do get dull so you might need another blade Usually a combination of a putty knife, utility knife and just pulling on the old caulk will remove it. You can wrap the putty knife with a rag if you're worried about marring the surface.

I've never used one of those caulking 'tools' I've always found my finger tip works best...... but I've applied a lot of caulking over the years A damp sponge or rag helps to keep your fingers clean, paint thinner if using silicone or butyl caulk.

 

For those following along. What I thought was a wood backing appears to be drywall. I was confused because I been chipping away at drywall to come to this flat area that breaks away fairly clean. Is it possible they mounted two sheets of drywall? Picking up a keyhole saw now and will saw away because the depth looks good. If you look to the left and right arrows I found the studs. Thinking now its best just to cut everything away in that section and remount the new patch of drywall.

 

Try to make the edge of the cut out area be in the center of the stud. So, when you find the edge of the stud make the edge of your cut-out 3/4" past the edge of the stud which should put you in the center of the stud. This will leave half of the stud providing support for the old sheet rock and 1/2 to support your new patch.

 

I got a nice clean cutout but already blew one piece of drywall section. HD for another two pieces of 2x2 precut sheets. Dropping the measured piece in behind the molding and enough to close the gap closest to the bathtub is a PIA. If I wouldn't make things worse I'd cut the molding away for an easier insert of my patch.

Is it simply caulk to close up the gap between the tub and new drywall patch?

 

I remove the base molding whenever doing that type of repair and then re-install it after the patch is complete. Then I caulk all joints within a foot of the tub to prevent water from seeping under or behind the base molding.

If you screw-up and have a horrible gap next to the tub you can use a piece of really cheap molding to conceal the boo-boo. The really cheap stuff is made of foam so it's very water resistant and cannot rot. Pick whatever molding is needed to cover the gap. Since you will only need a 18" long piece caulking can be used to hold it in place in case you have nothing to nail to. Then caulk around the edges so water can't get behind it.

 

Not sure if you removed the old drywall to the middle of the stud or not but what I often do is just screw/nail a piece of 2x4 to the existing stud and secure the drywall to it.

You always want to caulk against the tub and surround. How big of a gap do you have?

 

About a quarter of an inch. Doesn't look that big though. I just installed the new splash guard which is about twice as big as the last tub triangle. That has already cured and looks pretty watertight. Drywall has its first layer of joint compound and I'll do the second hit tomorrow. I'll also tighten up the molding and the gap as well. I'm hoping I won't have an issue with a fat cut on the caulk gun getting that gap sealed up.

Then it looks like enamel paint time to secure the rest of the bathroom from as much moisture as possible.

Thanks again for all the help. Hopefully I finish up tomorrow afternoon and paint next week. I'll then post after pictures.