Gap above the fireplace mantel
#1
07-01-14, 11:10 AM
Gap above the fireplace mantel
Hi there!
I was doing some prep to paint my living room. When I took off the pictures on my fireplace's mantel, I realized the 2-3 inches just above the mantel were bulging and cracked. So I cracked it wider and I removed whatever was on it.
The drywall isn't coming up to the mantel. They seemed to have only put mud on those 2-3 inches as well as some tape between the mud and the drywall.
Behind what I removed are bricks and of course they aren't flat.
How should I repair it? My goal is just to paint the walls.
Thanks for your help!
I was doing some prep to paint my living room. When I took off the pictures on my fireplace's mantel, I realized the 2-3 inches just above the mantel were bulging and cracked. So I cracked it wider and I removed whatever was on it.
The drywall isn't coming up to the mantel. They seemed to have only put mud on those 2-3 inches as well as some tape between the mud and the drywall.
Behind what I removed are bricks and of course they aren't flat.
How should I repair it? My goal is just to paint the walls.
Thanks for your help!
#4
07-01-14, 03:55 PM
Aah, better, thanks. From the crumbles I see on the mantel it looks as if the wall was plastered over the brick, rather than sheetrocked. Is that a possibility? It would explain why the sheetrock compound did not stick. It appears to be 1" thick and sheetrock is normally only 1/2", so definitely there is something amiss.
#5
07-03-14, 09:28 AM
Yes they didn't put the sheetrock up to the mantel, they just plastered it. I thought about adding just some drywall there but close to the mantel's edges I have less than 1/4 inch deep when in the middle I have up to 1 inch.
So I think I need to use some kind of mortar/cement/ filler to fill the hole.
What would you suggest?
So I think I need to use some kind of mortar/cement/ filler to fill the hole.
What would you suggest?
