# straightening up wavy walls



## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Ok, time for my first post here...

I have an upstairs attic room. You know with the angled walls to ceiling. Well, this is some seriously wavy drywall work where the walls meet the ceiling. I'm talking 6" waves.

Walls will be colored, ceiling white.

I was thinking of running the white over the waves and square it up with the wall paint. Creating a new "edge" with the darker paint.

Or should I do it the other way?

Pics to come tomorow.


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## modernfinish (Mar 20, 2013)

You would use a "Darby" basically a giant broad knife . Be prepared to use insane amount of compound.

You tube it i guess...


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Ok shoulda clarified it a bit more. This is a rental. I brought up that option, customer declined. He stated paint it all 1 color. 

Considering rest of house going white ceiling/tan walls/semi gloss white trim... Well I am going the extra mile here.

I discussed meeting in the middle. Seeing what it would look like if I just striped a straight line.

We agreed, if it looks like ass, then it becomes a solid tan room.

So what woould you do run white onto the walls or tan onto the ceiling?


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

A rental? Make it all one color and be done with it.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> A rental? Make it all one color and be done with it.


Ohh yeah. What do you think of this one?


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Geeze man, that's a rough one. I usually like to run the wall color up on the ceiling a bit to straiten the lines. But in this case, I might bring the ceiling down a 1/4' or so and strike a line with tape. You could always bring the wall back up if you don't like it. 
Probably gonna look rough either way.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Green! 

Gotta love coming into these places and seeing the crazy colors tenants come up with (pink, black, flourescents).

I try not to do white outs. Instead I usually talk landlords into going with a less trashy more modern job.

It may be a rental, but it's still going to be someones home.


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## Rbriggs82 (Jul 9, 2012)

Wow, I'm not sure it'll look good either way. If it were me I'd try to bring the ceiling down and try taping a strait line with the wall color.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Well, its at least better than all tan:


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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

I know I'm gonna sound like an azz but, with that little bit of ceiling, why does it matter anyways? I thought your were gonna pull ceiling breaks at the vertical wall before the slant. Glad your good to go though.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

:lol:


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Paradigmzz said:


> I know I'm gonna sound like an azz but, with that little bit of ceiling, why does it matter anyways? I thought your were gonna pull ceiling breaks at the vertical wall before the slant. Glad your good to go though.


Around here on the 20 or so times I've done rooms like this, that's how it always has been requested. Only the flat part of a ceiling should be white until it hits an edge. So that's just how I've been "conditioned " to see a room like this. 

Although hands down the waviest walls I've done in my brief career. 

I brought the flat white 3" into the angle, taped, brushed. It was overkill so I brought the walls up more and said eff it, it's as good as it's gonna get for free.

Heres another example, because they were ramped they stayed white:


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## BhamPainter (Mar 6, 2013)

Wow, that drywall leaves something to be desired.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

I have done countless rooms like this. In this area it is a typical bonus room upstairs. Following a good drywaller will make your decision easier. When they are wavy like that I prefer to make the sloping walls ceilings and create my own straight line rather than what was left for me. 

Drift in the latter those sloping walls look pretty glossy, were they drying or was it sheen?


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## HJ61 (Nov 14, 2011)

I would use all one color, and get some taper to buy me a beer!


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Second set of pics the walls are eggshell, speedwall brand paint. Flat ceilings.

Just a whole lotta light.

Here's the before:


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Workaholic said:


> Drift in the latter those sloping walls look pretty glossy, were they drying or was it sheen?


That does highlight the stellar job that the taper did, doesn't it?? As if his splays didn't draw enough attention.

When I first saw those angles, I thought it was a problem with my bifocals. Then I remembered...I don't have bifocals.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Yeah the attic rooms in these rentals are enough to give you tourrets (sp?). 

I have yet to see a decent one. And when I bring up prepping them straight its "oh no... We can barely afford you to paint it".

I just do my best to clean it up with paint, lol.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

driftweed said:


> Yeah the attic rooms in these rentals are enough to give you tourrets (sp?).
> 
> I have yet to see a decent one. *And when I bring up prepping them straight its "oh no... We can barely afford you to paint it".*
> 
> I just do my best to clean it up with paint, lol.


That's why you shouldn't have given an ounce of concern to it in the first place. 

The scope of the job is driven by the context.


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## HJ61 (Nov 14, 2011)

Context! Of course, I keep saying to my painters, "It's a rental!"


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

See thats where I make my stand.

"eff it, it's just a rental..."

That's a saying I'm working on removing. I'll tell my clients that the houses they rent represent their company. Take pride in your rentals. Do you want people to say a "Kramer rental" is a good or bad thing? 

When you say it's "just a rental" that means no one cares about anything resembling quality. Standards go down, quality on tenants go down, etc...

Now by all means, I don't sell world class work. But on a scale of 1-10 I do my best to sell a 7-8. And my clients tell me that's what they like. Not perfect, but not junk.

And that means laminate floors, decent paint jobs, if possible pex-ing a house, upgraded light fixtures etc... middle grounds on quality & price.

It works.


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## HJ61 (Nov 14, 2011)

driftweed said:


> See thats where I make my stand.
> 
> "eff it, it's just a rental..."
> 
> ...


I didn't say "eff it!" But I'm not using Aura and prepping to the same degree as in the revenue property owners house. Revenue property means they want to make money on it, not spend 3 months rent on it every time the lease changes.

You're so right about the level of upkeep on the unit attracting better tenants!!


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

I know you didn't say that. It's just I hear it alot from people. 

It burns my behind when a landlord asks for a bid and then decides to let the tenants do the work.

Thats why i keep pics of rooms like that blue one. Sometimes that's enough to scare them straight


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## HJ61 (Nov 14, 2011)

The designer at my current job was telling me about painters who cut around the boxes up against a wall without moving them to paint behind them...


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

HJ61 said:


> The designer at my current job was telling me about painters who cut around the boxes up against a wall without moving them to paint behind them...


I'd look out for your designer promising you vacant spaces when you r bidding and something different than that when you are doing the work. Just sayin cause it sounds like the last painter may have been making a point.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Oden said:


> I'd look out for your designer promising you vacant spaces when you r bidding and something different than that when you are doing the work. Just sayin cause it sounds like the last painter may have been making a point.


Sounds like that's something to include in the contract language, possibly even including pricing if the place isn't empty. 

We've done that for clients who were promising that the space would be "broom-clean". We knew it wouldn't be, included terms about it, and they learned that it's expensive to have painters do janitorial work.


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