saltguy21
Shmuck
Does anyone have any advice for me? I am framing in and dry walling my 120 gallon tank in my basement. The tank is all ready up and running so I know that I will need to take extra care in the dust department.
Advice on dry Walling around my 120
- Thread starter saltguy21
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ecobalance
lifetaper
plenty of access
All i can say is dont screw your self by dening your self access from front and back.
All i can say is dont screw your self by dening your self access from front and back.
use hot mud, put on real thin coats, just enough for each coat. Besides you can get on several coats within a few hours depending on the surface area. Use the soft mud for the final skim coat, you will have very little dust.
Cajun Reefer
Well-known member
I would recommend using cement or concrete board. It is not much more expensive than standard drywall, and it will not rot or mildew like typical paper drywall. It is recommended to use cement board in bathrooms due to the moisture which I would relate to an aquarium.
If you ever watch Mike Holmes on his Discovery: Homes TV program Holmes on Homes, he recommends: Georgia Pacific DensArmor Plus drywall.
HTH!
If you ever watch Mike Holmes on his Discovery: Homes TV program Holmes on Homes, he recommends: Georgia Pacific DensArmor Plus drywall.
HTH!
Last edited:
mmkeeper
Well-known member
There is a new drywall that uses fiberglass instead of paper
Bainic
It only cost $20 honey!!
There are several products to consider. Regular drywall, green board ( a moisture resistant drywall used on bathroom walls, it's green), Durock ( a cement mixture sandwiched inbetween two layers of mesh, typically used behind tile). I wouldn't recommend using Dens Glass ( fiberglass drywall, it's mainly used for exterior applications, it's yellow). Unless you're familiar with hot mud AKA Quick Set, I'd use regular taping mud. Hot mud usually sets up in about 20 minutes, and if you don't have a quick taping hand, you may end up sanding alot. Plus hot mud has a tendency to shrink a little. Just take your time, maybe practice with the mud a little bit in the garage before you go around the tank. Read up on hanging and taping, there's a lot of references out there. Good Luck!! Dave
I hang, tape and mud sheetrock all the time at work.
If your worried about humidity then use green board. Seal it with a good mold inhibitor primer and paint it as you would the rest of you house. I cant recommend the new stuff posted above as its new on the market and Ive never even seen it let alone used it. You never know, it could be the newest up and coming class action law suit.
If you keep the room vetilated as you should with a tank anyway, and dont be a huge slob during WCs the walls will be fine. Im sure your floor takes more of a beating that any part of the walls. Heck they dont use green board on whole houses down south where the humidity is 90% all summer do they? The only time you should be worried about your sheetrock is if there is water literally condensating on it all the time like in a bathroom. A high quality eggshell, satin, or semigloss paint will be enough shell to protect your sheetrock. Flat paint has no protective properties AFAIK
I also wouldnt recommend using hot mud unless your an experienced taper. It actually shrinks less than joint compound and topping but dries extremely hard. It also cures very quickly and on odd jobs its just not worth it. Take your time and do the best you can. Only the pros can take the hot mud short cuts.
You will need to apply at least three coats to make the joints disappear and let the mud cure for a day between coats. You may be able to rent a specialty tool for the final sanding of your job. Its basically a sanding pole with a shop vac attached. It will catch over 80% of your dust. Just cover the tank with plastic during sanding and keep the room well ventilated while painting and you should have no problems.
Hope that helps good luck
If your worried about humidity then use green board. Seal it with a good mold inhibitor primer and paint it as you would the rest of you house. I cant recommend the new stuff posted above as its new on the market and Ive never even seen it let alone used it. You never know, it could be the newest up and coming class action law suit.
If you keep the room vetilated as you should with a tank anyway, and dont be a huge slob during WCs the walls will be fine. Im sure your floor takes more of a beating that any part of the walls. Heck they dont use green board on whole houses down south where the humidity is 90% all summer do they? The only time you should be worried about your sheetrock is if there is water literally condensating on it all the time like in a bathroom. A high quality eggshell, satin, or semigloss paint will be enough shell to protect your sheetrock. Flat paint has no protective properties AFAIK
I also wouldnt recommend using hot mud unless your an experienced taper. It actually shrinks less than joint compound and topping but dries extremely hard. It also cures very quickly and on odd jobs its just not worth it. Take your time and do the best you can. Only the pros can take the hot mud short cuts.
You will need to apply at least three coats to make the joints disappear and let the mud cure for a day between coats. You may be able to rent a specialty tool for the final sanding of your job. Its basically a sanding pole with a shop vac attached. It will catch over 80% of your dust. Just cover the tank with plastic during sanding and keep the room well ventilated while painting and you should have no problems.
Hope that helps good luck
