New garage.....sheetrock help!!!

[45 ACP]

Anybody have experience with sheetrock and doing the taping and floating?

I am moving and I will finally have my detached 3 car garage. The garage is not finished out right now. It is just bare studs in the garage. I want to insulate, hang sheetrock, and do the flooring before I move all my crap in there.

So, anybody taped and floated sheetrock before? Any tips to offer? Im sure I can get the sheetrock hung, but Ive never taped and floated it. Just dont want to screw it up.

Or...... anyone want to come to Friendswood and give me a hand in a couple weeks? Whenever I work there is ALWAYS a full cooler of beer, food is served and Crown Royal is nearby as well.... lol. Or I would be willing to pay someone with knowledge on this project to give me a hand if someone wants to make some extra $$.

Im also going to be putting down VCT tile (vinyl tile) on the floor. This is supposedly a DIY project but Ive never laid any tile whatsoever before. so, anyone have any thoughts or experience with that as well?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Curmudgeon]

I've done my share of sheetrock. I always used the paper tape, but I have friends that prefer the fiberglass. If you're using paper, just put up a thin layer of mud and put up the tape, then skim it with your 4" knife. Thin layers are key. Let it dry and then skim with an 8" knife. Don't overwork it.

[Robalo]

Why insulate the garage? More of a curious question. After Ike, I didn't re-insulate my downstairs area-costs $ and see little reason.

[goober]

ITS EASY SHEETS HAVE A Beveled edge make sure mud is nice and fluffy put on thin layers 2 or 3 sand down let dry in between layers feel edges to be nice and smooth i'd help but i'm on crutches take your time do a good job ..good luck

[Termo]

Not for amateurs. Hire a (reputable) contractor. It won't cost as much as you probably think if you hang it yourself. They will come in with bazookas to Y & F and be out and done on a garage the same day. The garage slab should be sealed with a concrete sealer and allowed to cure (read the instructions on the can and CLEAN THE SLAB PROPERLY FIRST). You can do this...it's just rolled on. Not sealing the slab will result in the tile popping up (especially in a garage where humidity in prevelent). Hire a tile installer for this too. If you don't hire a professional (or get a professional's input) for this you will probably live to regret it and miss a lot of fishing time. Like Robolo said...why insulate the garage? Code says it should have vents to allow fumes and vapors to vent out and fresh air to vent in. Closing it up could be very hazardous.
But remember this...in Texas if you can spell contractor, you IS one.........

[Ibtsoom]

Hire it done. I did my whole downstairs myself and it came out great but there are reasonable contractors that can do it much faster and to your spec. Well worth the money.

[45 ACP]

Well lots of expenses involved with moving, and Momma's got a long list of stuff for the inside of the house so I want to do as much as I can myself to help cut down on the cost. I figured I could handle the garage.

Any idea of what someone would charge in just labor to come hang sheetrock and tape and float? Standard size detached 3 car garage...

I guess I dont have to insulate. Some people recommended it to help regulate big temperature swings, and I figured why not do it while the garage is just bare studs right now. But this is Texas and it never gets really cold here so I guess it may not be necessary.

The VCT tile is supposedly not difficult. Many homeowners do it themselves. Prep is very important. Ive read a little bit about it. Yall might be surprised but there are entire forums, similar to this one, solely dedicated to garages. Lol, lots of reading material and DIY projects to learn from.

Thanks for the replies.

[45 ACP]

Thanks for the PM and generous offer Dawg!!!! He (dawg) has offered to loan me the proper tools and get me started with the tape and float. This will be a tremendous help and I cant thank you enough. That should take care of the walls in my garage.

Now is anyone familiar with the VCT tiles (vinyl) that are in supermarkets, or sometimes you see it in race garages or shops? Im going with the race garage/shop look with a black/grey checker board pattern with black/red outline. I was planning on doing this myself, but I would not be opposed to hiring someone who is experienced with this work if they are reasonably priced. From what I have read, it can easily be done in one day. If you know of someone please let me know.

Thanks

[Gilbert]

I'll come do it for free beer and food. PM me when you are ready to get it done. I can knock it out in a day. But I also have to go with insulation will be a waste in the garage. Also, the 4' bottom of plywood is a good idea. Its also a good idea to have a wall with peg board. It comes in handy when trying to keep the garage organized. What are you going to do with the ceiling or is it finished off already?

[ANDCO]

The most important part of vct tile is the prep. If the floor is not perfectly smooth you will see every bump come through. Not right at first but not far down road, every trowel mark or divet, bump with show up. Super clean and smooth is the trick. The make special cutters for the tile, this makes it easy. We use that, a heat gun, and utility knives. The heat gun can be used for special cuts. Melts the tiles for easy cutting with utility knife. Spread proper glue and let it dry till it is tacky then install tiles. Watch your square or you will get off.

Sheetrock in the garage is nice. However remember if you do not control humidity you stand the chance of getting seam seperation on your joints. The moisture in the sheetrock can loosen the tape joints causing a problem down the road. hang it, tape joints and float screws, float sheets, skim it, sand it , prime it, and paint it

[Tiny]

My personal choice for a garage is OSB sheathing, It's easy to install, you can use 1 x 2 strips to cover all the seams, you can sand down the sheets to remove the product stamps, etc and stain to a beautiful finish, or just kilz over it and paint it. (Built in texture).
For the floor, they have a garage floor paint system that is easy to install, water/oil proof and looks danged good.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=garage+floor+epoxy&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&ix=sea&ion=1&biw=1024&bih=649&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11112399447523193326&sa=X&ei=lxEfT6DiGcfe2AX9xrT7Dg&ved=0CJcBEPMCMAE

And I know somebody who is really cheap that could help you out or even do the whole job.

[45 ACP]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Tiny, I love the look of epoxy garage floor, but Ive researched it and decided not to go that direction.

The ceiling is open rafters as well. I can handle the actual hanging of the sheetrock. Its the tape and float I needed a hand with, but Dawg has offered to get me started with tape and float. Sheetrocking the ceiling will be a little tricky cause there are 2 garage doors and openers, but I can handle it with the help of a couple friends. I am leaning towards not doing insulation now.

I will build extensive workbench areas, shelving and storage, and pegboard after the walls and floor is done. Andco is starting to scare me as far as doing the tile myself...lol.

Thanks again for the replies. Gilbert I am sending you a PM.

[Beandaddy]

I would also put the sheetrock horizontal instead of verticle. If for any reason you have to replace it it would be 1 row instead of all of them.
Beandaddy

[dbarham]

Gilbert's very good at sheetrock I seen his work

[corndog]

Hire someone to do it you wont regret it. They will hang it faster than you can even get started,Been there done that. Horizontal staggered sheets from top to bottom. Dont let the sheets touch the floor.Insulate the walls. Make sure you run plenty of electrical plugs before you close it up. I like plugs in the ceiling so ou can mount electrical reels from