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Resurfacing walls and ceilings with drywall is a great way to give a facelift to an old room. Instead of gutting a room, you just cover everything with thin drywall, usually ¼-inch- thick panels. These are special order items and can be hard to handle without breaking. But they are well worth the trouble. You can either remove the room trim before installing these panels. Or install the panels, without removing the trim, if the drywall will butt against the trim boards instead of running over them.


Step 1. If you decide to remove the trim, start with the baseboard and shoe molding. Work carefully so this trim can be reinstalled later. Depending on how your trim is installed, you may be able to run the new drywall behind the baseboards and against the window and door casing boards, which would make the job much easier.

Step 2. Use an electronic stud finder to locate all the studs and joists that will fall under the new drywall. Mark the floor, ceiling, and walls where appropriate to indicate where the framing members are.

Step 3. Apply construction adhesive to the back of the panels to improve the bond with the ceiling and walls. Use a wavy bead in a 8-to 12-in, grid. Once this glue is in place, handle the panel with care to avoid smearing the glue on your tools, yourself, and other surfaces.