Drywall – Should I overlay or replace 3/8 inch drywall during the room update

drywall

I have a living room that I am looking to update. It currently has 1/4" Wall Paneling over 3/8" drywall. The drywall is in very good shape, but has not been taped. The house is from the 50's, so they used nails to attach the drywall to the studs. Those now have a layer of rust on them.

I could just tape and mud, but I am worried about the drywall being too thin. My other consideration is to put another layer or 1/4" over it. This would cover over the rusted nails, which have a tendency to pop, and give me a cleaner wall. If this is the recommendation I was also considering what attachment method: drywall adhesive or screws?

P.S. The room is getting new windows, so those will be adjusted as needed.

Best Answer

I would just take the 3/8" down and install 1/2". Here's why I suggest it

  1. Opening the walls would let you fix things if need be. Want to add some new outlets? Remove older wiring? Add some coaxial or Ethernet? Now's your chance. You said you were adding windows. You'll have an easier time if you just take the old stuff down.
  2. 1/4" is less commonly used, so it is slightly more expensive than 1/2" (plus you really need to glue the new boards to the old and that starts adding up). You could always stick 1/2" up over the top of the existing, but if you're going through that trouble, demo isn't that much more on top of that
  3. Speaking from experience, hanging new drywall on bare studs is easier than going over the top of existing drywall. There's no guesswork at studs.

As to how to attach, I tend to use both nails and screws. When you're mounting the boards, nothing is faster than nails. A few nails will hold the board up. Then I go back and add screws. Be aware that screws are easier to goof up, but I like the lack of movement later. Be sure to smash the nails into the board (as in dent the board around the head) or popping will drive you up the wall later.

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