I, however, really want to use something for my walls that
has a more modern aesthetic than the most-commonly-used tongue in groove pine,
and also I want to use a material that will be unique when compared to most
of the other tiny houses.
So, I did what any tech-savvy tiny house builder would do
and I googled it. I found a reference to
a tiny house that used drywall and had NO cracking issues. Who’d thunk?
They used a product that is used on skyscrapers because as they sway in
the mile high winds (imagine that) they move a LOT.
What’s the product? Magic Corner!
Here’s the link to the
article I found:
I immediately contacted the
maker, Trim Tex, and got ahold of their marketing guy and talked to him about
my project. He was helpful, pretty
enthusiastic about supporting my project, and a few days later my “samples”
arrived.
I have never hung drywall
before. And, I really didn’t want
to. As I understand it, it’s a dirty job
that takes forEVER and takes a bit of practice to get JUST right. I also don’t want to use texture on the walls
so getting the seams perfect would be necessary since “texture” is just another
way of saying “cover up all the drywall mud bumps I left behind.”
Magic Corner Supplies.
Four drywall quotes later I
realized that I would rather learn how to to drywall than pay someone $1500+ to
do it for me. ($1500? Seriously? It’s a tiny house!) My confidence and
motivated was further boosted by my friend who had just completed the drywall
in her kitchen and had the super-duper-cool drill-thingy I could use that was
designed specifically for the task of drywalling. She told me that she would come help and
bring her tools and we set the date.
Yes.
We can do this. (I think)
Figuring out how MUCH drywall
I would need, what kinds, and what lengths; was next on my “TO DO” list. I headed off to see my good friends at Parr
Lumber. I drew Ed a very nice “picture”
of my floor plan (not all hardware stores appreciate this, mind you) and we
talked about where I wanted the seams to be so they would not show, if
possible. We talked about green board
(drywall you use in wet areas like the bathroom) and backer board (drywall you
use for areas that are going to be tiled) and mud and tools and I left with a
list of materials and a not-too-big chunk out of my pocket. The
total was less than $350 and, it turns out, I also had a lighting return for
$300 so the chunk was even less painless.
On “Drywall Day” there was
rain in the forecast. Ugh. If I had the drywall delivered they would
have to put it somewhere and it certainly was NOT going to fit in my tiny house
with all the work going on. I couldn’t
put it in the big house and the garage is full of STUFF!
I decided to rent a box
truck. The plan was to load the drywall
into it and park it NEXT to my tiny house and store the drywall in there while
we worked on the project. Having a box truck meant I could also return any
extra materials if I had over-estimated.
All ready to go!
So, what ELSE could I
possibly fit into one day? A big-city
newspaper reporter called and said she wanted to come interview me that day and
take pictures of me and my now-two friends working on the drywall. I invited her to wear work clothes and help!?
Trim-Tex Magic Corners? Check!
Drywall / Green Board /
Tools? Check!
Rental Truck? Check!
Two amazing helpers with more
experience than myself? Check!
What have I gotten myself into?
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