patching up a hole around my kitchen sink plumbing...

[Lisa0825]

Hi! I recently decided to shift gears and do some practical things myself for now, and then re-evaluate the whole-kitchen do-over in another year. One thing that MUST be fixed is that the tiles around where my kitchen sink faucet goes into the wall are gone. I figure it was probably sheetrock or greenboard behind there, and it must have crumbled away too.

The faucet resembles this one:


So, before I can re-tile, I will have to put something solid there. Do you have any advice for someone not terribly handy, on how to approach this? How to properly cut and fit the panel(s) to go around the faucet pipes?

[Kingshakabobo]

1. Are you planning on re-tiling the whole back-splash or repairing....

a few tiles?

Cement backer-board is a good surface on which to apply tile. I used a brand sold @ Home Depot called "HardiBacker". It was 1/2 inch thick IIRC.

[Lisa0825]

2. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and re-tile it,

because it's BUTT ugly!!! I tried working with cement board several years ago, and trying to cut it was a major pain in the ass. I'm not too handy, so would green board be good enough? How hard will it be for a not-so-handy person to cut to fit the plumbing?

[NMDemDist2]

3. IIRC green board in no longer available. the new cement board is

easier to work with these days though.

there is a thread on green board in here, i'll do a quick search and see if I can find it

here it is

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=287&topic_id=1756

[Kingshakabobo]

4. I wouldn't use greenboard......

..if ANY water gets through, the system fails.

Cement board IS a pain in the arse to cut. I tried using the razor-blade scoring method with little success as I have no patience. I ended up using a skill saw with a cheap (8 bucks) masonry blade. Cutting it this way makes a LOT of dust and the dust is nasty stuff-according to the label warnings. WEAR A MASK!!

I prefer to hold the piece I need to notch up against the side of the pipe(s) and mark the top height and bottom height......carry the marks across the cement board with a straight-edge. Then hold the cement bord underneath the pipes and mark the left and right sides of the pipes.....again, carry the marks across the cement board. Where the lines intersect, you should have your holes marked.

You probably want to work with a medium sized piece of cement board so you can handle it in and out for fitting. Maybe 2 1/2 to 3 feet....whatever you need to land on two good studs.

[Lisa0825]

5. Well, I guess I'll have to pay someone then...

I practically had nightmares as much trouble as I went through as a novice trying to use the stuff last time :-(

[Kingshakabobo]

6. Aw, come on. You can do it!! It's like putting a puzzle together. n/t

[Lisa0825]

7. Last time I tried to use it

it was such a pain in the ass, and the job turned out awful, leading to having to pay someone else to re-do it. I may as well save the money and not try it myself to begin with. Granted it was a larger job, and my worthless ex-h didn't help at all, so I was trying to deal with HEAVY boards myself, but I also found it really difficult to cut properly.

That's the problem with living alone though... no one to assist with things like this. Even getting the boards home in the first place was a major job.

[Kingshakabobo]

8. I feel your pain. It's tough to work alone...

Sometimes I cut material in half before I take it home if I don't have a helper. For instance, if your back-splash is only 18 inches high, you can make the cut before you load it and trim at home to fit.

I watched DIY last night and they were working with HardiBacker Board. THEY were able to score with a utility knife and snap. I suppose my knife wasn't sharp enough.

[Lefty48197]

9. I would use the green board if you're looking for the easiest method

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to buy an entire 4'X 8' sheet, even if you only need a four inch rip, ten feet long or so. Tear out all the old crap. Try to cut the drywall you plan to keep, right down the center of the wall studs, so that you can screw both the new and the old drywall to that same stud. Cut the drywall into "rips" that are 4", or whatever you need, then start screwing them in place. I would install everything, until you only need to install one more piece: the one around the plumbing pipes. Suppose you need a 4' X 4" piece to fit that space. You first need to measure and mark with a pencil, on the drywall, where the pipes will go. You'll have a lateral and vertical measurement for both pipes. Mark the centers of the pipe on the piece of drywall, and then you have to cut circles for the pipes. You can do this with a drywall "jab" saw. Just jab it through (it takes some work) then start spinning it until you ream out a hole that is slightly bigger than the pipes.
Unless you've removed the faucet for some reason, you'll then need to cut the drywall into two pieces in order to get it in place. There's no getting around it!
The trick is to make the cut that will 1)allow you to get both pieces into place, around the pipes and 2) allow the drywall to be screwed tightly to the framing in all locations.
Take your piece of drywall with two holes now drilled in it. Measure from the left side of the opening where your drywall will go, to the CENTER of the wall studs immediately to the left and right of your pipes. Now measure (again from the left side!) onto your drywall piece and mark the center of those two wall studs. Draw a line down from both of those marks. They are your two vertical cut lines. The horizontal cut line should be straight through the center of the two circular holes.
Use a drywall hand saw and cut the vertical lines. If you're good, you can score the horizontal line with a razor utility knife a couple of times, then snap it. Be very careful though, because you don't want to break either of those pieces of drywall. If you're not sure, then use the jab saw to make the horizontal cut too. Once the two pieces are separated, Work the big piece in around the pipes and screw it in place. Then put the little piece in place and do the same. Tape all the joints and screw heads, then put on another coat of mud after it dries.
Tile it, grout it, but make sure you caulk the joint between the tile and countertop. That's probably where the water got in there that did the original damage. A leaky pipe could also have caused the damage. Make sure you fix any leaks before you do the repairs, or you'll need to do it all over again soon!
The whole process really isn't too difficult for a STUBBORN do it yourselfer.

[NMDemDist2]

10. Lefty, you're a treasure of expertise

thank you!

:yourock:

[Lisa0825]

11. Thanks so much!

There is not a link right now, but the faucet is old and putting a new one in would look much nicer with the new tile. I believe I could change it myself, as long as I keep the same kind (wall-mounted). If I wanted to switch to the kind that comes off the the sink edge, it would involve moving the hot and cold water pipes and getting a new sink, both of which I would have to have a pro do.

So, what I am thinking I will do is change the fixture first, make sure it's working with no leaks, and then remove it to do the backsplash because I think it would be easier to work around it that way.

Thanks a bunch for the detailed directions! I appreciate it!