How to re-attach drywall back onto brickwall?

[pugsly]

Hello,

I have a large wall in my (apartment) living room that is drywall attached to brick. It seems to have come loose; you can shift the wall with your foot very gently. How do I go about re-securing this to the brick? Is this something that I could patch myself (the drywall is in otherwise perfect condition) or am I going to have to replace the entire wall?

I'm pretty handy with repairs, but I am not strong enough to move large sheets of drywall around so it will be a pain in the bum if I have to hire someone.

Thanks in advance.

[EricL]

Hello @pugsly 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your drywall.

If your drywall has a timber frame behind it, it might be possible to nail or screw it back on to prevent it from moving. However, if it was just glued into place, it will need to be moved so that you can put more adhesive at the back. It might be possible to screw it back into the brick wall with masonry screws. Would it be possible for you to post a few photos of the drywall? This will give our members a better idea of its current situation. We can then make recommendations on how to move forward.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[pugsly]

Ah, good point! I'm going to have to drill into the wall a little to find out if it's joists or some sort of glue/cement. The opposite wall adjoining the other unit (I'm sandwiched in) is definitely brick with glue but now that I think about it, my water & gas aren't running through that so there very well could be joists. I will get back to you and with photos. Fingers crossed for joists to make life much easier.

Thanks Eric.

[pugsly]

This is the wall, and yes appears to be cemented on. Excuse the moving mess.

Below are photos of two holes I drilled to check it out.

 

The yellow in the final pic is an exact match to the cement used on an opposite wall that I had to repair.

I hope there is a DIY solution!

[EricL]

Hello @pugsly 

Thank you for posting those extra pictures of your drywall. I'm so sorry, but I really can't tell from the last two photos if the drywall has a timber frame behind it or not. Is there any chance for you to perhaps lift a corner and peek inside to confirm what is at the back? Your second photo looks like there is a gap between the drywall and the bricks. The third picture looks like you drilled into something, but it looks more like plaster than timber. 

However, should you find a timber frame attached to your brick wall, I suggest using Zenith 8G x 30mm Gold Passivated Bugle Head Plasterboard Screws to re-attach your drywall. But if it is just a brick wall, I suggest using Selleys 350g Heavy Duty Liquid Nails in combination with Ramset Black Countersunk Masonry Screw. Please note that pilot holes will need to be made for the masonry screws.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[pugsly]

All good, I can clarify a couple of things.

The gap in there isn't very big at all and I think is caused by whatever material has been used to glue the drywall to the brick. It's mortar-like and yellow, and that is the yellow substance you can see in one photo. 

I had to repair a hole on the opposite wall and I had to chisel that yellow stuff off of the brick. I believe I used Sika Foam Fix for extra security on that patch piece but the replacement was 60x60cm and on the ground, not an entire wall.

[Dave-1]

Good Evening @pugsly 

Mmmmmm I do have an answer but not necasarily the correct or wisest one lol

I have my spare room gyprock (plaster) that has come away from the studs due to it being miss-treated. I was stressing about how to reattach it and wondering like you if I needed to redo the entire wall. Then someone came up with a solution they had used and it made perfect sense.

Using a liquid nails tube and gun, put a line of 1/4" holes through the plaster and down the studs on the wall and then insert nozzel and squeeze. This should fill the space and stop it reverberating. Yet to try it myslef but sounds like a good idea.

You say your wall can move easily with foot pressure? Does it move all the way along the wall?  If you find yourself with a similar issue and the wall is still vertical as in no sagging this could be worth a try. I would also make I up some 30deg angles with timber so you can lean them flat on the wall (like your foot) to put pressure on the plaster to stick back on the masonary. A bucket / large garbage bin of water about a two meters from the wall, a diagonal brace to the wall that connects to a vertical piece about 500mm long (the join is around 30deg, this is your foot) Then you could add sand bags or jugs of water with ropes through handles to up the pressure of the brace on the wall by hanging them over the brace.

Dave

[EricL]

Hi @pugsly 

That's an excellent suggestion from @Dave-1. I would only recommend putting some rags on the end of the timber pieces to protect the drywall from getting scratched.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[pugsly]

No sagging, luckily! I'm going to give your idea a crack and hope it lasts. If in the future it fails; whelp at least I tried. But I'm glad I can spend my money on new carpet instead of a wall for now at least.

Thank you so much @Dave-1 & @EricL .

[Nailbag]

Hi @pugsly 

I personally have repaired a few walls using a very similar method as @Dave-1 suggests, the only difference is that I use the SIKA 11C. product. I prefer this over liquid nails as I have had a few experiences where it hasn't grabbed internal to one side (couldn't tell which.)

Where the walls had bowed out slightly I propped a T-shaped support I made up an 1800mm across and about the same as the support prop against the wall using stud pine I had.. The idea of the wide prop is to ensure the wall was pressing evenly across the loose area but was resting at each end on secure sections of the wall.

Nailbag