# Forum Home Renovation Tiling  massive out of plumb wall

## GaryR

Hi, all.
I hope I can write this post ok as I am currently about as stressed out as I can be.
I took down my old 13mm horse hair plaster from my 1969 built brick veneer house in the lounge room  due to a tiny amount of cracking.
I am planning to replace with modern gyprock plasterboard.
I have slowly been working on straightening the walls using a straight edge but just now I decided to check wall for plumb and it is about 20mm leaning out at the top..
I am only doing 1 wall at a time so I can get it spot on and the corners arnt even the same.
I am totally lost now, this house has very heavy concrete tiles and this is an external load bearing wall with those brick ties going into existing wall studs.
I have bought myself enough gear to do it myself but dont know what to do ??? 
1 : slowly replace existing wall studs 1 at a time with F17 studs ?
2 : I cant remove material as the wall seems to lay outward, but I could screw angle   iron   to every wall stud to plumb it up ?
3 : install all new F17 wall studs beside existing studs ? 
What is the most important wall plate when it comes to plaster board the top or the bottom plate ? or can I start above bottom plate and finish below top plate to keep wall plumb ? 
Please help any idea's at all as I am lost.
thankyou
Gary.

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## Rod Dyson

Gary, the fix is real easy. Just fix timber to the side of the existng studs to plumb up the wall.  
The existing studs still do their job and the new timbers are use to plumb the wall. 
I would start by plumbing each corners stud then sting a line at the top from each corner stud and use this as a guide for susequent timbers. You may have to do each stud in short lengths due to the noggins. You could either use your straight edge to plumb them up to the bottom plate or put another line in. I would use the straight edge. 
You can fix blocks to the top plate level with the studs to support the plaster between the new studs. 
Rember the new studs are only there to supput the plaster they have no effect on the structual soundness of the wall. 
Cheers Rod

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## Gooner

Gary, I had a problem with out-of-plumb walls after ripping out all the plasterboard in my bathroom. I was replacing with villaboard and tiling to the ceiling, so I wanted the walls dead straight. 
Turned out the walls were out of plumb by around 15mm in the worst places. I spent a lot of time trying to straighten these walls. I first tried packing the studs using masonite strips and then planning them back where required. Not only was this a pain in the *** of a process, but took a **** load of time...and was ultimately unsuccessful. I ended up ripping al the masonite strips off. 
What I ended up doing (and I wish I did this from the beggining) was to screw new studs to the existing ones. However I tossed the spirit level away and went for an alternative method. I got a 2.4 length of *straight* timber and put a screw on the top and hung a plumb off a string from it down the entire length. Then I would get the new stud and clamp it loosely to the existing stud, using the straiht piece of timber with the string to level it. Basically, I would measure the distance between the string and the straight piece of timber at the top and bottom. I would then tap the new stud until the measurement was the same. Tighten the clamps and then screw the new stud in place. New studs ended up being dead straight with relatively little effort. 
I did this on each corner of the room and then used the straight piece of timber to line up the middle studs (as well as getting them plumb). 
Not sure if you can follow the description, but this method worked out quite well for me. Took a fraction of the time of the masonite strips and worked out very well. Also, I opted to screw the new studs in because hammering nails would have dislodged any other plasterboard on the opposite side of the wall. Too damn hard to nail 75mm nails through 30 year old hardwood anyway.

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## GaryR

Thank you guys very much..
Rod can I start slightly above bottom plate as its all over the place and using your method 
I would only have to get the studs spot on. ( not the plates as well )
I could fill the gap between bottom of plaster and floor with skirting board nailed at every stud ?? is this ok to do ?
I like your string line method, thanks for that one.. 
gooner did you hang the plumb bob off each new stud you fitted, or have i got this wrong, I do like your idea of throwing the spirit level away though  :Smilie:   
thanks guys, I can see all is not lost, glad you replied as I was going to tear the wall down..
regards
Gary.

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## Bedford

> I could fill the gap between bottom of plaster and floor with skirting board nailed at every stud ?? is this ok to do ?

  It would be better to pack out the bottom plate as well to give support to the skirting board, incase someone pushes against it with a carpet stretcher. :Wink:

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## GaryR

Hi bedford,  I agree, problem is bottom plate is out too far, not inwards.
I have a makita electric planner but it can only reach from floor upwards 35mm is as close as I can cut while having planner pushed hard down against floor..
hope that makes sense. 
Is there an electric planner that has an offset cutting blade so I can cut along floor line? 
 and also have a high corner stud that I cant hit back and some how need to be able to get planned down. 
I have tried a new std wood plane but the old hardwood is just too tough. 
I have even tried to chisel the stud but have only managed to make a mess, plus I have over a meter and a half in the corner that need to be cut back.
I have tried an electric sander also with no real removal of timber.
Currently scanning the internet for a electric corner planner but so far no luck.
thanks
Gary.

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## Bedford

You can get a chainsaw type wheel to fit a small angle grinder, which can be used for sculpturing and would be ok to do what you need. Carbortec is the brand I think, try Google. :Smilie:

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## gpkennedy

I assume that you have removed all old plaster in the room. 
The trick is to  attach new timber to the existing studs, not just masonite strips on the front but new studs parallel and adjacent to existing studs. 
These new studs will be screwed or nailed onto existing studs and made  square.  They are not there for structural support, just there to support plasterboard on plumb walls.  You will be able to use a saw and a chisze (sp?) to cut new timber studs to fit  existing noggings 
The trick is work out which is your worst wall, ie the wall that falls away the most from true vertical.  
Step two is to work out which side of this wall is the worst. 
Step three is to fix a new stud on the true vertical on the worst side of the worst wall.  You chip out the new stud to fit existing noggins.  Make sure that it is plumb, screw it to the worst corner stud and then use any prefered method to work off this corner to create a true square room.
George

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## GaryR

Hi George,  yes I have removed all plaster off all walls , George I will remove existing noggins and put in new ones at the plaster join centre and string line straight to the new plumb studs. 
Can some one please tell me if there is any benefit to using 13mm gyprock instead of 10mm, will it hold its shape better, I am now replacing the aluminium window as well so reveal length is not an issue. 
thanks 
Gary.

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## gpkennedy

Hi Gary,
I would take some advice from Rod on this matter.  However in the plastering trade it is basically the glue that holds the plaster to the walls. The nails are just there to hold the sheet while the glue dries.  If you use a nail gun (or hammer) to attach new noggins I would offset them so that you can fire (hammer) a nail at 90deg through studs,  this eleminates the need for skew nailing. I would not be attempting to get a new set of noggins at the sheet joints as there is no purpose in doing so.
George

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## DNL

Gary - thanks for posing the question in the first place. I have learnt a lot from this thread fellas...cheers. 
I have redone my kitchen and laundry and had a hell of a time in the laundry. In the end I did not worry too much about it as a floor to ceiling cupboard has gone into the corner hiding any imperfections. 
Rod - your advice is most welcomed. In the next few months I will be starting my bathroom renovation and one thing that has concerned me is getting the walls plumb for sheeting. You guys have solved my dilema. 
Thanks to all!
Dave

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