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Garages/Workshops Remodeling Design Dilemma

How to transition drywall to concrete wall in garage?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

In my garage, the common wall to the house has a 6 foot stem/footer concrete with wood studs above to the ceiling of 16 feet. Instead of setting the studs back 1/2 inch to allow for the finished drywall to be flush with the concrete plane, the original builder set the studs flush with the concrete surface/plane. This means the attached drywall juts out 1/2 inch over the plane of the concrete stem/footer. As I have stairs parallel to this common wall, this ugly drywall to concrete transition that has the drywall jutting out over the concrete is a nuisance for catching snatching items (belt clipped on iPhone) not to mention looking ugly. In a complete garage remodel (drywall has been removed), what would be some suggestions for addressing this so I can have (as much as possible) a nice looking, clean and durable transition at this point where unfortunately the drywall is not flush with the concrete stem/footer?

In addition to creative product ideas that can be introduced to act like transition/trim to the edge issue (not necessarily related to drywall or concrete) ... has anyone had any experience with this type of situation where a thinner concrete backer board is introduced at the transition area (right above the concrete but only 3" or so tall) that the drywall would then sit flush upon (the drywall would now jut out 1/4 inch or so over the backer board) and then that whole backer board transition area be feathered with a hot mud (setting mud) so that it blends a nicely as possible into the concrete? If so, would this feathered hot mud area bond well enough into the top 2-3 inches of concrete such so that the transition could be painted over (both concrete and drywall) and be as least noticeable as possible?

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Comments (3)

PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
Post a picture but if this is heated garage you could try large sheets of drywall where the bottom part is glued to the concrete to give asmooth look if I am reading this right.
Super Lumen
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Well you have a few options, like trim, or furring everything out and putting drywall to the ground.

You don't want to put drywall directly over the concrete. The concrete will always contain moisture from the ground a bit.

To be in fire code, you have to cover the sill plate all the way to the concrete with drywall. The drywall actually serves as a burn-through barrier between your house and garage.

So interestingly enough, I did this for someone recently, and I got 16 ft long aluminum floor transition strips meant to transition from a bare floor to 1/2" engineered plank flooring. I hung the aluminum strips' nailing face from the sill plate, then slotted the 1/2" drywall in from above as the picture shows. The aluminum won't rust against the cement and can also be caulked to seal everything up so insects and air don't pass under your sill plate or into the wall assembly. The strip also smooths out the transition so things don't catch on it.
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I'm not certain of your exact situation, but if you're simply looking to hide the 1/8" difference between the drywall and the cement board... ...use joint compound to float the face of the drywall out 1/8" to meet the face of the cement board. Feather the 1/8" over the course of 12-18" or so and it'll be invisible. Prime and paint and no one will know. Mongo
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If was I going through the trouble/expense of painting, I would give the joints/screws at least another coat of mud and sanding. Typically those "fire coats" are pretty rough and that will telegraph through the paint. Paint won't waterproof the drywall, think of it in a bathroom where it protects against moisture. If you have areas that truly get wet, then use something like FRP for protection/water resistance. The drywall is held up away from the concrete block to avoid moisture wicking up. You can use a baseboard for appearance if you want, I might think about using one of the PVC products instead of wood (and definitely not MDF). PVA primer and a couple of top coats of a mid-grade paint.
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Bill C
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you Super Lumen for the idea of aluminum floor transition strips. I should have mentioned in my original question that I definitely do not want to cover the concrete with drywall (it might solve the transition issue but would introduce a host of new problems) so this is definitely the kind of ideas I am looking for.

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