The goal of the “Muck Ready Wall” is to prepare for 6 – 48 inches of water in a home, but continue to use building materials that families and contractors are familiar with. The idea was to separate the top and bottom pieces of sheetrock with wood, as to prevent moisture from the bottom piece of sheetrock to the top piece.
Above is the living room in the first Muck Ready Wall house we build. From the bottom to top we see:
- Ceramic tile floor – does not have to be replaced after a flood
- Tall baseboard – 1×6″ baseboard attached directed to the wall studs. If 0″-5″ of water enter the house, then just the baseboard can be replaced and the sheetrock can remain
- 4×8 drywall – above the baseboard up until the divider is a full sheet of drywall. In the event of a flood between 6″ and 3′ in this home, only the sheetrock board would need to be replaced and all trim could remain. It would be easy for volunteers, homeowners, or contractors to replace this board in the future as there is a placeholder for it.
- 1×2″ wood separator – the “chair-rail” divider separates the top and bottom pieces of drywall, which prevents water from wicking up to the top piece of sheetrock. Attach with 16 or 18 gage nails.
- 40″ of sheetrock – the top piece of drywall is cut short to fit the remaining portion of the wall
- 1×2″ trim – a simple trim is added to the top of the wall to reduce the amount of mud work that must be completed. Attach with 16 or 18 gage nails.
- Door trim – door trim is simplified to match the overall aesthetic. We used 1×6 on this house
- Window trim – the window trim is also simplified and reduces the overall time to trim out a window
For the bedroom closet, we chose to sow curtains instead of install doors, as they could be cleaned after a flood and are easier and more affordable to install.
Colors can also be mixed and matches from top to bottom, adding interesting visual effects to rooms and bedrooms.
Steps
Yes, there are more steps than typical drywall installations, but this is combining elements of drywall, mud and trim phases into one. After a couple times practicing this method, I am confident that it will save time overall as it’s less drywall mud work and can simplify window and door trim greatly.
1. Staple the insulation in place as normal, cut the insulation with a blade at 4′. This will prevent well intentioned volunteers from removing the entire 8′ of drywall in a future cleanup.
2. (PREP) Rip 1×4’s into 1×2’s. Prime all sides of all trim boards.
3. Baseboard – Attach 1×6″ untreated pine using a level. Leave room for flooring (likely 3/4-1″ above the subfloor). Prime all sides of the boards for water protection. Attach with 16 or 18 gauge finish nails (2″ or longer). Attach with 2 nails every other stud as to allow for easier removal.
4. 4×8 drywall – Attach a full drywall board above the baseboard with drywall screws. Using 12′ drywall boards reduces further the amount of tape and float work needed.
5. 1×2″ wood separator – It’s unlikely that you will find 1×2 boards at the box store. Instead, rip a 1×4 board in half with a table saw. Attach this with 16 or 18 gage nails (2″ or longer) flush on top of the bottom piece of drywall .
6. Roughly 40″ of drywall – The top sheet or drywall will need to be trimmed down to fit the narrowed top area as the baseboard has pushed the entire wall assembly higher. We found that making a 8′ or 12′ wooden guide to make this cut was very helpful speeding up this process. Some of these cutoffs can be used in narrow areas around doors and windows.
7. 1×2″ trim – Another small trim piece can be attached with 16 or 18 gauge nails (2.5″ or longer) on top of the drywall top edge. This helps continue the wood trim theme and removes the need to cleanly taping and floating the top ceiling corner. It is optional to add tape and a first coat of mud as the air seal this gap.
8. Use pink puddy to fill all nail holes in the trim. Caulk all edges of the trim. Prime walls. You are ready for paint! Try a two-tone wall!
Windows, Doors, Wall Openings
Door trim – door trim is simplified to match the overall aesthetic. We used 1×4’s on this house
Window trim – the window trim is also simplified and reduces the overall time to trim out a window. First, install the sill/stool/bottom piece of 1×4. Leave 3-4 inches on each side of the window for this. Next rip 1×4’s to the size of the window cavity/side jam/head jam. The drywall and chair rail will butt right up to the side jam. The chair rail should be flush with the side jam.
Wall Openings – for pathways without doors, rip 1×6’s to the size of the opening, from the face of the chair rail on both side. Measure from face of face on the chair rail to determine the width needed for this cut.
What do I do after a flood with the Muck Ready wall?
0 – 6 inches of water
Summary: In a small flood, the baseboard should be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. Any wet insulation should be removed and replaced.
Details: First run a razor blade across the caulked top of the baseboard to disconnect it from the drywall. With a small flat prybar, remove and shoe molding/quarter round, if you have it. Now gently pry off the baseboard with a small flat prybar, coming from below the baseboard. Try not to damage the sheetrock in this process.
Cut only wet insulation out of the wall cavity. Pink batt insulation does not wick water up, so only wet insulation needs to be removed.
Cut or pull nails from the baseboard, clean the wood with a mold spray, such as concrobium.
Spray the wall cavity with concrobium and allow the wall cavity to dry with fans.
Once dried and clean, replace the cut out portion of insulation. Reinstall the baseboard and quarter round with nails every other stud.
6 – 48 inches of water
Summary: Remove the entire bottom piece of drywall that sits between the baseboard and chair rail. Cut out only the wet portion of insulation. Leave the baseboard and chair rail attached to the wall. Clean the wall cavity. Replace the insulation. Replace the bottom piece of drywall with new drywall.
Details: With a razor, score the top and bottom caulk lines on the bottom piece of drywall. Remove the entire bottom piece of drywall. Remove any screws or nails remaining in the wall.
Cut and remove all wet insulation. The water does not wick up pink batt insulation, so only what is wet needs to be removed.
Leave the baseboard and chair rail in place.
Allow the wall cavity to dry out. Spray the wall with a mold spray, such as concrobium. Allow to dry again.
Replace the cut out insulation.
Replace the bottom piece of sheetrock.
49 inches or more
Summary: Remove all drywall. Remove all wet insulation. Keep the baseboard and chair rail in place. Allow the wall cavity to dry and clean with a mold spray. Replace all drywall.
Details: Review above details.
Feedback
If you find a better way to do any of this, we would love to hear about it. Send us photos!