Leveling wall studs.... I'm going nuts.
I have been struggling for a while now trying to level a wall that I will be tiling from floor to ceiling. The old wall was only partially tiled, but now I am tiling the entire room with a "glossy" bathroom tile. With this type of tile I believe that if the wall is not perfectly leveled, it may show.
I ripped out the old wall and plaster and now have the studs exposed. I have started by leveling (using a carpenter's plumb) the corner studs and packing the wall with masonite strips were required. I have been careful to pack it properly and chisel down the packing strips so I have a stud that is level to within 1-2mm along a 2 meter length.
Unfortunately, the studs in between the corner studs are not only way out of level, (up to 12mm over a 2 meter distance) but also unaligned, such that if I run a string from one corner stud to the other, I can see that the studs in the middle can stick way out on the bottom, but not touch the string on the top.
My question is, is there an easier method that people use to level walls? Are there any special tools to make life easier? I am having quite a hard time of it and it is taking a very long time. Even when I think I have made good progress, I then grab a long straight piece of wood and lay it against the wall diagonally from one corner to the other and notice there is still a stud sticking out about 5mm!
I'm going nuts.
Any advice?
What kind of surface irregularity can I get away with such that I can compensate with tile adhesive? 1-3mm?
Thanks.
Lets make simple!... Chipman
If you plates are straight and plumb, just nail new studs beside the ones that bow in and punch any nails and plane down the ones that bow out.
If the the wall is in bad condition all over, Apply Claw's idea.
Do what I said in the corners by nailing in new studs besides the existing ones so that they are plumb and nail strips on the old studs to get them up to the same level as the new ones.
Run a string line between them and work out how much you will have to notch out of each stud to get a clearance of 35mm back from the string so you can nail 70 x 35 on its flat across the studs. Do this at the bottom, top and next to the existing noggons. If you happen to overdo it, you can just pack it out again on the stud. Get some studs and cut them up and nail them as vertical noggons between the rails you installed. Construction adhesive can help too.
Ultimately it depends how bad your wall is.
(My wall was really bad and I was installing heavy tiles and wanted a stronger wall and having a nice flat wall made tiling a breeze)
Chipman:)