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Drywall is tough, but it’s not indestructible. Over time, gypsum-board walls can sustain ugly cracks or holes. Fortunately, drywall is fairly easy to repair, but there is an art to it. Here’s what to do—and what to avoid—when fixing drywall damage so it’s indiscernible to landlords, homebuyers, or visitors.
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Unless you live near Indian Creek or Yosemite Valley, or your local gym has graciously included cracks in its wall plan, specific training for crack climbing can be hard to come. Here, Tom Randall shares his pointers for how to build and make the most of a crack machine for at-home training. How do i download epson event manager for mac.
When repairing minor scratches or dents smaller than ½ inch across, fill them with a thin layer of joint compound (also known as drywall mud). Apply using a 3- to 4-inch putty knife made for drywall work—rather than, say, the kind of narrow utility knife you’d use for wood putty—smoothing the filler till it’s flush with the wall. Cracks or holes larger than ½ inch require reinforcing mesh prior to spackling. If you apply joint compound directly to large gouges, the damage will reappear as the house settles and the joint compound dries and crumbles.
Avail yourself of pre-made products designed to simplify repair tasks. Patch kits with reinforced center panels and self-adhesive tape work great for smaller holes. A drywall compound and primer combo (such as 3M Patch Plus Primer, available on Amazon) leaves a surface that’s ready to paint.
Use a box cutter or other sharp blade to cut random strands of mesh tape or frayed edges of wallboard paper around holes or cracks before applying joint compound. Otherwise your finished work will show bumps and other blemishes.
Be safe and don’t cut into a wall to repair a hole until you verify that electrical cords and plumbing lines aren’t running through the cabinet behind it. If the hole is just a few inches wide, shine a flashlight into it to see what’s there. If you must enlarge the hole, carefully cut horizontally with a drywall saw—but avoid going deeper than an inch. It’s safe to assume that hot wires will be present near an electrical outlet, but don’t bet your life—or life savings—that homebuilders or renovators followed all electrical and plumbing codes. Wires and pipes are often found where they don’t belong.
Less is generally more when it comes to joint compound. A thin coat is easier to sand, and you’ll be less likely to remove too much while sanding and expose the patch. Also, for joint compound to appear flush with the wall near the damage site, “feather” the mud as you apply it. Hold the knife at a 70-degree angle, pressing harder on the outer edges of the mud as you move away from the center.
If you cut corners on sanding, the repair site will be noticeable, so take your time. Once the repaired area is dry, use a fine-grit (100 or 120) sandpaper. After the first round of sanding, add a second layer of mud, spreading it about 2 inches beyond the boundaries of the first layer. Once dry, re-sand.
The fine particulate of drywall compound could injure your lungs if inhaled. So always wear a dust mask when sanding drywall compound. Disposable gloves are also a good idea to protect your hands from the dehydrating effects of gypsum dust.
Think you’re done? Not so fast! Run your hands over the repair to ensure that it feels smooth. Then, with your temple against the wall, look for humps that might need more sanding.
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Once you’re satisfied with the look and feel of your patch job, prime and paint the area. No one will ever know your secret!
Beyond the Wall is a general term for the northernmost area of Westeros, the lands north of the Wall.
The lands beyond the Wall are primarily wild, untamed and uncharted. The climate is harsh and bitter, especially in the far north in the Lands of Always Winter. The region immediately north of the Wall includes the haunted forest, a vast taiga-forest which covers most of the area, extending from the Wall to the furthest lands of Thenn.[1] While no true roads exist, numerous game trails, paths, and old streambeds, called 'ranger roads', are used by the Night's Watch and free folk alike.[2]
The haunted forest extends from the eastern coast to a large mountain chain in the west, the Frostfangs. These inhospitable mountains extend an unknown distance to the north. Notable features include the Giant's Stair and the Skirling Pass. The Milkwater, the great river beyond the Wall, has its origins in the Frostfangs. Thenn is a hidden valley in the mountains.[3]
Southwest of the Frostfangs is the Frozen Shore, a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the Bay of Ice. Along the east coast is the Antler River, which flows into the Shivering Sea. The easternmost region beyond the Wall is the forested peninsula Storrold's Point, which contains the ruins of the only free folk town, Hardhome.[4][1]
Beyond all of these areas, in the furthest north, is the Land of Always Winter. The haunted forest ends and gives way to these polar regions, which are unexplored.
Animals living beyond the Wall include deer, eagles, elk, hares, rams, shadowcats, snow bears, and wolves.[5][6]
Flowers include coldsnaps, frostfires, piper's grass, and wildflowers.[5] Trees include chestnuts, ironwoods, oaks, sentinels, soldier pines, and weirwoods,[7][8][9]
The people inhabiting the land refer to themselves as the 'free folk', but are known by the people of the Seven Kingdoms as 'wildlings'. The lands beyond the Wall are bitterly cold year round, but many free folk reside from the furthest reaches of the haunted forest to the hidden valleys of the Frostfangs, including the valley of Thenn. The Thenns are surrounded by cave dwellers, Hornfoots, giants, and the ice-river clans. Other tribes include Nightrunners and men of the Frozen Shore.[10]
Some free folk are little more than savage and primitive raiders, but other groups live in small, settled communities and villages. Due to the impracticality of agriculture in the far north, many of them are hunters.
Maesters believe that giants are extinct, but some still live beyond the Wall.[11] A group of children of the forest reside within the cave of the three-eyed crow.[12] The Others are rumored to originate in the depths of the Land of Always Winter.[13]
Redwyn, a ranger of the Night's Watch, explored from the Shadow Tower to Lorn Point during the reign of Dorren Stark, King in the North.[14][15] Another king, Theon Stark, joined the Night's Watch in a venture north of the Wall which weakened the free folk for a generation.[16]
Hardhome was mysteriously destroyed six hundred years ago.[4]
Brynden Rivers, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, vanished during a ranging beyond the Wall in 252 AC.[17] It is sometimes suggested that the lords of the north be allowed to extend their power beyond the Wall to end the threat of wildling raids.[18]
Texts about the region include History of the Kings-Beyond-the-Wall by Maester Herryk[15] and Hardhome: An Account of Three Years Spent Beyond-the-Wall among Savages, Raiders, and Woods-witches by Maester Wyllis.[19]
Ser Waymar Royce leads a ranging party in the haunted forest, but he is slain by Others and rises as a wight.[20]Benjen Stark, the First Ranger, searches for Waymar beyond the Wall, but Benjen also disappears.[21]
Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow view the northern lands from atop the Wall.[22] Jon says his vows for the Night's Watch in a grove of weirwoods within the haunted forest.[7]
Jon participates in the great ranging to investigate the conflict beyond the Wall. The Night's Watch discover that Whitetree has been abandoned.[2] Jon is captured by Rattleshirt in the Skirling Pass and fights Qhorin Halfhand to the death.[23]
Wights overwhelm the Night's Watch in the fight at the Fist.[24][25] After the mutiny at Craster's Keep, Samwell Tarly, Gilly, and other survivors flee south for the Wall.[26][27]
Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, leads the free folk into attacking the gate through the Wall at Castle Black. They are defeated by Stannis Baratheon in the battle beneath the Wall, however.[28]
With Mance a captive of Stannis, the free folk host is broken, with some submitting to Stannis and the Night's Watch and others scattering.[6] Jon Snow, now Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, frees Val so she can find Tormund in the wilderness and negotiate the passage of his followers through the Wall.[4][29] Jon sends Cotter Pyke with ships to rescue free folk at Hardhome, but the free folk do not trust the Night's Watch and Maester Harmune writes of dead things in the water.[30]
Coldhands leads Bran Stark, Hodor, Meera Reed, and Jojen Reed through the haunted forest to the cave of the three-eyed crow.[12]
North of the Wall, things are different. That's where the children went, and the giants, and the other old races.[31]
Beyond the gates the monsters live, and the giants and the ghouls, he remembered Old Nan saying, but they cannot pass so long as the Wall stands strong.[32]
According to George R. R. Martin, the lands beyond the Wall are probably larger than Greenland. The terrain closer to the Wall is reminiscent of forested Canada, while the Arctic lands further north have tundra and ice fields.[33]
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