Drywall Installation Guide Fall 2006

Tools and Parts List

48 inch T-Square

Utility Knife

Drywall Drill

Rotozip

Tool Belt

Keyhole Saw

Drywall Braces

Pencil or Pen

Ladder

Drywall wedges

Tools Needed (If Mudding)

Drywall Screws or Nails 1 3/8 Mudding Tools

Sheetrock Make sure to use the right thickness

Taping Knifes

Drywall Mud

Mudding pan

Cutting Drywall
Measuring Drywall 1. Drywall should always be installed on the ceiling first, then the walls. 2. When putting up drywall, make sure to stagger the pieces so the ends are not touching each other. 3. Make sure that when you cut the drywall, the end of the piece of drywall lies in the middle of a stud. Draw the lines where the drywall needs to be cut. Draw a light line on the drywall at every stud for screwing. Cutting Drywall 1. Mark the drywall and then line up the T-Square so that it aligns with the top edge of the drywall and where you made your mark. 2. Drag a utility knife along the edge of the T-Square, making sure to apply enough pressure so that you cut through the paper layer. If no T-Squares are available, experienced workers can use a tape measure as a guide for the utility knife. 3. A common method of breaking drywall is to put your knee close to the cut and bend until separation. 4. After you break it, just run a utility knife down the back of the drywall piece in order to make a clean separation. 5. Use a coarse rasp if the edge of the drywall is too rough or you need to take a little bit off the edge. Obstacle Cuts 1. Obstacle cuts can be made with either a drywall saw or a Rotozip. It is easiest to first install the drywall sheet and then cut the opening for the obstacle. 2. To cut around obstacles, use the Rotozip or a drywall saw to punch a hole in the drywall by moving it back and forth. Its better to make the hole slightly larger than too small, so error on the side of excess. 3. Sometimes, door and window openings are not cut until after the drywall is hung. When you need to cut the inside corners, you can simply run the drywall saw or Rotozip along the framing. After you

make the cut, run a utility knife along the back of the cut and break off the drywall that you dont need. 4. For outlet boxes and switches, mark where you think the center of the fixture is. Punch a hole through to be sure, and then cut the hole to fit. 5. The cuts need to be on the outside of the walls of the boxes. Using a Rotozip or keyhole saw, insert the blade through a corner and cut out the unwanted drywall. The sides of the boxes should come through the opening. Round Openings 1. Measure the radius of the object you need to cut around, and then mark the center of the drywall where the cut will take place. 2. Set the arm length of the cutter to the desired distance needed, and then score the circle several times. 3. Tap the drywall with a hammer, breaking off the piece that you do not need.

Ceiling Installation
Installing Drywall on a Ceiling 1. Start at a corner and install the drywall with either a drywall hammer or a drywall screw gun. The cut edges of the drywall should be square with the wall. 2. Hold the drywall against the ceiling with 2x4 supports. 3. The edges of the drywall should be fastened with nails or screws every 7 inches. You also need to support the drywall with each joist that it touches, but you only need to fasten screws every 12 inches. If youre using nails, you need to have no more than 7 inches of space between nails. 4. When youre putting up the drywall, screw in the edges of the drywall first and then the middle supports. 5. Mark the joist locations on the first row of drywall to help with screwing in the second row. 6. Stagger the drywall on the ceiling so that the joints do not line up. 7. After the ceiling is put up, mark the stud locations of the walls on the ceiling drywall. This will save you some time when you are installing drywall on the wall and make sure that you are fastening the drywall to the wall studs. 8. When putting in the drywall screws or drywall nails, make sure that the screw or nail is below the surface of the drywall without breaking the drywall paper. If you break the paper on the drywall, the fastener will not provide ample support, so install another fastener 1/8 away. The screws should be recessed far enough that you can run a taping knife along the seam without hitting the heads of the fasteners.

Wall Installation
Installing Drywall on Walls 1. Lay the first row of drywall at the top of the wall in a horizontal position. 2. Put in a few nails at the upper edge to support the drywall before you lift it. This will help the installing the upper drywall. 3. Stagger the drywall so that the vertical joints do not line up. 4. The bottom row should butt against the top row with enough clearance along the floor to allow carpeting or flooring to fit under it. Use drywall wedges to lift the drywall and make a snug joint with the upper piece. 5. Nails or screw the drywall every 7 inches around the edge, and every 12 inches in the middle of the drywall. 6. If two pieces of drywall do not cover the wall completely, you need to cut extra drywall to cover the bottom of the wall.

7. Avoid creating joints at the corners of windows and doors, as this will weaken the wall and make the drywall more likely to crack at these points. 8. After you have all the sheets laid, run a flat object (such as a taping knife) along the fasteners. If you hear any bumps, you need to put the nails and screws deeper into the drywall. You can tap gently with a drywall hammer for nails, or use a manual screwdriver and turn the screws a little bit to be below the surface of the drywall, but take care not to tear the paper.

Taping
How to apply the tape coat 1. Professionals tend to notch out the butt joints so they have more space for the first pass of joint compound. This helps to eliminate the bump that you might get when taping these joints, but its not a necessary step. 2. If youre mixing your own mud, combine and stir until its the consistently of pancake batter. If you can use a longer setting mix (45 minutes or longer), its highly recommended. 3. A metal or plastic corner bead protects the edges of the drywall from becoming damaged. The metal corner bead wraps around the outside edges of the drywall as a whole, and you can fasten it with nails or screws every 8 inches. First Day 1. With a 8-inch taping knife, mud, and pans, Start with the ceiling and apply the mud over the fasteners, using more mud then you think you need. 2. When applying the mud, start with the taping knife perpendicular to the ceiling when you have a lot of mud, but gradually move the taping knife parallel to the ceiling as you mud the walls. This allows for a more even distribution of mud 3. Lay joint tape over the joints applying slight pressure with your hand. 4. After the joint tape is down, run your taping knife over the joint tape, using more force then you did before. 5. Make sure to keep your taping knife clean, as the mud will start to dry up and mess up your joint tape. 6. After the joint tape is pressed down apply a thin layer of mud over the joint tape using very little force. You should still be able to see the joint tape.

7. At the inside corners of the wall apply a generous coating of mud, but then fold the tape, so half is on each corner of the wall. Then apply a thin layer of mud as you did for the rest of the joints. 8. The outside corner should have a corner bead on it. You do not need to apply joint tape on the corner bead, only a layer of mud over the corner bead. 9. When youre finished with the first coat, clean the containers and add water to the mud so that it doesn't dry out. Second Day 1. Use a wider taping knife (10-12 inches) and apply the mud as you did before, but dont use as much force. Joint tape is not used in this step. 2. After youre done, you should not be able to see the joint tape that was used in step 1. The mud should extend about 3 inches to each side of the joint, and you want to fill over the fasteners so that the mud is even with the surface of the drywall. Third Day 1. The third day is when youre going to apply a finishing coat. This step takes the most care to do, as this is the last coat of mud. Get an even wider taping knife then you used on the second day. 2. Start off by running your taping knife over every joint. You need to make the joints as smooth as possible for your last coat. Apply the mud little by little, and take care to make the mud as smooth as possible on the wall. 3. The mud should be a little thinner for the last coat (add a little more water), which will make the finished project look a lot better. Finish 1. The last step is to sand down the mud so that the joints are as smooth as possible. Use a high grit sandpaper (at least 100 grit). 2. After sanding, wet a sponge slightly, and gently rub over the joints. This will make the mud much smoother after you sand it down. 3. Apply a primer over the wall before you paint it. This will ensure an even finish to the wall, and help the final coat of paint look better.