Drywall is normally installed horizontally but can be installed vertically if desired.
Green rocking the whole house may be overkill, but could be helpful in high moisture areas, such as bathrooms, as long as it’s not used to line the bathtub or shower. Green rock drywall is not great in places where it is likely to get wet. Use glass-reinforced cement board around the shower or bath tiles instead.
If your drywall does not end on a strapping piece or joist, try this: Measure to the center of the farthest support piece the drywall gets to and transfer that measurement to the drywall. Place a T-square along the line in your drywall and run a razor along that straight line created by the T-square. Break the end piece off from the scoring line. Double-check the end of the drywall makes it to the center of the strapping piece or joist.
Make sure the five screws are evenly spaced along the strapping or joist. Leave 1⁄2 inch (1. 3 cm) buffer zones on edges when driving screws. Do not screw too close to the edge of the drywall. A drywall gun will make it a lot easier to screw down the drywall. [6] X Expert Source James MansfieldConstruction & Design Specialist Expert Interview. 13 May 2021. Drive the screw heads down past the top of the drywall, but not so deep that they break through the surface.
When cutting drywall, use a T-square and razor knife to score a line on one side of the drywall paper. Place your knee on the opposite side of the cut and quickly pull the drywall piece towards you while at the same time pushing your knee outward, snapping the drywall in a clean line. Clean up the remaining paper along the newly formed crease with your razor.
Extra screws may help in some situations, but are usually overkill; they will require extra mudding and sanding that may detract from the overall finish. Consider using a spring-loaded drywall screw dimpler. They are designed to automatically countersink each drywall screw to precisely the same depth before ratcheting the screw bit, as a sign to quit and back off the drill.
A good practice when installing drywall over protruding pipes is to place the drywall against the pipe and lightly tap with a flat block of wood to dimple the back. Next, pull the drywall away and use a drywall circle cutter or drywall hole saw to cut a perfect hole along the dimple. This should be much easier to finish than if you punch out a large hole that requires 3-4 coats of mud to finish.
Have your drywall tape pre-cut and lightly dampened with clean water. You don’t need to soak it down too much. Some contractors avoid the perforated and fiber tapes, as they don’t produce a flawless finish and require gobs of extra mud and sanding to get the job done right. Do what works best for you and fits in your budget.
Apply mud and tape in a similar manner. Apply liberal amount of compound. If it isn’t already, crease your tape perfectly in the center and reinforce the crease a couple of times. Apply the tape so that the center of the crease fits directly into the corner of the wall. Wipe away excess compound with your drywall knife.
Many thin coats of mud will give you better results, but patience is required to let it dry. Don’t apply any mud over freshly taped joints. Allow them to thoroughly dry for one day between coats unless you are using hot mud that will dry in an hour. A great idea is to use pink mud that dries white, indicating it is ready for another coat.
Screed some mud over any small imperfections in the drywall that may occur during installation such as missed nail/screw holes.
