Some general tips

Let's talk about some general tips related to hanging drywall

Scrap pieces

It is the tendency of many homeowners to try to use up as much of the board as possible. That's totally understandable with the cost of the material. In addition, who doesn't try to save money anywhere they can? Unfortunately, using up smaller pieces left over from cuts is not saving money! I recall a job estimate for finishing we were called on where the walls resembled a giant jigsaw puzzle. The homeowners proudly announced they had no scrap left over. I'm sure they didn't since the scrap was all nailed to the walls!

It's called scrap for a reason, folks. With drywall the idea is to eliminate seams wherever possible. This not only improves the strength of the walls but it also save a ton of money on the finishing materials. Not to mention the time and/or money saved on the labor involved in finishing. The best recommendation we could make to those homeowners was to call a professional in the veneer plastering business. Even then they were looking at a higher cost than necessary. Whether veneer plaster or drywall every seam must be taped!

**tip**
The primary ingredients in drywall are gypsum and paper. It's an excellent addition to garden soil! Just remember the larger the piece the longer it will take to decompose.

Nails, screws & blisters

Earlier I mentioned the need for the right hammer. The perfect dimple left by just the right hit with a drywall hammer allows just enough depth to fill with joint compound during finishing. Even a professional can leave a nail too shallow or hit it just a little too hard and break the paper. An additional tap with the hammer can solve the problem of too shallow. If you have a hit (or a miss) that has broken the paper surface of the board tape it. Yes, tape it just as if you were taping a seam. A board with more severe damage needs all the loose material removed first. A miss can be gently tapped with the corner of the taping knife handle to create a slight indentation or dimple. Remember the most important thing here is to keep blemishes, nails, screws, etc just below the surface to allow for optimum finishing.

The right depth for screws is all about the screw gun. The adjustable nose of a drywall screw gun is set for the perfect depth; just dimpled enough to be below the surface of the board without breaking the paper. Again, even professionals have less than perfect screws. A quick tweak with a screwdriver can take it in the hair more that it needs. You'll find it handy to carry a screwdriver with you during the first coat if you used screws to attach the board. The first coat of finishing is where you will take care of all the tweaks to make the final coats go smoothly.

Blisters are caused by many things. A splinter on a stud or a nail in a stud that wasn't pounded in deep enough are just two examples. It happens and it's not a cause for worry. However, is is something that will need taken care of. See above regarding removing loose material and taping. If you miss taking care of a blister in the board prior to finishing it will soon rear its ugly little head after you begin to apply the joint compound. An air pocket will be created and will be visible through the mud. This will also happen if you didn't get enough mud behind the tape.

The cure for this is to cut it out. Take a utility knife and cut out the loose paper or tape, apply some joint compound, place a piece of tape over it large enough to cover the hole or seam and wipe it clean. Applying too much pressure during wiping it can cause too much mud to be removed. The only cure for that is practice!

Drywall Tools

Drywall tools are an essential part of the job. For drywall repair, or hanging and finishing a few sheets of drywall, you can find everything you need to do the job at your local Home Depot. For more extensive jobs, or if you're planning a professional career, visit the title link.

Drywall hanging -
The tools used to hang drywall are basic carpentry tools, with a few specialty items thrown in. As mentioned earlier, you can really go crazy (and spend a ton of money) buying specialty drywall tools. There are tools to make every step of the job easier and faster; from drywall routers, to panel lifts. For small jobs, you will need the following:

1) Tape Measure - 3/4" x 12' will cover most DIY jobs. If you're using 4' x 12' sheets, up the length to 16'.

2) Utility Knife with extra heavy duty blades - Use only a fixed blade knife. The retractable style are great for keeping handy in a pocket, but you'll have a tendency to accidentally retract them while making cuts.

3) Keyhole Saw - Make sure to have the round handle style. This tool will double as a rasp to shave small amounts off a too-tight cut.

5) Circle cutter - This is a specialty item. It is adjustable with a sharp pivot point to sink in the center of your pending cut and has a sharp wheel to make the preliminary score in the board surface. You will need to make circle cuts for most ceiling light fixtures.

Don't waste money purchasing this tool to make one or two cuts with it. A pencil protractor (like the ones you used back in school) can adequately do the job. I will get more in depth with that in an article dedicated to drywall hanging.

6) T-square - This is one specialty item I do recommend purchasing. The time it will save, and the ease of making a score cut with the help of this tool, makes it worth the price. ( less than $30 on average) Unless, this is a one time thing of five sheets, or less.

7) Caulking Gun - The small one most homeowners have around the house will do just fine. Just make sure to purchase the panel adhesive in that size.

8) Drywall Hammer, or hatchet - This is also a specialty tool and not worth making a special purchase for a very small job. The drywall hammer is designed to slightly dimple the nailhead to sink it below the surface of the board for finishing. Most information out there will tell you not to use nails, use screws instead. That idea is half-right and half-wrong. Once again, my article dedicated to hanging will cover this subject more in depth.

You will need a carpenter's pencil for marking measurements onto the drywall. You may need a chalkbox if you are making angle cuts (For example: many old houses were not square. The cut may differ by as much as an inch within four feet. Stairwells, cathedral ceilings, etc are full of angled cuts).

There are panel lifts available for rental, if you are doing the job yourself. These can be rented at most tool or construction rental stores. Just Google 'tool rental' to find one near you.

Next up: How to do drywall without straining your back, or hurting your helper!