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Installing Drywall (continued)
Making Openings in Drywall. 1. Measure and mark carefully. For receptacles, trace an outline around a spare electrical box. 2. Bore holes at each corner with a power drill or poke the end of a keyhole or drywall saw through the drywall. 3. Most saws slice through drywall easily. Protect your floors; gypsum dust is difficult to clean up.
Fitting Around Pipes. 1. Do not disconnect plumbing fixtures. Attach drywall to the studs flanking the pipes. 2. Cut a piece to width, mark the locations of the pipes, bore holes, and cut between holes. 3. Finally, piece your puzzle back together and nail or screw to the studs.
Taping Drywall. The trickiest part of a drywall project comes when you finish off the joints, which are covered with tape and drywall compound, then sanded. You'll need 5 gallons of joint compound and 500 feet of paper "tape" for each 1,000 square feet of surface. Invest, too, in a pair of 4-inch and 10-inch-wide finishing knives. I recommend the metal knives vs. The plastic "throw-away" knives because the plastic gets "burrs" in the finishing edge surface; making the drywall compound have pits and harder to finish.
Budget plenty of time for the first coat. Get the tape up smoothly and you'll be spared headaches later. 1. With a 4-inch knife, apply a uniform swath of compound to the tapered trough where two panels meet. 2. Immediately, unroll your mesh tape (or paper tape) and embed it in the compound by pressing down with your 4-inch knife. Smooth out wrinkles. 3. Fill nail dimples and other blemishes at this time. Pack in a dab of compound, then level the surface. 4. Give the "bedding" coat 24 hours to dry, then apply compound again, feathering out edges about 6 inches. 5. After second coat dries, sand it smooth, being careful not to sand any exposed tape. 6. Apply a skim coat with a 10-inch knife, spreading edges to about 12 inches. Sand smooth after drying.
Taping Corners. Inside and outside corner require slightly different taping techniques. Reinforce outside corners with strips of lightweight perforated metal angle. Use ordinary joint tape for inside corners, but cut it to length first, then crease it vertically down the middle before applying. Nail metal "corner bead" through drywall to framing every 5 inches. Apply two coats of compound, feathering it out about four inches on each wall. For inside corners, fold tape down the middle before embedding it in compound. Apply later coats to one wall, let dry, then do the other wall.
Fitting Around Pipes. 1. Do not disconnect plumbing fixtures. Attach drywall to the studs flanking the pipes. 2. Cut a piece to width, mark the locations of the pipes, bore holes, and cut between holes. 3. Finally, piece your puzzle back together and nail or screw to the studs.
Taping Drywall. The trickiest part of a drywall project comes when you finish off the joints, which are covered with tape and drywall compound, then sanded. You'll need 5 gallons of joint compound and 500 feet of paper "tape" for each 1,000 square feet of surface. Invest, too, in a pair of 4-inch and 10-inch-wide finishing knives. I recommend the metal knives vs. The plastic "throw-away" knives because the plastic gets "burrs" in the finishing edge surface; making the drywall compound have pits and harder to finish.
Budget plenty of time for the first coat. Get the tape up smoothly and you'll be spared headaches later. 1. With a 4-inch knife, apply a uniform swath of compound to the tapered trough where two panels meet. 2. Immediately, unroll your mesh tape (or paper tape) and embed it in the compound by pressing down with your 4-inch knife. Smooth out wrinkles. 3. Fill nail dimples and other blemishes at this time. Pack in a dab of compound, then level the surface. 4. Give the "bedding" coat 24 hours to dry, then apply compound again, feathering out edges about 6 inches. 5. After second coat dries, sand it smooth, being careful not to sand any exposed tape. 6. Apply a skim coat with a 10-inch knife, spreading edges to about 12 inches. Sand smooth after drying.
Taping Corners. Inside and outside corner require slightly different taping techniques. Reinforce outside corners with strips of lightweight perforated metal angle. Use ordinary joint tape for inside corners, but cut it to length first, then crease it vertically down the middle before applying. Nail metal "corner bead" through drywall to framing every 5 inches. Apply two coats of compound, feathering it out about four inches on each wall. For inside corners, fold tape down the middle before embedding it in compound. Apply later coats to one wall, let dry, then do the other wall.
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