Very good post Ray, a real keeper. David Ferrin [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Boyce, Ray" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 3:12 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Drywall Hanging Tips
Hi Everyone Drywall Hanging Tips Getting Started Hanging drywall is not too hard. To begin the job, you need a few basic tools and the right type of drywall. I find that a sharp razor knife, a 30 foot long tape measure with a 1 inch blade, a drywall hatchet, a T-square, and a screwgun make the job a breeze. Optional tools include a rotary cutter, a drywall hand saw, and pry bars, etc. Be sure to have extra razor blades. A sharp blade makes crisp cuts. Contrary to popular belief, you don't cut drywall with a circular saw. If you don't own a drywall hatchet, consider purchasing one. A regular hammer has a tendency to tear the drywall paper as you try to recess each nail. The hatchet has a gently tapered head that creates a beautiful natural recess for the joint compound. What's more, the hatchet head has checkered tooling. When it strikes the paper surface, it creates a waffle contour that helps lock the joint compound in place. Let's Get to Work! Here is a typical room that is being drywalled. The insulation is in place and the exposed 2 x 6 blocks allow the finish carpenters to install the kitchen cabinets in a flash. Note that the ceiling was hung first. The rough framing distance from the floor to the ceiling joists adjacent to the walls before drywall was 97 and 1/8 inches. This rough height allows you to hang the 1/2 inch drywall ceiling and still have 96 and 5/8 inches left over on each wall. This distance allows you to easily hang two 48 inch wide sheets sideways without trimming. Always hang the top sheet first. Push it up tight against the ceiling drywall. Install two or three screws to hold it in place and then draw plumb lines that represent the center of the wall studs. Space the wall fasteners so they are 16 inches apart. I prefer to use 1 and 3/8 inch screws for 1/2 inch drywall. Ceiling screws or nails should be placed 12 inches apart. Cutting and Fitting Cutting drywall is a breeze. I prefer to do it while it rests flat on the floor. A 48 inch long T square allows you to only make one mark on the drywall instead of two if you use a traditional level to make the straight cut line. With the T square in place at the cutting point, glide the razor knife down the edge of the sqaure. There is no need to draw a pencil line. Lift the drywall and push against the sheet. The drywall will snap and all you need to do is slice the back side of the drywall at the crease to complete the cut. Always cut the drywall 1/4 inch less than the actual measurement for length. The drywall joint compound and tape will fill all of these gaps with ease. Hanging drywall is not finish carpentry! The bottom sheet is in place. Note the huge gap between the sheet already on the wall. We need to lift the bottom sheet so the gap is very small or non-existent. Note the pry bar in the bottom of the photo. Watch how it will help us lift the heavy drywall! Lifting and Trimming! Look how easy it is to lift the drywall. I simply step on the pry bar and it raises into position. Professional hangers have a special tool to do this. With a pry bar you need scrap drywall to act as a fulcrum. You will need two people doing this at the same time on any sheet longer than 4 feet. Have your nails or screw gun ready so you can fasten the sheet while the seam between the two pieces is tight. When you are ready to fasten the drywall to the wall studs, press against the board. Failure to do this while nailing or screwing can lead to future nail pops. Cutting holes for pipes and electrical outlet boxes can be done with a rigid hand saw, but I prefer to use a powered rotary tool. These have spiral bits with sharp edges and allow you to cut any shape or sixed hole with extreme precision. Finer Points! The rotary cutters allow you to cut out for electrical boxes after the drywall is hung! You insert the spinning bit through the drywall in the center of the box. Slide the tool sideways until you feel resistance. Extract the bit and jump over the side of the box. Place the bit in contact with the outer edge of the box and proceed to cut counterclokwise. It is an awesome tool. If you nail drywall, you must make sure you do not tear the paper facing. If this happens, the holding power of the nail is greatly reduced. Here is a photo of a nail that was driven too deeply. The face paper is torn and you can see the exposed gypsum core. Move 1.5 inches away and install a screw or nail properly. Almost Finished! Screws are really the best fastener in my opinion. If you use a screw gun and have the depth adjustment set perfectly, the screw sets below the paper surface about 1/16th of an inch. The paper is silghtly depressed, but not torn. This photo illustrates a perfectly driven screw. Well, the drywall is hung. The room is ready to be scraped out. Whatever you do, don't sweep the floor! The dust that remains around the edges and on the floor will help you to easily removes globs of joint compound that will inevitably fall from your finishing tools! Drywall! ********************************************************************** This message and its attachments may contain legally privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not disclose or use the information contained in it. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete the e-mail. Any content of this message and its attachments which does not relate to the official business of Eraring Energy must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by Eraring Energy. 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