Drywall Installation

Sometimes people will hire a drywall installation company to put up drywall instead of doing it themselves but this can be the more expensive way to do this. The standard size drywall board is four feet by eight feet with the thickness for the ceiling at five-eights inch and one half inch thick for the walls. You will need to have drywall screws, sandpaper that is fine grit, drywall saw, drywall tape, utility and trimming knife, hammer, and a T-square. It is not a job for just one person so you will need to make sure that you have help with your drywall installation project.

Preparation

Before you can hang the drywall, you will need to make holes in the boards for fittings and electrical outlets. Take the measurements and before cutting the drywall, you will need to mark their positions on the piece of drywall. Use a T-square to make the measurements on the drywall and the trimming knife to cut them out. For any rough edges you take the sandpaper to smooth them out. Once you have them all cut then you are ready to start your drywall installation project by hanging the boards.

Drywall for the walls

You can hang drywall vertically or horizontally. It is advisable to install it horizontally if the height of the ceiling is less than the length of the drywall. By doing it this way you will be able to keep the drywall joints to a minimum. You would hang the drywall vertically if the ceiling has a height of more than eight feet five inches. If you are installing the drywall boards horizontally, you should hang the upper panels first by holding the first board against the ceiling. Secure it firmly to the wall stud. Space the nails that you are fixing to the studs seven inches apart to further secure the board. Use the same technique for the rest of the drywall installation boards.

Drywall for the ceiling

When doing drywall installation on the ceiling many prefer to hire professional home improvement contractors that have experience in hanging drywall on the ceiling because it is hard to hang drywall there. It is a two-person job. When doing it yourself you put it lengthwise on the joist in one corner of the ceiling and nail it, spacing the nails six inches apart. To make it easier some rent a drywall lifter.

Drywall Joints

After the drywall is hung, you will notice that the surface near the drywall joints is uneven so you will need to level out these areas. Cover the uneven surface with joint compound followed by a piece of drywall tape the same length of the joint. Put a thin layer of mud over the tape and let dry overnight. Fill all nail holes with mud. After twenty-four hours apply the next layer of joint compound and let dry.

Once you have installed the drywall and everything is dry, you should apply primer to the drywall before you paint it. Make sure that the primer is dry before you put on the paint.