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What is the Process of Drywall Installation and Finish?
Drywall is a large, rigid sheet of finished material that you can use to face interior walls of homes and commercial structures. Drywall construction involves building walls without mortar or plaster. If you want to add or completely remodel a room to your house, you’ll need to hang drywall along the studs that frame your home.
Even though you can get help from an expert, hanging drywall is simple enough to do yourself. It’s an inexpensive material to work with, and if you make a mistake, you can quickly fix it. To do the job right, you’re going to need some tools and materials besides the drywall itself. Follow this drywall installation guide and learn some tips from the pros to make your room addition or renovation a success.
Process of Drywall Installation
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1. Prepare The Drywall Sheets For The Ceiling
Before you start placing the wallboard on your ceiling, you should measure and mark where they fit. You might only need one sheet of drywall if you’re using 12-foot boards, but if you have a spacious area, you may need additional panels. Here are some tips for cutting and measuring drywall for the ceiling:
- To figure out where to put the first board, measure from a corner that makes a 90-degree angle with the joists, the horizontal framing components spanning on top of load-bearing walls.
- If the board isn’t the full length of the ceiling, it must end in the middle of a joist, or you’ll have to measure to the center of the farthest framing component that the board overlaps. Mark the new dimensions on the edge of the first board.
- Use a square to guide you while scoring the mark with a utility knife. Place the drywall on edge and use your knee to snap the excess material from the other side.
- To determine where to place screws throughout the drywall panels, mark the spot where the joists intersect the wall on the top plate.
2. Install Drywall on The Ceiling
Now that you know where to put the panels, you can correctly install them. Follow these steps to cover the ceiling with drywall:
- Using a lift or an assistant, position the first board against a top corner. Ensure the edges are perpendicular to the framing components and that one end is flush against the wall.
- After securing the board in place, secure five evenly-spaced screws in a line across the entire sheet and into the framing component closest to its center.
- Use the top plate marks to keep the screws in line, double-checking that each screw is at least half an inch from the closest edge. Drive the screw heads deep enough into the board that they indent the paper without breaking through.
- Make a line of five screws into each joist that your drywall board touches until you reach the end.
- Continue driving screws into another row, ensuring that they are at least a few feet from the first row. Add a screw next to any screw heads that broke through the paper.
3. Measure and Cut Drywall on The Wall
Once you’ve covered the ceiling, you can now position the wallboard for your interior walls. Follow these tips for measuring wallboards for your walls:
- Measure the wall’s width and cut the drywall sheet so that it’s about a quarter-inch shorter than the measurement.
- Using a lift or an assistant, prop the drywall up and position it tight against the ceiling.
- Score the mark with a utility knife and a drywall square, and snap the excess material against the line.
4. Install Drywall On The Wall
As you install your newly trimmed drywall boards, take some drywall adhesive and run it across the studs so that you won’t need as many screws. Drywall adhesive will also enhance the noise reduction of your walls. Follow these methods for covering the wall with drywall boards:
- Before applying the drywall, ensure that the initial board will end up in the middle of a stud, the vertical framing component of a wall. If you need to make adjustments, cut the board so that it fits in the center.
- Use a lift or an assistant to place the board against the studs to have one edge fit snugly next to the ceiling board and another against the adjacent wall.
- Drive drywall screws into the center of the board at a convenient height.
- Once you’ve installed the first screws, put in the rest, working from the center of the board outward.
- Drive the screws and evenly space them apart as you secure them into all the studs.
- To cover the wall easily, hang the drywall horizontally to reduce the amount of adhesive, placing the seam at a convenient height. If this doesn’t cover your wall, you’ll need additional sheets.
5. Cut Openings For Doors, Windows, and Outlet Boxes
The room most likely has doors and windows, and you’ll need to cut the drywall for a current or future opening. Follow these tips for trimming the area where a sheet covers a window that you haven’t installed yet:
- Cover the window with a drywall sheet and drive in a few screws to indicate the future window’s corners.
- Use a jab saw to puncture a hole into the approximate middle of the future window and cut sideways and vertically until you reach the edges.
Follow these tips if the window is already in place:
- Remove the trim around the window and cut the opening in the drywall panel before hanging it.
- Position the sheet along the floor to lay out the cut, and mark where it meets the bottom edge of the window.
- Measure from the ceiling to the upper part of the window to lay out the top cut’s edge.
- Cut the window opening and screw the panels in place.
If you want to cut around a door:
- Lay out the drywall in the same way you would measure for a window cut.
- Take away the trim around the door, and lean the sheet of drywall against the door opening. Mark where the studs are and draw a line for the top of the door opening.
- Cut the door opening with a jab saw and screw the panels in place.
If you want to make cuts for electrical outlets:
- Mark the height of the box for the outlet from the floor.
- With the electricity off, screw the drywall to the studs, covering the electrical box.
- Locate the inside edge of the box by puncturing the drywall with the jab saw and cutting outward.
6. Secure The Drywall Against The Outside and Inside Corners
Install the drywall to reach the floor and frame the outside corners by following these steps:
- Start at the bottom row with a shorter panel so that the top seam won’t be directly above the bottom.
- Place the wallboard in the appropriate location and screw it in place.
- Install the longer sheet after the short one is in place.
- There should be a slight gap between the drywall and floor to prevent the drywall from hitting against bumps on the floor. The baseboard will eventually cover the space. If necessary, trim the sheet to leave about a half-inch gap.
- Cut a piece of drywall long so that it hangs over the corner.
- Trim it with a jab saw after it’s in the appropriate position.
- Hang the panel, leaving it long and trimming it to create a well-fitted, tight corner.
For inside corners, make sure pieces fit closely but aren’t jammed together. Forcing boards together too tightly increases the chance of breaking and crumbling. You can leave about an eighth of an inch between the boards since you’ll fill any gaps with drywall compound later.
6. Add The Finishing Coats Of Drywall Compound
To fill the joints, use a container of lightweight drywall compound. Make sure you have enough material in the mud pan to apply one full coat on the framing component where you’ll be working. Even though you would follow these steps for seams in both directions, you should begin with horizontal seams for the best results.
- Cover the full span of the wallboard seam with compound using your drywall knife. Use light, even coats, to fill the gaps and make them level with boards on either side.
- Lay the joint tape on your newly coated joint while the drywall compound is still wet. Leave about an eighth of an inch of space if two pieces intersect.
- Apply the lightweight compound with a larger drywall knife entirely on top of the tape and the area around it, making sure the coats are level with the wall.
- To get the first and second coat of the corners, instead of using tape, use a metal or fiberboard corner bead, depending on the traffic you expect to have in the area. Lay it on top of the first coat and then apply a second layer of compound over it.
- Fill the screw dimples while allowing the seams to dry according to the time suggested on the joint compound’s container. Cover any protruding screw heads with the compound after driving them into the wall.
- Wait for the walls to dry, until the compound turns completely white.
- Apply the last thin layer to all the seams and corners using a drywall knife. If you had to repair any protruding screw heads, you should also lay a second coat there.
- Run over the walls again with a drywall knife and check that your wallboard is level with the joints. Use your drywall knife to check joints for gaps under them, and use drywall compound to fill low spots.
- Rub a sander over the joints after the finishing coat has dried, until you cannot feel any imperfections, joints or screws when you touch them.
- After you sand and touch up your walls, you can apply primer and paint them.
