Finishing drywall with joint compound, or mud, creates a smooth, flat wall.
What we know as drywall was introduced by the United States Gypsum Company in 1916, but it didn't come into widespread use until World War II. It is much easier to install than lath and plaster, which it eventually replaced, and modern builders use it almost exclusively for covering interior walls. Drywall sheets come in a standard 4-foot width, and framers space studs and rafters by a standard distance to accommodate this width. An important consideration for the do-it-yourself installer is that drywall sheets are heavy, and placing them may require extra manpower.
Instructions
1. Install full sheets of drywall whenever possible, starting at the top of a wall and working downward. Install each sheet perpendicular to the studs, making sure the ends of the sheet bisect a stud face. Place sheets so that they touch one another without crushing or compressing the edges.
2. Cut drywall to fit around edges and in corners where a full sheet won't fit. Draw a line marking the appropriate length or width on the face of a sheet with a pencil. Score along the line with a utility knife, then snap the sheet along the score line and cut along the crease on the back of the sheet to separate it. Clean the edges with a rasp before installing any piece you cut.
3. Cut out holes for electrical boxes with a drywall saw. Draw the outline of a box at the correct position, poke the tip of a drywall saw through the drywall on the outline, and cut along it with the saw to make a hole. Clean the edges with a rasp before installing the drywall.
4. Screw or nail sheets of 1/2-inch drywall to the studs with 1 1/4-inch drywall screws or drywall nails. Drive screws with a drill and a #2 Phillips bit, or pound nails with a drywall hammer, which has a rounded head. The head of the screw or nail should make a 1/32-inch indentation in the surface of the paper without breaking it. The rounded head of the drywall hammer will form a small bowl around the nail that you can fill with drywall joint compound.
5. Install drywall on ceilings with the aid of a drywall lift. Place a sheet on the lift and crank the lift to raise it into position. Drive a few nails or screws to hold it to the rafters, then remove the lift and finish nailing or screwing it in.
6. Space nails or screws no more than 12 inches apart on ceilings and 16 inches on walls. Space them 12 inches apart on inside corners and 8 inches apart on outside ones. When two sheets form a butt joint, space the nails on the edge of each sheet that forms the joint no farther than 5 inches apart.
7. Finish seams and fill nail or screw holes with drywall joint compound, or mud, and drywall tape. Spread mud along a seam with a 5-inch drywall blade, then lay moistened paper tape on the seam and scrape the excess mud out with the blade, flattening the tape to the wall in the process. Fill nail holes with mud and scrape the excess with a 5-inch blade. Let the mud dry overnight.
8. Spread a second coat of mud on seams and nail or screw holes with an 8-inch blade, and use the same blade to scrape the excess, gradually flattening seams and holes and feathering the edges of the mud into the wall. Let the second coat dry, and spread and scrape a third coat with a 10-inch blade.
9. Sand the final mud coat lightly with 120-grit sandpaper prior to painting the walls and ceiling.
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