When installing drywall, there are seven common mistakes people make. This article will help you understand the dos and the don’ts of drywall installation.

1. Have proper edge support

You need to consider framing before you start hanging drywall because it is inadequate or not there after all. Inadequate or lack of framing makes it hard to fasten the edge of the drywall making it weak. You need to make sure that you’ve at least 1 inch of the exposed frame at the left corners and if not, you need to add 2 × 4 framing to the right of the drywall.

2. Mark framing locations

Marking the locations of framing members before covering them with a drywall will help you place the screws with ease and accuracy. Placing the screws accurately is one of the problems most people experience when installing dry wall and if they fail to mark framing locations, they end up wasting a lot of time by missing the frame. To do it right, you need to mark the joint ceiling locations on the top plate and then mark the center of each stud to know the exact location. If you’ve any unusual framing, you also need to mark the stud locations to know where to place the screws after the framing is covered with drywall. Finally, you can mark the stud locations on your ceiling with a pencil before you hang the drywall with ease.

3. Avoid having tapered edges on outside corners

You need to place cut edges along an outside corner to avoid making it difficult to install the corner bead accurately. Anytime you hang a sheet of drywall which has tapered edges along an outside corner; you cannot be able to install the corner bead as required. Remember to avoid these tapered edges when installing dry wall. You can hire a contractor to help you cut the dry wall sheets as required if you don’t know how to go about it.

4. Check the fit before fastening

Regardless of how accurate you are in measuring, you need to check if the dry wall is fitting before you fasten because you may end up breaking the sheet while pressing the drywall tight to the wall. Always trim the opening before screwing the drywall to the frame. The procedure to make sure that the fit is okay before fastening involves careful measuring, cutting of the openings and holding the drywall in place. If the fit is somehow close, fasten the sheet with some screws along the top edge and then “trim excess drywall using a utility knife until the drywall slides over the outlet boxes easily.” stated by the Drywall Vancouver dry wall contractors. When you achieve this, fasten the drywall.

5. Avoid future cracks

To have your drywall in a perfect condition for a long time, you need to avoid lining up the drywall sheet with an edge of a door or window opening. The main reason behind this is to avoid having future cracks as your house is shifting and settling with time. If you have a joint near a window or door opening, it is usually weaker than any other section, and it will eventually crack in future even if it is well taped.

6. Leave 1/8 inch gap

When installing drywall, you may experience a range of problems from breaking out a corner as a result of jamming in a piece to shaving a too tight edge. You don’t need to have an exact measure of the dry wall because it will create more problems when installing because it may fail to fit or turn out to be excess and you will have to trim it again. When you’ve to trim a small piece from the drywall, you may end up destroying the sheet and hence leaving a 1/8 inch gap at the edges is recommended. When hanging your ceiling, you need to know that ½ inches will be covered by drywall along the perimeter and the same applies inside wall corners. If by any case the edges are not covered, it is easy to fill a 1/8 inch gap rather than cutting and repairing a broken corner or edge.

7. Minimise joints

When planning your project, you should use the longest and largest sheets available to minimise the joints. If you’ve numerous joints in your installation, it will make it tedious, time communing and complicated. The size of the drywall will be determined by the walls you already have and whether you have the skills needed to install the sheets. Sometimes it can be challenging to get large drywall sheets into your house but you can have them delivered and even stacked inside your home by the suppliers at an additional cost. You just need to plan carefully before you start the installation process.

When installing drywall, notch drywall around openings instead of making a joint because they are weak points. Always measure and notch the drywall sheets before hanging them. To avoid breaking the sheet, get help when hanging notched sheets as the skinny section above the opening is fragile and can break easily. The primary objective of following these steps is to install your drywall correctly in order to save installation and repair costs.

Post submitted by our friends at Drywall Vancouver

Drywall Vancouver
82 E 37th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5W 1E2
(604) 229-3691