Drywall Finishing Tips
& Drywall Work

General Drywall Installation Tips

• Before starting to install the drywall sheets, make sure that you have supports inside the walls and ceiling to attach the drywall inside the corners, ceiling and walls and where the drywall sheets are ending (joints)

• Install panels with the ceiling first, across the joists, staggered way (like bricks)

• Install the bottom panels on the walls, staggered way

• Install the top wall panels

• Important: don’t overdrive the screws; they should not go to deep, pass the drywall paper, or the drywall will not be stable and durable. Believe it or not, the entire drywall sheet is supported by the exterior paper layer. If the screw is passing that, the drywall will start sagging

Drywall Finishing Tips

• For your drywall work, choose and use only high quality materials; lowering the quality standards is a risk you don’t want to take

• Don’t skip the recommended steps, because the steps you skip will make you loose double time later on

• Don’t worry if you are not working with the speed of a professional. This is normal

• Most likely, you are doing remodeling, and not a new construction. There are a few different drywall finishing tips for each type of the project. If you remodel, the drywall can be hung over flat surfaces, such as thin paneling (without removing), plaster walls, wallpapered walls. In new construction, the drywall sheets will be installed directly on the wall studs

• Depending on your project, choose the type of drywall (there are a few available). The standard size is 4’ x 8’

• Surface preparation is very important. The walls must be flat, and any problems fixed before starting the project. Make sure that all studs are straight and check them with the leveler; ceiling joists are even, and not wavy and so on, so forth...

• Install the drywall sheet horizontal, staggered way

• Keep small spaces between the installed drywall sheets (to avoid tension and cracking later on), especially space around windows frames, and door jambs frames

Drywall Finishing Steps

• Before starting any drywall project, make sure you cover all furniture well, with poly (rolls) and floors with cloth drop sheets

• The first step towards finishing drywall is to fill all nail or screw holes with drywall filler

• Fill the long horizontal joints with a thick coat of drywall ready filler. Use more coats if required, and allow proper drying. Use at least 3 different sizes of drywall knives, starting with a smaller one (4"), then 6" for the second layer and 8" for the third layer, to avoid piling up layers of drywall filler in one area

• Drywall joints require several coats of drywall ready filler, and finishing sanding

• You can use for sanding a damp sponge, recommended especially if somebody is allergic to dust, and for smaller areas; or a vacuum sander system if you have one available. Don't try to use your home vacuum with the vacuum sander attachment, because the drywall fine dust will burn the engine. The special Shop Vacuums must be used with yellow vacuum bags to protect the engine. If not, at least, wear a respirator to prevent inhaling a lot of unhealthy sanding dust

• Taping: instead of paper tape, today most professionals are using fiberglass mesh tape, because it is stronger and easier to use. The regular tape paper must be used wet, and can be actually better than fiberglass (and cheaper too!)

• One place to pay special attention is outside corners. To protect this area that is the most exposed, before mudding, cover it with ‘corner beads’ – plastic for arches or metal for regular corners

• For inside corners, the best tool to use is plastic or metal inside corner drywall knife

• Slightly sand walls and ceilings between each primer or paint application

• Remove the dust from walls and ceilings, using a soft brush or even a broom

• When everything looks fine after sanding, apply a coat of drywall sealer or primer

• Apply two coats of paint because one is not enough to show the true color, and cover well

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