Drywall

Drywall is the most popular wall finishing type today and is used as backing for most wall treatments, such as wood, fiber, wallpaper, and tile paneling. This is also known as gypsum wallboard, enclosed in a paper casing that increase mildew and fire resistance.

While drywall is typically sold in four foot sheets, with some commercial needs require sheets up to 16 feet. In the event custom pieces are needed, they can be order from a factory. In addition, drywall boards come in four common thicknesses, ¼ “for covering an existing wall, 3/8” provides extra strength, 1/2 for ordinary needs and 5/8 is used to comply with fire requirements. For soundproofing, two layers of drywall are sometimes used.

The recommended way of drywall installation is a multi-level security tip. Before the drywall is set on the wall, cover the studs with adhesive. Once the drywall is in place use both screws and nails to secure the boards to the studs in the wall. In this way the adhesive, along with the screws and nails offer greater strength and smoother surface to work with after installation. The screws themselves should be placed every six inches along the edges. It is important to check these numbers as local areas may have different codes that need to be followed.

Drywall finishing is the next important step. Once secured to the wall, the seams between the sheets are filled using joint tape and joint compound. This compound is applied several times over screw holes, defects and the joints. After applying the mud, it will air dry then be sanded smooth before being painted.

To repair drywall, a peel and stick patch is mostly used to cover doorknob holes or similar defects. The patch itself is an aluminum screen that is attached to the area and is then covered with three separate layers of drywall compound.

When it comes to hanging drywall on the ceiling a drywall lift (or stilts) are vital, it will make reaching the ceiling easier and less time consuming, than moving a ladder around the room.

Once finished many will apply a drywall texture to the wall, three more popular texture finishes are a “Skip trowel” finish that most resembles Spanish style stucco when finished. Also, a splatter finish lives up to its name resembling small blobs of splatter on the wall. In the same idea, the Orange peel finish coats the wall in a fine spray that resembles the texture of an orange.