How to Install Drywall
First things first, gather all the required materials and supply tools to start off with a drywall project. Ensure you buy the tools and materials based on your requirements. Now if you are wondering how much does it cost to put up drywall, note that the cost of drywall is between $300 - $400 per 600 square feet. You just have to calculate the total square footage of the room that you are installing drywall in.
- Utility Knife
- T-square (alignment)
- Hand Saw
- Joint Compound
- Taping Knife
Prepare the Drywall/Installing Sheetrock
Just before you install the drywall, or install the sheet-rock, make sure you check for the all the framing, electrical and plumbing insulation jobs correctly. If there is a faceless insulation installed beforehand, add a vapor barrier on the outside walls over the insulation. Examine all the framing very carefully, they should be straight and uniform in order to create smooth planes. It's best to start up the project by putting up drywall ceiling. The ceiling must have strapping attached to it. Also, when you learn how to install drywall ceiling, ensure about the metal protection plates installed to studding. They can penetrate though electrical wires or plumbing pipes.
Install the Drywall Ceiling
Begin the drywall project from the ceiling as the sheets installed on the walls will hold strongly on the ceilings first. Use a flexible ladder or jack to nail or screw the sheets into the ceiling. Do not hammer the nails hard, else there will be patches in the drywall in the very beginning itself. Apply nails/screws at every 8'' - 12'' distance on each stud. Remember to hang rolls of drywall in a systematic pattern. The interlocking pattern creates a rigid and stronger wall.
Install the Drywall
Start from the top of the wall and work your way down to the floor joists in a perpendicular manner. Remember again, to roll the drywall sheets in a systematic manner. Leave the drywall ½'' above the bottom of the floor. If the edges need some kind of smooth working, hand cut it neatly using a cutting saw.
Finishing the Drywall
Now that all the drywall sheets have been installed at the desired places in your home, apply joint compound to the seams. With utility knife run the compound smooth all over. Next step, is to use the tape by pressing it gently from one edge to another. Now apply a thin layer of joint compound over the tape and fill all the countersunk nails with the same compound. Leave the process to dry out for a whole day. On the next day if you see that the drywall needs a second coating, repeat the procedure in the same manner.
Here's a quickie I would like to share with you. After the drywall is set up, prime the walls. Priming actually helps to conceal all the imperfection you went through while performing your project. Later on you can paint the walls or choose a wallpaper as per your taste, just to maintain your home decor.
If you want to learn how to place a drywall in your basement, or put up drywall in a bathroom, the procedure for all these home improvement projects remains the same.