Drywall Installation

Today, drywall installation is widely used for covering up the interior walls and ceilings. Thus, the defects, cracks, pipes, wiring, etc., on the walls can be nicely hidden behind the drywall boards. It also helps to improve the interior decoration of the house. When the drywall is painted and decorated with artwork and various wall decorating items, then it looks really beautiful. Moreover, it provides good insulation to the room.

Instructions

To begin with, measure the ceiling and walls to ascertain the number of drywall boards needed for the job and purchase them accordingly. You have to equip yourself with some tools as well. It includes, drywall lift, drywall tape, joint compound, drywall screws, sandpaper, joint knife, keyhole saw, etc. Once you have procured all these items, follow the step-by-step instructions given below:

Installing Drywall on Ceiling
You should always hang drywall on the ceiling first and then proceed to the walls. If there are obstructions like protruding pipes on the ceiling wall, then you have to install furring strips first. As it will be difficult for hanging the drywall on the overhead position, I would like to advise you ask a friend or family member to hold the boards for you. Or else, use a drywall lift. Lift the first sheet of drywall at one corner of the ceiling and position it lengthwise on the joist. Use drywall screws for fixing it up with the joist. Keep a gap of about 6 inches in between two screws. Once the first board has been fastened up, install the second one in the same manner. Continue the process till you cover the entire ceiling area.

Installing Drywall on Walls
This task is much easier as compared to drywall installation on ceiling. Here the drywall is fixed to the studs of the wall to secure it firmly. Start working from one corner of the room. Hold the first drywall sheet a little above the floor horizontally so that it is perpendicular to the stud and then fasten it up. You should use drywall screws along the entire perimeter of the stud. There should be a gap of 12 inches in between two screws. Use the same technique to install the remaining pieces of drywall to cover all the walls of the room.

Taping the Seams
When you have hanged the drywall on all the walls and ceiling of the room, you have to tape all the joints where ends of two adjacent drywall boards meet. This is done to cover the small gaps that exist in between the boards. Adhesive based fiber glass tape can be used for this purpose as they can be applied very easily. Measure the length of the joint where the tape has to be placed and then cut the tape accordingly. Put the tape over the joint and press it lightly with a joint knife so that it adhere to the boards well.

Application of Joint Compound
This is done to cover up the visible defects on the surface of the drywall. Prepare the joint compound or the mud following the manufacturer's instructions. Apply it over every taped joint and spread it up evenly so that a thin coat is formed. Similarly, apply it on the dimpled holes formed as a result of insertion of the screw heads. On each of these surfaces, the joint compound has to be applied three times in order to hide the holes and the tapes properly. Before application of each coat, make sure the previous coat has dried up thoroughly which will take approximately 24 hours.

Finishing Touch
Finally, all those surfaces where joint compound was applied has to be sanded in order to get a smooth finish. Move your fingers over them to check out the rough spots and sand them up with a sander or sandpaper. If you find any small ridges have formed, then knock them off with the help of a drywall knife and sand the area. Then wipe off all the sanded dust with a dry piece of cloth. Now your drywall is ready and you can apply a primer coat on it.

Drywall materials are not that costly. But hiring professionals for the job can be quite expensive. On an average, for a small home with 4000 square feet of drywall requirement, the price would be in the range of $4,400 - $8,600 or more. It would be higher in case the layout of a room is irregular. Thus, you can save this money by doing the installation work yourself.