DRYWALLING TECHNIQUES FOR SHEET-ROCKING
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If on the other hand your attaching drywall board to walls, then use this boarding walls link.
Once you have your rooms boarded, head on over to the finishing drywall page, to learn about mudding, taping and floating those drywall board seams.
Here's a list of tools you may need to when sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings.
- Ladders.
- Board lift.
- Drywall cutters (electric and non electric saws, router etc).
- Measuring tape.
- Metal Drywall T square.
- 2 Flat bars.
- Variable Speed Electric Drills (cordless, with extra batterys').
- Dimpler ( special driver for drywall screws).
- Hammer.
- Screwdriver (drywall screw size).
- Pencil.
- Heavy duty utility knife.
- Scaffolding.
- Stud Finder.
MATERIALS
Drywall screws come in different lengths. Drywall board also varies in length, width and thickness. Talk to your local home improvement sales representative for assistance regarding the materials you will need, for sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
Ceilings need to be insulated, be sure your ceilings have the proper vapor barriers and insulation before you begin your drywalling techniques. Your local home improvement center will assist you with the proper ceiling insulation procedures.
BOARDING CEILINGS
Depending on what part of the world you live in most drywall board or sheetrock comes in different lengths. In most cases the most common lengths for drywall board are 8' 10' and 12' sizes. Check with your local building supplier regarding the type of drywall board sold in your area.
When buying drywall board, keep in mind, that longer boards can be cut to fit the length or width of a room which will cut down on the amount of mudding you will have to do. Even so, drywalling techniques that involve longer boards can require a little more skill in handling the boards themselves and of course larger drywall board tends to break easier. Be sure to use the type of board that you will feel most comfortable with.
A board lift (or jack) is a great tool to use when sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings (especially if you have angled ceilings). Board lifts can be rented from your local home improvement center.
If you do not wish to use a board lift then cut some 2x4s at a length that is the same distance from your floor to ceiling less a half inch. With the long boards ready, cut two more 2x4s, two feet long.
Lay the boards flat with the widest parts or the 2x4s touching each other and screw the two foot long boards to both ends of the longer 2x4. Doing so will create a stand in the shape of the letter I . Use wood screws that are long enough to almost go through the thickness of two 2x4s (about 2 3/4" in length). With the first 2x4 stand done, proceed to building another one.
Your newly built stands can then be used to hold the drywall board in place while your sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings .
CUTTING DRYWALL
One of the drywalling techniques you will need to learn is how to cut drywall board or sheetrock. Drywall can be cut with the help of a number of different types of drywall routers, rotary cut out tools or spin saws. Reciprocating, saber or jig saws also work fine as long as the proper blade is used. Non electric hand held saws can be used but are not the best choice if you have a number of drywall boards to be cut.
Never use a circular type saw to cut drywall boards, the amount of dust that it creates is unbelievable.
A measuring tape, drywall T square and pencil will help to mark cut lines. Chalk lines will also work fine but be sure the chalk you use is paintable.
A good sharp heavy duty utility knife is another alternative for cutting drywall when sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings. To do so, draw your pencil line or cut along the edge of a metal T square, using the utility knife to cut the paper that's on the drywall, then bend the board at the cut line. Once you have bent the board at the cut line cut the paper on the other side of the board. Leaving the board at somewhat of an angle while your cutting at the bend, will help keep your second cut strait.
BEGIN BOARDING YOUR CEILING
When boarding a ceiling its always good to have an extra pair of hands nearby to help with your drywalling techniques.
Drywall board has a front and a back. Be sure to hang your sheetrock it in the correct manner. Where I live the front is usually white in color while the back is gray. If your not sure, ask the sales rep where you bought the board for assistance.
To start your sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings project, begin at one end of a room in a corner and secure your first sheet of drywall board. The longest part of a drywall board should lay across the ceiling joists so that the board runs in the opposite direction of the joist. As an example, when your ceiling joists run from north to south a 10' x 4' long sheet of drywall should be screwed to the ceiling with the 10' edges of drywall board running east to west.
If you can't see the ceiling joists you might want to use a stud finder.
No matter how you hang the board, keep in mind that the edge of a drywall board needs to be secured to a joist with screws. If you need to cut the board so that a boards edge can be attached to a joist then go ahead and do so. When cutting drywall board and you see that your going to have to but two boards against each other, be sure to leave enough room on the joist where the boards but up against each other so that you will be able to screw both sections of the boards edges to the same joist.
Here is a good sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings technique to remember, when securing screws at the edge of a drywall board, the screw should be about an inch and a half away from the drywall boards edge. Screws also need to be secured in a strait line. Use a drywall T square and pencil (not pen) or chalk line (blue chalk only) as a line to follow to keep your screw lines strait, and centered on a joist.
Ceiling screws are usually placed 12" apart and into a ceiling joist.. Your screws should just barely dimple the drywall boards paper surface. A screws head must be just below the surface of a board but the screw shouldn't tear the boards paper. A dimpler for your drill will help keep you from tearing the sheet-rocks paper surface but you will still need to be careful when using it.
If needed, cut your next piece of drywall board to size. Once the board is ready to be placed, but it up to the first sheet of drywall. It is not necessary to leave a gap between sheets that are butted up against each other.
Keep going with your newly learned sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings techniques by cutting and applying drywall board until your ceiling project is completed.
BUT JOINTS
Edges on the longest sides of a sheet of drywall board are tapered so as to make the taping and mudding of drywall seems a little easier. Whenever possible place non tapered edges next to walls and tapered edges next to each other.
When you do have to place two non-tapered edges next to each other, this is called a But joint. But joints require a drywalling technique that involves a certain amount of skill when taping and mudding. What that means is, whenever possible try not to use a but joint .
ELECTRICAL CUT OUTS
Drywall routers, spin saws, rotary tools, hole saws and non-electric drywall saws, can all be used to cut around electrical boxes when doing a sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings project.
It's a good idea to practice with any tool that you have never used before.
TEXTURING CEILINGS
One of the drywalling techniques that a professional dry-Waller uses is to texture a ceiling after it has been taped and mudded. The reason for texturing a ceiling is to save time, since one doesn’t have to be quite as fussy about mudding and sanding if the surface is going to have a texture over it.
Use this texturing ceilings link to help you out.
I normally cut the tapered edge of a drywall board off where the ceiling board is going to meet the sheetrock wall board. I do this because I don't mud corners and instead use a couple of coats of high quality paintable caulk when I'm sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings or walls.
If your going to tape and mud corners, you might want to purchase a special corner taping knife from your local home improvement center.
To caulk where the wall buts up to the ceiling you will need to have little or no gap where the ceiling and wall sheetrock meet. Cutting drywall and leaving a small gap can be somewhat difficult to do as most corners are uneven. If your corners are quite uneven it would probably be best to tape and mud them instead of using caulk.
Caulking is also not the recommended way of finishing corners, even though I have yet to have a problem. Proper caulking techniques like drywalling techniques require practice to get it right. Even so, caulking is a little easier to learn if your sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings.
A good caulking tip to keep in mind is to cut the hole in the end of the caulking tube just large enough to get the caulk out, yet small enough to control the caulk itself. To much caulk will make a big mess when smoothing the caulk out with your finger.
You will need to decide what will work best for your own corner drywalling technique. If you are in doubt as to whether you should caulk or mud your dry-walled corners, then go with the recommended way and tape and mud them.
Looking for home improvement solutions other than sheet-rocking or boarding ceilings. Click on the home link. You should be able to find an idea by reading the text. If I have missed something or you would like to ask a question, e-mail me. Your address will be held in the strictest confidence. I‘ll also try and answer you, in as prompt a manner as possible.
