Hanging Drywall

Hanging Drywall

During the construction of your home, reaching the drywall stage of construction should be considered a significant milestone. After you install the drywall in your home you will begin to see the true beauty of the construction coming together. This is when the rewards of all of the tedious work that occured during the framing stage will begin being respected. This is also why having such a thorough checklist during the framing process will be so critical to the construction process.

After home has been completely dried in, inspected and insulated, it is ready for sheetrock. The material portion of the drywall process can work in many different ways. The most economically efficient way to contract the drywall hang is to supply the drywall, and require the drywall contractor to provide the tape, corner beads, drywall mud, and all of the tools required for completion. Material for hanging drywall will typically consist of 4 x 12 x 1/2″ (or 5/8″) drywall. In the wet areas such as showers and tub surrounds it is also common to find fiber-cement backerboard in lieu of drywall. The drywall sheets will often sometimes be in 4 x 8 sheets if required.

Prior to the installation of drywall it is important that you consult with the city engineering department regarding regulations which might be required in your specific area. It is not uncommon to find city engineers to require hanging 5/8″ drywall between garage areas and living spaces.

As the contractor begins the installation of the drywall, they will begin by hanging drywall. To be a respected owner-builder, it is important to understand how to hang drywall. When finalizing your contract with the drywall installer, it is important that you specify if drywall screws or nails will be used, as well as the proper spacing for the screws/nails. It is my recommendation that you use drywall screws. In most applications the use of 1 5/8″ drywall screws is what is recommended. Using drywall screws is beneficial both because it is less likely to damage the drywall resulting in faulty installation. This is beacause during the drywall hanging process it is important to not penetrate the paper on the drywall. The paper on the drywall is what provides the screw with its structural rigidity and keeps it from pulling all the way through the sheetrock.

The contractor hangs all the sheetrock and upon completion sweeps out the house and piles drywall scrapes in a designated area specified in the contract that you exectue with him. Typically this is the trash bin you have established for contractor use. It is usually a good idea to schedule a house clean up at the end of the drywall hanging process as there is usually a large amount of scraps, and if it gets rained on and the drywall becomes wet it can become a mess to clean up.

It is very important to constult with local experts on the recomended installation procedures for drywall. The below checklist is offered as a idea of the best practices for installing drywall, but different locations, temperatures, and climates could change the “best practices”. For instance, in wet areas it is recommended that vapor barriers be installed to prevent moisture penetration into the drywall.

Have any experience hanging drywall? Any tips or tricks? Discuss them in the comments section and join us in the brand new forum ask questions.