Harold Howard runs Harold Howard’s Painting Service, which is based in Columbia, Maryland, and serves Howard, Baltimore, Ann Arundel, Carroll, and Hartford counties. Here, he gives tips on how to install drywall. Before installing drywall, you have to make sure you properly prepare for installation.
- Properly install drywall over protruding pipes: Place the drywall against the pipe and lightly tap it with a flat block of wood to dimple the back. Then pull the drywall away and use a drywall circle cutter or drywall hole saw to cut a perfect hole. This should be much easier to finish out than if you punch out a large hole that requires three to four coats of mud to finish.
- Locate the studs with a stud finder if they are not visible. Don’t trust that your studs will all be on 16- or 24-inch centers. Mine were often half an inch off in either direction, most likely due to sloppy carpentry work by the builder. A good idea is to run masking tape along the floor while you have the studs exposed and mark the center line of each stud with a high-visibility marker.
- Make sure to use a spring-loaded drywall screw dimple. They are designed to automatically countersink each drywall screw to precisely the same depth before ratcheting the screw bit as a sign to quit and back off the drill.
- Install the screws. Have someone help you hold the drywall on the wall, and using the drill, install the screws at approximately eight-inch intervals and on the vertical studs. Extra screws may help in some situations. However, they are usually overkill and require extra mudding and sanding that will detract from the overall finish.
- When possible, install the screws closer to the edges that will be trimmed. This way, the screw heads will be covered by a baseboard or a door frame’s trim.
- Mud the seams. Use an at least 6-inch drywall knife to apply a liberal amount of mud to each seam.
- Pre-cut your drywall tape and lightly dampen it with clean water. You don’t need to soak it too much.
- Avoid the perforated and fiber tapes. They don’t produce a flawless finish and require gobs of extra mud and sanding to get the job done properly.
- Tape over the joints. Put drywall tape over where you just applied the mud. Then use your drywall putty knife to flatten the tape by starting at one end and pulling it toward you to the other end in one smooth motion.
- Do not reapply the mud that is left on your blade. It’s critical to clean your blade after each swipe to ensure a professional finish. Dip it in water in between each swipe and wipe it on the mud tray edge to ensure a clean application. The putty knife can collect small dust particles that causes streaks in your finish, which is why you should discard the excess mud after each swipe.
- Inspect your recently-taped joint for air bubbles. Wet your blade and flatten the tape with another swipe if needed. Repeat for each joint until all joints are taped.
- Don’t apply any mud over freshly-taped joints! Allow them to thoroughly dry for one day between coats, unless you are using hot mud, which will dry in an hour. A great idea is to use pink mud that dries white, indicating that it’s ready for another coat.
- Use a corner tool at the right time: For corner beads, you may want to use a corner tool for both inside and outside corners to give your job a professional finish.
- Apply more coats. Apply at least two or three more coats of mud, using a slightly wider putty knife for each application, and letting it dry between each coat. Many thin coats of mud will give you better results, but you’ll need patience to let it dry. It will bubble if you rush it!
- Apply a swipe coat over each screw. You shouldn’t notice any edges after screening the mud over a joint line or screw dimple. Make sure to hold the blade flat against the drywall and pull it toward you in smooth but firm strokes. Practice on an old piece of drywall to refine your technique.
- Mud over the imperfections. Screed some mud over any small imperfections in the drywall that may occur during installation such as missed nail/screw holes.
- Sand the joints. Use a pole sander with drywall sandpaper to sand the joints after the final coat has dried. Don’t get carried away and sand until you expose the paper. This step goes quickly because the mud will sand off easily.
