id like to know about drywalling

dirtydeeds

dirtydeeds

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Nov 22, 2007
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after some thought ive decided the next thing to learn about during my forced vacation is drywall

i have a few obstacles, i cant do hands on practice, i work almost exclusivly in older houses , traditional building techniques in the uk still call for a plasterer because we still skim coat the majority of the plasterboard we install, so i dont see a lot of it

courses for draywall are therefore included in plastering and ive no intention of doing wet trade work

all this means i have very little information avaliable here

why do i want to know? ..................... so i dont have to bring in a plasterer everytime im doing stud walls and then wait 2 days for the skim coat to dry out before i can start the second fix

how much information do i need from you lot?

work on the basis im a total moron from outer space so i dont miss anything, although i have installed a lot of plasterboard on a lot of stud walls (good practice here says drywall screws not clout nails) and we can get all the tools and materials for drywall

ps. on drywall screws can somebody explain which finish is better, zinc plated or black and why
 
DD, I have had experience at both drywall and plastering.  I have done neither as way of earning a living in atleast 25 or so years.  There have been a lot of inovations to the drywall trade since i was doing any of it, so anything i might add here might be appropriate with a grain or two of salt added.

I don't know how much your hand will rehabilitate.  i don't know how much your own resolve to add strain to your severed tennons ofver time, but I think in your case, you will have a lot of time on your hands over the next several months.  My advise for now is to spend some of that time hob nobbing with some of the better qualified plaster/drtwallers in your area and see how they do it.

Many moons ago, as i was learning the trade (masonry), my boss, and mentor, gave me some advice as he was helping me to get the motions right for laying brick.

He told me that as i got better, i would eventually be "put on the line" with other masons who were more experienced than I.  He said there would always be atleast one who was quicker than I.  Probably quicker than all the others on the job.  he told me to never try to keep up with that man.  Just decide to take your coffee break at same time he is still working.  Sit down close while you drink your coffee and watch.  watch his every move.  Try to figure out what moves he is NOT making that you are making.

Think about that.  I have spent many hours over time watching others who can do it so much better and quicker than i.  i have tried to learn from all, but try to watch most closely, those who do it soooo much better than i.

Take care, look and watch, and please do not try to do too much too soon.

Tinker
 
no im doing my level best not to strain this thumb too much

i need it for hanging fire doors

the idea sounds good

to my untrained eye

is drywalling the art feather edging fine filler on to a paper surface that doesnt take kindly to sandpaper
 
I always use the black screws with " dimpler " used to set the screw just right on the drywall. I have also found when you are mudding, not to fuss with it too much, a wider taping knife will help make it look better. Also I buy the premixed mud, and then I thin it out with a little more water. I think the worst would be inside corners. Outside corners, just buy an outside corner bead and mud away. Another thing I learned is to start a room high (like the ceiling), and work your way to the floor. The edges of the drywall are inset for when you butt them up together you have a "channel" for your tape and mud. I hope this helps you, I'm just a hobbiest though, but I have been real happy with my work, but I'm probably not the most efficient.
 
Drywalling has some tricks to know, but is not nearly the artform that plastering is.  I have been a remodeling contractor for 10 years and have done a fair bit of drywall.  Yes, the trick of it is to hide the tape between the seams in progressively wider layers of mud that feather out towards the edge.  Once you are good at it, minimal sanding should be needed. 

Stateside, you can obtain fast setting mud that can let you build up to your finish coat over the course of a day.  If you are doing small areas, that is a workable approach.  I believe that you can buy setting additives for standard joint compound that will accomplish the same thing.

I would highly suggest a book on the subject by Myron Ferguson.  Here is a link to the Amazon.com page:http://www.amazon.com/Drywall-Profe...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207406920&sr=8-1

He also has a DVD.  He also writes articles for the builders's journals, Journal of Light Construction and Fine Homebuilding.  Both magazines have websites where you can search for past articles by by author and title, you can then purchase the articles or sign up for a yearly subscription and get all of the articles for free (usually cheaper fi you buy more than half a dozen or so)

Hope that helps- 
 
DD
    being a fellow brit who is used to plasterboard with a skim coat, upon moving to the US i have had to learn how to "Drywall"  most of my information has come from the web and if you google drywall tutorials you will find several good ones including video and picture tutorials.  But that said I am no expert.

Colin
 
DD, Follow Johns advice and you will be fine.  When I first saw this post I immediately thought of Myron Ferguson "The Drywall Guy".  His name says it all.  He is to drywall what Gary Katz is to carpentry.  His book will be $$ well spent.  I did notice also that on Journal of Light constuction,  JLc online there is a bunch of ten - fifteen minute videos and Myron is featured in.  He takes you from start to finish, basically review of book.  I have found him to be a very good presenter/teacher.  I have found that the RO 150 and ct 22 are a great "get out of jail free card" if the mud applier is not a full time pro.  I can get great results, but no where nearly as fast as lets say the Drywall Guy.  Have you checked out the Planex?
 
i continue to be amazed by the information im getting

thank you

because of the time difference some of you will be answering after this old duffer has gone to bed

ps

less of the "old"
 
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