From Plat to Place
The Step By Step Home Construction Site
Step 37 - Sheetrock Mistakes
5 Sheetrock Mistakes Everyone Makes and How to Fix Them
In this day and age where everyone wants to learn how to build homes or even just make home repairs themselves in order to save money on professionals, it is not uncommon that errors will be made time and again. Even the most experienced of individuals can still make a mistake here and there. What is important is being able to recognize those mistakes early on so that appropriate remedies can be made immediately.
One of the more common things that a homeowner will take on instead of calling for a professional is replacing sheetrock, thinking that it cannot be too difficult a task since all it really requires is the actual sheetrock, some nails, a hammer, and spackling compound. However, putting up new sheetrock is not as simple as it may seem and this is why professionals often charge the fees that they do when installing it. This is not to say, though, that a homeowner should not go ahead and try their hand at it; just that it is best to take note of the 5 sheetrock mistakes everyone makes and how to go about fixing or avoiding them:
1. Sanding is a necessary part of sheetrock taping but a lot of people either sand more than they should or do not sand as much as they should have, resulting in grooves, bumps, and in some cases ripping the paper off the sheetrock.
SOLUTION: Use a pole sander with 120 grit sandpaper first to knock down any rough edges. Then use a medium grit sand block for the final sand. Position a light source on the floor and aim it at an angle towards the wall. This will help highlight any areas that are not even.
Other Things We Learned Along The Way
5 Sheetrock Mistakes Everyone Makes and How to Fix Them
How to Estimate Drywall and the Cost of Materials
Learning to Plaster: The Simple Way
Sheetrock Prices Revealed & Installation Tips
Recommended Sheetrock Nails & Screws
2. Most walls will have an electrical outlet or light switches and this will require the sheetrock to have openings aligned to the outlets and switches. Unfortunately, a lot of people end up with misaligned openings because they do not heed to the old saying, "Measure twice; cut once.
SOLUTION: Twist the ends of the wires together but make sure you do not screw in the electrical outlet and light switch receptacles yet. Install your sheetrock, taking note of the areas that have the wires, and cut out your holes. Install the receptacles. If you make a mistake when cutting the outlets a little bit of spackle and drywall tape is all you need to seal the hole. Fill the gap with spackle and apply the tape.
3. Some people get overly exuberant when pounding nails or screws into the sheetrock and doing so may cause larger holes and less stable sheetrock.
SOLUTION: Hammer in the nails or drive in the screws until they are flush with the sheetrock and then tap the nails in a little more or drive in the screws a tad more. Also add a screw an inch or so above or below any nail or screw pop you bang in.
4. Hanging joints occur when sheetrock is not nailed or screwed down to a stud. This can happen when sheetrock is installed horizontally or vertically where the two seams meet.
SOLUTION: Plan ahead and measure the layout of the studs to see if it is beneficial to install the sheetrock vertically or horizontally. The less seams the better.
5. Inexperienced individuals may install sheetrock too snugly against one another and this could lead to a tight fit. Remember that wood does expand and a gap needs to be maintained.
SOLUTION: Maintain a 1/8-inch gap in between your sheetrock. If the boards are jammed together simply score the seam before applying compound and tape.
Knowing these 5 sheetrock mistakes everyone makes and how to fix them will prove to be invaluable.