Drywall Question

[pharper]

I'm currently hanging drywall for the first time and I have a quick question regarding screws. I'm using 1/2" drywall and 1 1/4" screws. I'm also using a Dewalt screwgun. My screws sink perfectly on the interior studs, but I'm having issues at the edges. A little too close to the edge and the edge crushes easily. A little too far and the stud is easy to miss. Is there something I'm missing here. Any tips? How close to the tapered edge should I be?

See picture for results. FYI, this was one of my worst cases.

Thanks.

 

[jim whitney]

Unscrew the nose one on the screw gun a little more your breaking through the paper. You want to just countersink enough to cover the screw head with mud. Any wide gaps such as in the picture should be filled with dura bond before taping and mudding

 

[pharper]

Are my gas too large? If so, how big should they be? Thanks!

 

[Bill Bowman]

^^**** against each other.

 

[pharper]

^^**** against each other.

Really? I've read to leave 1/8th.

 

[rburke65]

They have always been butted as far as I know.

 

[ssdave]

Fit them as tightly as you can. Gaps lead to cracks later, and lead to edge chipping with the screws like you experienced.

 

[MarkG]

**** the joints. It doesn't need room to expand and contract like wood does. On gaps like you have, (or worse) I'll pre-fill the joint and let dry before even taping. If you try to fill too much and tape at the same time, you'll end up with a lump of mud underneath that will prove very difficult to 'press down'----the mud will just scooch from one point under your tape to another. This is where the fast-setting mud can be useful. Fill the gap with 5 minute stuff, continue around the room and go back and embed the tape once that filled gap is set up. Works for me anyway.

The neater you can hang rock, the better off you'll be when it comes time to tape. Don't count on being able to miraculously 'hide everything' with mud! It's not as easy to do well as the TV shows would like you to believe!

 

[bczygan]

Good excavation makes foundation work easier.

Good foundation work makes framing easier.

Good framing makes the DW easier.

Good DW hanging makes taping and mudding easier.

Good DW finishing makes priming and painting easier.

Every problem is the fault of that damn excavator!

Bill

 

[Bill Bowman]

Really? I've read to leave 1/8th.

Yes, really.

 

[lonestarky]

Absolutely. **** the sheet together...the dw is tapered for that reason. These seams will crack when filled with mud. Where on earth did you read the .125 gap?

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveCh]

1/8 gap ok for plywood or chipboard but drywall should be butted as others have said.

 

[The Cobbler]

nail the **** joints

 

[djjsr]

The sheets are exactly 48" wide. If you leave any gap, you will eventually be off the stud at the other end of the wall. Drywall is made primarily from crushed gypsum rock which is pretty stable at normal temperatures.

 

[98XJ]

Fit them as tightly as you can. Gaps lead to cracks later, and lead to edge chipping with the screws like you experienced.

x2 also they sell a drywall bit that keeps that from happening

 

[kingchevy]

When the joints are butted tight, they don't have room to blow out like that. I find it better to not use the drywall screw gun on the **** edges because you need to angle the screws a little to hit the studs and it works better for me with a regular impact driver.

 

[ddawg16]

Are you by any chance using that lightweight stuff from HD?

 

[pharper]

Are you by any chance using that lightweight stuff from HD?

Yes, I am.

 

[pharper]

Thanks a lot guys. I will but all of the rest of my sheets together. The funny thing is that I never ran off of the studs. They all seem to be centered.

 

[pharper]

Thanks guys. I butted the rest of my sheets tightly and got much better results. I'm not sure how I was able to get that gap without my sheets getting far off center.

I will prefill the gaps before taping.