Drywall Tips from the Pros. Coco D Or Parfait Download Music more. Drywall surrounds us and for good reasons. It is an inexpensive wall covering that goes up quickly. It is neutral and can be covered with paint, wall paper or wood paneling easily. How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' title='How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' />Other benefits include some sound proofing and insulation value. Many people call drywall sheetrock, which is actually the registered trademark of the United States Gypsum Company. Tools. Part of the beauty of drywall is that it can be installed with a few common and inexpensive hand tools. These include a measuring tape, chalk line, utility knife, a selection of broad knifes, inside corner tool, spackle tray, key hole saw, sponge, Surform Tool, sanding pole, tin snips and drill. Additional, but not necessary tools include spiral saw, screw gun, 4 foot T square, drywall saw, power pole sander, stilts for ceiling work, panel lifter and power mixer. In new construction, dry wall is hung directly on the wall studs. In remodeling, drywall can be hung over any flat surface including existing wall coverings and cinder block and masonry walls, as long as firring strips are installed first. Several types of drywall are available, including standard drywall, waterproof drywall and even bullet proof drywall. Thicknesses include 14 inch, 12 inch and 58 inch. The standard and most common size is a 4 by 8 foot sheet but also available are 4 by 1. The long edges on all drywall are tapered slightly to help in the finishing process. Surface Preparation. How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' title='How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' />Part of the secret of a successful drywall project lies in installing over walls that are flat, and this means the framing must be true. Studs or rafters that have a bow or cup must be worked to make them flat. This can be accomplished with a hand held planer for bowing, and with the use of shims for cupped framing. Use a string to help determine how true your walls are before hanging drywall. Simply stretch the string across the face of the wall in several places to see if all studs are on the same plane. If they are not, fix the problem before beginning the project. Prior to drywalling, make sure the walls are flat and the framing is true. Another important framing consideration, prior to attaching drywall, is that all end joints must be supported. Sometimes an extra stud must be added to accomplish this, especially for inside corners. Framing around windows and doors must also provide a fastening surface for drywall. It is common to run the drywall up to the window or door frame where it will later be covered with molding and trim. Fasteners. While drywall can be attached to wall studs with drywall nails, drywall screws Grabbers do a much better job. Over time, nails have a tendency to pull away from the studs, causing sags in ceilings and cracks and holes in the spackle. For 12 inch drywall use 1 58 inch long screws and for 58 inch drywall, use 2 inch long screws. For 12 inch drywall use 1 58 inch long screws. TV-fireplace-framing.jpg' alt='How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' title='How To Install Drywall Around A Fireplace' />When driving screws, run them just below the face of the drywall without breaking through the surface paper. The resultant holes will later be filled with spackle during the finishing process. Enjoy the comfort and ambiance of a crackling fire on a cold winters night. Here well show you how to install a gas fireplace. Dont worry about installin. Drywall surrounds us and for good reasons. It is an inexpensive wall covering that goes up quickly. It is neutral and can be covered with paint, wall paper or wood. The greatest advantage of a woodburning fireplace is the scent and romance it can bring to any living room in America. Given that this fireplace is completely. For large drywall projects consider purchasing or renting a drywall screw gun. For smaller projects, use a corded or cordless drilldriver. Professional drywall hangers use a drywall screw gun because this tool is fast and sets every screw at a predetermined depth. Have on hand a few extra Phillips head or square drive bits as these important tips will break or become rounded over time. When drywalling an entire room, begin by installing panels on the ceiling first. Next, install the bottom panels on the walls. Lastly, install the top wall panels. The bottom panel will hold the top panel up for fastening. The top wall panel will also help support the edges of the ceiling panels. Cutting Drywall. In any drywall project, panels will need to be cut. The most common type of cut is across a panel. Use a chalk line or drywall T square and pencil to mark the panel prior to cutting. Use a utility knife to make the cut, keeping in mind that you do not have to cut all of the way through the panel just through the surface paper. Once the cut has been made, lift the panel and break it along the cut line. This action is much like opening a book. Then you must cut the back paper to complete the cut. Occasionally a cut edge will be rough. Use a Surform Tool to smooth the edge of the panel for a good fit. Use a utility knife to cut through the surface paper. Then break the drywall panel along the cutline. Use a Surform Tool or rasp to smooth the edge of the panel for a good fit. Another common cut is around electrical boxes light switches, outlet boxes and light fixture boxes including hot caps. The most difficult part of these types of cuts is determining the location of the cut relative to the box location on the wall or ceiling. Measure carefully and mark the panel for the cut. Electrical outlet box cuts can be made with a utility knife by first measuring and outlining the cut, then cutting the outline of the box through the surface paper. Next make an X cut diagonally from one corner to the next. Press the center of the X cut and then cut the back paper. Another way to make cuts for electrical boxes is with a keyhole or drywall saw. Mark the location of the electrical box and pierce the face of the drywall with the saw and cut out. This method is much quicker than using a utility knife but produces more drywall dust. Probably the easiest way to make electrical outlet box cuts is with a spiral saw, fitted with a special drywall cutting bit. With this tool it is possible to make an accurate cut for an electrical box in less than a minute. The one drawback is the amount of gypsum dust generated. Mark the location of the electrical box, pierce the face of the drywall with the saw and cut out. Once all of the drywall has been securely fastened to the wall studs and ceiling joists, look over the entire project and make sure that all screws have been driven below the surface. If any screw heads protrude above the surface paper they must be driven deeper to enable proper finishing. It is much easier to do this now rather than when spackling. Taping. Historically, drywall joints were finished with paper tape. Now most professionals use fiberglass mesh tape. This tape is self stick, stronger than paper tape and is much easier to use. Simply cover all joints including inside and outside corners with the tape and you are ready to spackle. Outside corners require special attention, in addition to fiberglass mesh tape. Because of the potential damage to outside corners, they are covered with corner bead prior to spackling. Corner bead is available in metal and plastic. Both square and rounded corner bead are available. Simply cut to length, install with drywall screws and cover the corner bead joint with fiberglass tape. Corner bead is available in metal and plastic, square and rounded. When installing fiberglass mesh tape into inside corners, you may find it helpful to use a spackle knife to press the tape fully into the corner. When installed correctly, the tape will lie flat on the two inside corner surfaces. Press tape firmly into the corner. Spackle Spackle Tools. The tools needed for spackling are few and simple. These include a mud tray, an assortment of spackle knives 4, 8 and 1. Some professionals also use an outside corner tool especially for curved arch ways. How to Install a Bathroom Vent Fan. Its the best way to expel moisture laden air and odors, and we have step by step instructions for adding one. Installing a ventilating fan in your bath will help eliminate fogged up windows, steamy mirrors and stale odors. But more importantly, it will help prevent moisture related problems, such as the growth of mold and mildew. Here, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows the proper way to install a bath vent fan. In this particular installation, Tom ran the exhaust duct into the attic and through a sidewall to the outdoors. Other venting options includes running the duct up through the roof or down through the soffit. Note that the fan must always exhaust to the outdoors never allow the duct to simply blow into an attic, crawlspace or other enclosed area. Also, the installation of the bathroom exhaust fan will go much quicker if you ask a spouse or friend to help be in the attic while you work from below, or to hand you tools while youre on the ladder.