Dry wall is an essential part of your home's
construction. Dry wall provides fire resistance
and sound proofing, and can also be finished
with an almost infinite variety of wall coverings.
While some people once thought that only professionals
could install and finish dry wall, almost anyone
can learn how to install dry wall. Learning about
different types of dry wall is an important first
step. Once you know what dry wall is, you can
decide which type of dry wall is right for your
project and then get busy installing and finishing
that dry wall.
What is dry wall?
It
is all well and good to say you are going to
use dry wall, but just what is dry wall? Dry
wall is a wallboard product that has been in
use for hundreds of years. Dry wall is often
called gyp-roc, because the core of every sheet
of dry wall is a remarkable chalk like rock known
as "Gypsum." The value of Gypsum is
that it contains water, so that when a fire strikes
it transfers this water to steam. This fire resistance
is one of the key reasons why homes with dry
wall are able to survive fires.
Dry
wall contains a gypsum core, and is fronted
on one side by a smooth finish paper and on the
other side by a rougher paper backing. Dry wall
comes in many different types and thicknesses,
each with its own applications: "greenboard" is
more water resistant, while "type X" dry
wall is designed to resist fire for more than
an hour.
How to install dry wall
Installing
drywall is actually relatively simple. Once
you have insulated and moisture sealed your
stud walls you sheet these walls by screwing
or nailing on dry wall. It is important to ensure
that your dry wall seams end on a stud, even
if it means cutting your sheet of dry wall to
fit. Once the wall is sheeted, you cover the
seams and screw holes with dry wall tape and
compound (most often referred to as dry wall "mud").
Once your "mud" has dried, sand the
wall smooth, and then repeat the mudding until
you have a flawless surface ready for applying
your chosen wall covering.
While
some dry wall installations will require more
advanced techniques, such as curved walls,
the way you install dry wall generally remains
the same – making it easy for anyone to
learn how to install dry wall.
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