Build a Closet - Hanging the Drywall

Bill Frishman: Hi I am Bill with BGB Builders. Today our project is building a closet and now were hanging drywall. Lets measure the area that we want to put our first piece of drywall and then Ill show you how to cut it and hang it. Our width is 14-and-a-half. Now to minimize the amount of pieces of drywall, youll put, were going to go up to the top of the door with one piece. That will be 83 and then that will leave us one piece across the top, meaning thatll less than four feet from the door to the ceiling.

So my piece is fourteen-and-a-half by 83. Now lets go cut the dry wall. Now when you cut dry wall you need utility knife, you also need a T-square, its helpful. Especially on these long spans. The other thing you remember is you want to cut on the face of the drywall because as soon as I make the cut, I am going to come around back and I am going to cut again at the back and that will prevent the paper on the front of the drywall from tearing.

So lets measure down thirteen, fourteen-and-a-half, make our mark and then we will come across and well hold tight on the T-square and the back of the T-square is holding itself Square with the other edge, with the outside edge of the drywall. I am going to do it again. Now, we are going to switch sides. So the same thing, we going to come down fourteen-and-a-half which I have to subtract it from sixteen, we going to measure down fourteen-and-a-half, now well take the T-square and do the same thing.

Cut it again. Now next step is going to be to cut the back as I was talking about. We are going to cut the back of the drywall, so that we dont damage the front paper. And all we are going to do, to do that is to run our knife underneath and we do the same on the other side. Work at the face of the drywall. Measure 83 inches, grab the T-square and make a cut. Bend the drywall, cut the back and you have got your cut. Now its time to place the drywall up against the wall.

Okay, weve got a nice fit and the next thing I need are my drywall screws. I also recommend placing glue up on the studs, must have for the ceilings but you should also do it for the walls. Now with securing the dry wall, you can do it two ways. Weve got our dry walls screws and weve got our drywall nails. Now I recommend the span of the drywall meaning the middle part of the drywall must be screwed as well as all the ceilings.

The ends can be done with drywall nails. So lets go ahead and screw our dry wall in place. Make sure youre at nice and square to the outside edge of the framing and then you go ahead and screw it in place. Another thing you want to remember is to counter sink your screw in to the drywall, so that when you apply the drywall mud you wont have the face of the screw.

You continue that process throughout the rest of the closet and we hung our drywall Now we move on to taping and finishing.