How to cut drywall?

Rare construction and repairs do without the use of drywall. It is used to align walls and ceilings, installation of partitions. Those who first encountered this material should definitely learn how to cut drywall correctly.

Necessary tools

To start cutting drywall, you will need the following tools:

1. Stationery or mounting knife.
2. Hacksaw.
3. Drill.
4. Roulette.
5. Pencil.
6. Strong ruler.

These are the simplest devices that will help you cope with the work. In addition to them, an additional jigsaw and plane can be used.

Tips for choosing and using drywall tools

If a drywall work new to you, the following tips may come in handy:

• For a quality cut of drywall, the clerical and assembly knife must be very sharp so that the cut is deep, even and without burrs.
• A hacksaw is used to cut out curly parts: a corner near a window or door, a U-shaped cut for a beam or pipe. Any will do. The main condition is that it should be narrow.
• The drill is used by cutting round openings for sockets, spotlights in a drywall sheet. It will come in handy before using a jigsaw or hacksaw.
• The maximum length of drywall sheet is 4.8 meters. We select the roulette so that this distance can be measured in one go, which means that it must be at least 5 meters.

• Section marking lines should be clear and clearly visible. Take a soft pencil, marker or felt-tip pen in a contrasting color.
• A ruler is needed not only for marking lines. It is applied to the dash, making a cut with a knife. The greater its length, the more convenient it will work. You can replace the purchased line with a profile on which drywall is attached. It is convenient to use a raiser or the rule for plastering.
• You can use an electric jigsaw or a grinder with a “dry cutter” disk. But it should be borne in mind that when applied, a lot of dust and noise is generated.

Drywall sheet cutting in a straight line

Drywall Sheet is a “sandwich” of two cardboard walls with gypsum filler. To divide it into parts, you must first cut the cardboard, and then break it.

• We lay the sheet face up on a flat plane: on the table, on the floor. You can work by placing it against the wall at a slight angle.
• We measure the distance and connect the marks with a pencil.
• We tightly press the ruler to the line and with a knife we ​​cut the top layer of cardboard, grabbing the gypsum layer.

The smoother and deeper the cut, the easier it is to carry out the next action. We carry the knife smoothly, confidently pressing, exactly along the line. Make sure that the cut along the entire length of the sheet is deep enough. Repeat the procedure if necessary.

• The next task is to break down the drywall sheet along the cut. To do this, we rest on the reverse side in the cut line and fold it with the letter G. This procedure can be carried out by moving the drywall to the edge of the table or by pressing the foot. If the previous step is performed correctly, the kink will correspond to the idea.
• And finally, we cut the second layer of cardboard. To keep the edge even, we cut off burrs and excess gypsum with a knife. You can use a planer.

Cut curly elements

When you need to cut a piece of drywall to make a window or doorway, do the following.

• Draw borders. Typically a square or rectangle.
• One side of the drywall sheet is sawn with a hacksaw from edge to corner.
• The second - with a knife, using the previously described standard method.

If the cutout is U-shaped, then saw two opposite sides with a hacksaw. The third is cut with a knife. After that, an unnecessary piece is cracked and cardboard is cut from the back.

There are times when you need to make a hole, stepping back from the edge of the sheet. Several methods are applicable.

• Draw the contours of the required sizes on both sides of the sheet. Cut with a knife as deep as possible, also on both sides. The corners are cut especially carefully. Lightly tapping the middle.
• Drill several holes around the perimeter of the contour. Saw off an unnecessary part of the sheet with a hacksaw.
• Carefully, so as not to crack along the entire surface of the drywall, a hole is punched in the middle. Using a knife or hacksaw, the required size is cut out in parts.

Round holes

Three options are applicable for making holes in drywall:

• The ideal hole is drilled with a crown inserted into the drill. Mark on the sheet the center of the future outlet. We select the crown of the desired diameter, drill. Done! Quickly and efficiently.
• If there is no crown of a suitable size, with a drill we make several holes according to the diameter of the marking. We saw it with a hacksaw.
• You can cut a hole with a knife, with enough effort. Having defined the center, draw a circle with a pair of compasses (draw a circle around the undersocket). We cut drywall as deep as possible. We pierce the contours with an awl so that it can be seen on the back side. Cut the second layer of cardboard. By tapping we break gypsum. We clean it with a rasp (file with a large notch).

Using a jigsaw

Cutting drywall with a jigsaw has its advantages and disadvantages.

Pros:

• The cut is smooth, rarely needs refinement.
• No problem sawing bends of any shape.

Minuses:

• The tool is not cheap.
• Under the surface to be treated, additional space must be created so that the jigsaw file does not rest against anything.
• During work, a lot of gypsum dust is formed, due to which the markup is poorly visible, and it is uncomfortable to breathe. The use of a vacuum cleaner corrects the situation, but again, this is an additional material investment.

Some general tips

And finally, consider the following recommendations:

• Layout on drywall carefully. It is better to check three times than then buy material.
• After cutting less than required, remove excess with a rasp.
• Use only a sharp tool. The quality and speed of work with drywall depends on this.
• Protect your face with a respirator when operating a power tool.

Working with drywall is simple. To learn the skill, practice on old or unnecessary pieces. After that, self-confidence will surely appear, and you will make perfect walls and ceiling in the apartment.