How to cut gypsum board

Such a simple, at first glance, matter, as the preparation of drywall sheets for further use, many beginner builders cause difficulties. What exactly to choose the tool and how to use it, this will be discussed later in the article.

A bit about the

tool To properly cut a drywall sheet, you do not need any special tools. All of them are in the set of each repairman and builder, even on an amateur level. The work will need:

1. A well-ground pencil, which is used for marking.
2. Roulette, at least three meters in length.
3. Metal ruler or part of profile.
4. Tool for cutting gypsum cardboard: knife( clerical or universal), hacksaw, electric jigsaw, circular saw.
5. Stripping planer - designed for cutting edge cutting. It is better not to try to replace it with a file or use a kitchen grater. Quality will not be the same, and the price is not high, you can afford to buy.

Types of plasterboard sections

Straight - this cut reduces the standard sheet to the required dimensions.

Mechanism of Action:

• mark on both sides the size that is needed;
• attach a ruler or profile and hold a knife along the top sheet of the sheet. Be sure to use a ruler for this. If you just draw a line with a pencil, and on top of it you hold a knife, the cut will not be even. Spread the knife several times over the top layer, then you can be sure that the sheet will break exactly along this line;
• put the drywall on the edge and on the reverse side, where there is no incision, tap it without diligence with the knee. After a couple of blows, the sheet should break down along the cutting line;
• cut along the line a cardboard that connects the two parts and you can assume that the work is done.

Double-sided cut-out - these cuts are made when in the construction of gypsum board you need to insert a window, door or beam.

Mechanism of work:

• make a cutout of the required shape on one side of the drywall, usually a rectangle, and one side is filed with a hacksaw, and the other with a knife;
• break the sheet;
• cut cardboard, which holds drywall;
• place the cut section with a roughing plane.3. Round holes - are intended for installation of fixtures. They are performed in two ways:

• with a nozzle, which also cuts the holes for locks on the door. She puts on a drill and she cuts a hole;
• cut with a knife the required diameter of the circle and gently knock it out with a hammer. With a nozzle the circle will turn out more beautifully, but this variant also has a place to be. Uneven neckline - these cutouts are usually made in bathrooms and bathrooms, where you need to conduct water or sewerage through gypsum board. The most difficult thing in this process is to correctly calculate the future cutout. Before you cut, you need to recheck your bones several times, because it is at this step that many sheets of drywall are damaged. Since if the hole is larger than you need, it will be impossible to attach the sheet to the frame, there will be no space for self-tapping screws. And if the size is smaller, then it will take a lot of time to adjust, as it should. As a rule, all lines that go unevenly are a collection of a semicircle with straight lines. Where the sections are straight, it is better to use a hacksaw, and then, with a semicircle or bend, then cut with a knife.

Construction or clerical knife

The knife for cutting gypsum cardboard can be, as usual clerical, and special assembly. They differ in their massiveness and in the fact that they usually cut paper by the clerical, and the construction materials - more solid materials.
Advantages of using a knife in cutting gypsum board:

1. The knife easily cuts the base of the drywall, and the paper layer is cut in one touch.
2. No need to use electricity or fuel for its operation.
3. Can be used in any apartment.
4. Cheapness and availability - a new blade is not expensive and you can buy it at any store.
5. Mobility - this tool can be taken everywhere with you, it will not interfere with the movement.

Their disadvantages, the main thing - it's difficult to cut an even line on a drywall, first you have to draw a line on the sheet and only then, after separating a clear perimeter, you can cut it.

Order of work:

1. A cut line is marked on the drywall sheet.
2. Attach the ruler or strip to the cutting line.
3. Carefully cut a portion of the sheet and core on the outlined boundary.
4. If you cut off on the table, then move the sheet of drywall so that it hangs a couple of centimeters beyond the cut.
5. Lightly tap a sheet of plasterboard with a hand until it breaks.
6. We turn the plate and cut the plasterboard.
7. We process the cutting line with a planer so that there are even edges.

Cutting plasterboard with a hacksaw for metal

For cutting gypsum board it's best to take a hacksaw for metal, not for wood. As in the first case, the blade cuts the drywall more accurately. When cutting sheets of dust does not happen, and those particles of drywall that crumble, are well collected by a vacuum cleaner. It is good to cut the rectangular holes with a hacksaw.

Procedure:

1. Mark all four sides of the hole with a pencil.
2. In each corner make a hole drill. At the same time, make sure that the holes are drilled so that they are located inside the part, touching the drawn line, but not crossing it. And the diameter of the drilled hole should be such that it easily passes through the hacksaw.
3. Cut all the sides of the hole with a hacksaw, making sure that the hacksaw and the sheet are perpendicular to each other, so the edges will remain more neat.
4. If the dimensions of the hole allow you to walk along the edges of the plane, then use it, if not, then the file will become an alternative.

Cutting gypsum board with electric jig saw

Jigsaw for cutting gypsum boards are mainly used by builders. The most important thing that you should pay attention to is the quality of the file. Need to take saws for metal, because due to the fact that their teeth are small, and at the end will be less chipped. The advantages of the jigsaw are greater than those of other tools:

1. This electric tool has a great performance. So, if you can cut a whole sheet of four by a knife per hour, then you can accomplish several times more work with a jigsaw for the same amount of time.
2. You do not need to apply a lot of physical effort. Of all the work that is to be done with their own hands - is to keep a sheet of drywall.
3. The power of the tool allows you to saw several layers of plasterboard at once.
4. Well rounded parts work well. And if you compare with the previous tools, then the rounded part can not be sawed off at all with a hacksaw, and if you do it with a knife, you need to process the edges additionally.
5. After cutting with electric jigsaw, you do not need to process the edges of the planer, they will be perfectly even.

Among the shortcomings can be identified that it is not cheap compared to other tools, and that the jigsaw needs electrical power, and the generators are not on all construction sites, so people also have to use a hand tool.

Work order:

1. Mark the drywall sheet.
2. Place the sheet on two chairs so that there is a cut line between them in free space.
3. Place the jigsaw at the beginning of the line and slowly draw along the whole figure.
4. Inside the part drill holes with a drill. The hole must touch the circumference from the inside.
5. Lower the electrical appliance into the hole and cut out the desired shape.

Circular Saw: Should I use it?

Despite the fact that many builders do not recommend using a circular saw for cutting gypsum board, in principle, there is no ban on this tool. A circular saw is a very productive tool. Working with it is easy, but it has one significant drawback, which forces many to abandon it - it's dust. In a few minutes after you begin to cut plasterboard layers with a saw, everything around is covered with dust from gypsum. Therefore, when working with it, you must always use a mask and glasses. Otherwise, dust will enter the lungs and settle there, which will lead to the development of diseases.

Useful tips for cutting plasterboard

There are several useful tips for cutting drywall:

1. . All work should be done on a flat surface, make sure that the material does not sag.
2. No need to rush and do sharp movements, drywall should be cut smoothly and gradually.
3. Do not damp the material, if it is stored in a damp place, then always place a pallet under the drywall so that moisture does not fall on the seams.
4. If you need to cut off the already assembled design, mark the place of the cut, make a small hole in the knife and cut it gradually and slowly, so that the sheet does not crumble.
5. If the pieces of plasterboard have large dimensions, then you need to cut them into several approaches.
6. In order to make the holes for the sockets under the wires and communications, it is better to use special nozzles on the drill.

Whatever tool and method you choose, remember that cutting drywall by yourself - the process is fairly easy and can be done even by a layman, provided that he will accurately perform all the technology of work and take into account useful advice.