DIY-Drywall Basics

Facing a DIY-drywall project?

If so, you've probably never thought twice about what types of (also called wallboard) you might use in one room vise another. You may have realized that now you need to figure out what size, thickness and type you'll need to properly complete your project. If that's the case you've come to the right place. I'll try to explain what's out there and what you should be looking for. Check it out...

Standard Drywall... is basically a finishing material for interior walls. It's made of a gypsum plaster inner core covered on both sides by thick paper. Once you've framed your walls, installed the electrical, plumbing and put in the insulation, you cover it all with wallboard. That's the easy part!

Now you have to cover the seams with drywall tape and compound and create a smooth (seamless) appearance (that's the hard part). All that's left is to prime and paint it or put on a textured finish. That's it in a nut shell for DIY-drywall but keep reading to learn a few things you may not have known.

Drywall Varieties

DIY-drywall... Most common type is the regular fire-coded 4x8 ft. or 4x12 ft. sheets... but you can find it in 10 ft. and 14 ft. lengths as well. It comes in 4 different thicknesses: 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, or 5/8 inch. The most common thickness is 1/2 inch. Use 5/8 inch if you want more of a sound barrier... even double it up for added privacy. Use 3/8 inch for repairing old plaster walls beyond repair... simply put the 3/8 inch wallboard right over the old plaster. Use 5/8 inch thick panels on ceilings or where you have studs that are 24 inch on center.

Curved surfaces use a special 1/4 inch panel that can be bent around curved shaped corners.

Moisture resistant "Greenboard" (due to it's green color) is treated to be more water resistant and should be used where there's moisture such as in a bathroom or climates with high humidity.

Sound-proof wallboard is thick and heavy and used between areas of your home of office that need added privacy such as a bedroom.

Paperlessis the same as regular DIY-drywall except that it is wrapped in fiberglass instead of paper. It was created to minimize the spread of mold and is great for basement or other high moisture areas.

Since fiberglass isn't a known food source for most molds it does the job. It doesn't claim to be "mold-proof" but it's certainly better than paper. The surface is rougher than regular drywall and may require a "skim-coat" of compound to smooth it out but it still cuts with a traditional razor knife and can be hung with regular drywall screws and nails. This product will be even harder to finish and inexperience will be harder to hide so hire a professional to finish this stuff especially if you want it skim-coated.

Cement Board is a rigid material made of Portland cement and a fiberglass mesh providing a great substrate for ceramic tile. It is extremely hard and durable enabling it to withstand the abuse of prolonged exposure to moisture because of it's resistance to mold and mildew. If it does come into contact with water... it won't rot, disintegrate or swell. The main reason you need to use this under ceramic tile (especially in a bath or shower) is cause grout joints can not be considered "water-proof"! They will eventually fail and water will seep behind the tile. If you have regular wallboard there... it will eventually fail. The Cement board comes in 1/4 inch, 1/2, inch or 5/8 inch. For residential walls and ceilings you should use 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch; for floors and countertops... 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch depending upon your sub-floor and the transition to adjoining floors.

Drywall and the materials used to finish it are the least expensive part of the project. Installation isn't the hardest part... anyone can "hang" it. The hard part is finishing it and making it look good. The butt-joints are the hardest in my opinion and the only spot where I had lots of trouble perfecting. It took a lot of time so... Take it from me... if you're project is a big one, you may want to hang the wallboard yourself, then bring in the professionals to finish the seams and get it ready to paint. They'll complete the job in a fraction of the time (making it look easy) and you'll save yourself time and some frustration.

Adventurous DIY'ers who plan to do all the finish work themselves need to check out Mike Bell's online drywall school. Learn how to finish drywall and even how to do complicated decorative finishes...

Tools & Other Materials...For a list of drywall tools check out my Drywall-Tips on Installation page.

You can find more info on cement board and the other types of DIY-drywall listed here at the National Gypsum Company website.

DIY-Drywall Tools... Check'em Out Here!