In the recent past, many American homes contained
walls that were made of gypsum plaster - a combination of powder and water
applied over a wire mesh. This process was rather lengthy and in an effort to
meet the demands of a growing population and need for faster building, drywall
was invented.
Also known as plasterboard, drywall is made of pre-dried plaster panels:
plaster or wood pulp or other materials. Used primarily to form the interior
walls of houses, your contractor may erect drywall as part of building a home
addition, garage, or even as part of refinishing your basement.
While you're patiently waiting for your contractor to build your private
masterpiece, you'll appreciate how well things start to come together and look
almost complete once drywall is erected. |
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Drywall Is Fast!
Drywall comes as sheets of plasterboard of various sizes. Depending upon the use
of a room, your contractor may choose thicker plasterboard especially in a room
for young children and bouncing toys. Thinner plasterboard is appropriate for
areas of the house used less frequently. Using these panels, your contractor
will essentially line them up against the studs of the wall's structure and
hammer the sides of them into the wood. The process is repeated when applying
drywall to the ceiling as well.
Although measurements and secure nailing is important, the artistry of drywall
begins during the taping stage. Taping is the process of concealing the joints
between drywall panels. It isn't hard to imagine that placing drywall panels
next to each other creates unsightly lines or gaps. These gaps are called joints
and taping conceals them. But this isn't ordinary tape that we're talking about.
Signs Of A Good Drywall Job
Contractors tape drywall by first covering its joints with cement, then with a
paper strip, and then with more cement. After using a few smoothing techniques,
it's hard to distinguish where a drywall panel starts and ends. In a good
drywall job, it's also almost impossible to find where the panels were nailed
into the studs behind them.
And a good dry Waller knows how to patch holes as well. In the past, we were
told that repairing a hole by stuffing it with newspaper and patching it with
material like Spackle is just fine. Professional contractors will tell you
however, that although this method works, it leaves weak spots and there's a
better method that requires the expertise of a professional dry Waller.
Two Signs of A Good Drywall Contractor
Good drywall contractors follow up their initial nailing with a set of second
long nails or screws. The second set of nails acts as reinforcement - ensuring
that your walls won't fall down during an important family event or while
sleeping! They're also careful to mix up a batch of cement that doesn't form air
bubbles in the wall's seams upon drying.
These are just a couple of strategies that your drywall contractor will use to
create a surrounding just as secure as the foundation that it sits on.
About the
Author: Author Paul White represents
FloridaHomeBuild.com. A site designed to help home owners from Florida locate
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