Common Drywall Installation Mistakes Made by DIYers

Drywall installation is not a simple task and is one that DIYers tend to mess up. Here are the common drywall installation mistakes that professionals end up having to fix.

Lining Up a Sheet of Drywall With the Door or Window Edge

Some DIYers treat door and window frames like studs and align the sheets of drywall with them. Any house, no matter how rigidly built, will slightly shift and settle. A joint located at these edges will end up with cracks. The better way to do this is to take a sheet of drywall and cut a notch that matches the window or door edge.

Having More Many Joints Than Necessary

Using small drywall sheets will create too many joints. This will require a longer installation time. Most drywall suppliers offer sheets as wide as 54 inches, which can shorten installation time considerably, and will also use up fewer fasteners. Hauling large drywall sheets can be difficult, and you may need someone to help get them into your home.

Not Spacing the Drywall Sheets

Some DIYers install drywall sheets too close to each other, which does not allow room for thermal expansion and contraction. This often results in crumbling or cracking as the sheet edges press against each other. The proper way to install drywall is to leave about a 1/8 inch gap between sheets and then fill the gaps with a setting-type compound.

Not Checking Whether an Electrical Box Will Fit Before Fastening

While most electrical boxes come in standard sizes, there may be slight variations that may make the opening just a few eighths of an inch too small. This often results in the drywall breaking around the electrical box, which will then need to be trimmed and patched, prolonging installation time. This can be avoided by carefully measuring out the electrical box and its position relative to the drywall. There are certain tools that utilize magnets to locate electrical boxes under a drywall, which can help reduce such errors.

You can also leave drywall installation to the pros. Call Handyman Connection® of Grapevine at (817) 527-3600. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.