| Whether the job is big or small you need to | | | | cost-effectively. |
| estimate the amount of materials needed. For | | | | Estimating drywall screws |
| estimating drywall finishing you will need know | | | | Screws are typically placed at 16 inches center to |
| much board you will need for installing the drywall, | | | | center This would be the way your ceiling joists |
| and you have to be good at estimating drywall | | | | are put in. Therefore a 4' x 8' panel will use up 28 |
| screws and mud and tape. You'll also have to be | | | | screws |
| able to calculate such as adding up number of | | | | Determining how much drywall tape to use |
| linear feet. | | | | Drywall tape usually comes in 100 foot rolls, since |
| For smaller jobs like rooms you'll have to figure | | | | you know how many boards you will be putting |
| out how you're going to place the drywall panels | | | | up and their sizes you can tackle it by adding up |
| and the sizes you're going to buy. ( Quick note ) | | | | all the sum of the edges, this will give you the |
| estimate the amount of drywall you will be using | | | | amount of tape you need. About 400 linear feet |
| not accounting for doors and windows just a | | | | of drywall tape is usually used up on 1000 |
| straight room with none of these openings. | | | | ft.² of drywall |
| Wallboard panels ( drywall ) come in eight and 12 | | | | Calculating your corner beads |
| foot lengths by 4 feet wide. The 12 foot length is | | | | Corner beads are used outside corners and they |
| more expensive but it covers more area so you'll | | | | are made of metal. Use full lengths for corners, |
| have to do less taping. Of course the 12 foot | | | | don't make the corners out of pieces of corner |
| length is a little harder to handle than a 8 foot | | | | bead this won't work very well. |
| one. | | | | Calculating how much joint compound to use |
| If your designing your drywall layout on your | | | | Joint compound is sold in various ways, plastic |
| ceiling for example, let's say you have a 16' x 10' | | | | pales, cardboard boxes with bags inside them filled |
| ceiling. This will allow you to have two pieces -- 4' | | | | full of compound. Buying the box is the cheapest |
| x 12' panels, two pieces 4' x 4' panels, and two | | | | way just a little less convenient. To tape 1000 |
| pieces of 2' x 8' panels. This will give you the least | | | | ft.² would take approximately about 150 |
| amount of joints hence less screws, less drywall | | | | pounds of compound to get it finished wall using |
| tape, less drywall compound, hence less time | | | | standard all-purpose premix if you want to use |
| spent. So it is important that you lay out the | | | | lightweight all-purpose ill be less than half of that |
| drywall sheet arrangement on a piece of paper to | | | | for 1000 ft. |
| figure out how to place your drywall | | | | |