Is it possible to cut gypsum board with an angle grinder. Tools for cutting drywall

What and how to cut drywall correctly at home

Beginners in the construction business do not know what and how to cut drywall in the best way. After all, any work, whether it’s the creation of a ceiling construction, a partition, or a complex element of decor, requires knowledge of the rules for drywall cutting and rigorous adherence to them in practice. Different tools are used for this. It all depends on the cutting method chosen. So, how to cut drywall at home, will prompt the following recommendations.

The obligatory list of tools for sawing plasterboard with your own hands includes three groups of items

Devices for marking on the sheet of drywall. a simple pencil, a tape measure, a long ruler.

The actual cutting and sawing equipment.

  • Knife. You can cut gypsum board with a box cutter, as well as a specialized construction knife with a double-sided interchangeable blade (suitable for more dense materials).
  • A hacksaw. It is better if it will be a tool for working metal, rather than wood.
  • Electric jigsaw. Ideal for sawing out rounded elements. Quality saws for metal with a fine tooth leave the least amount of chips on the ends of drywall.
  • Electric drill. Needed for making holes. For openings of large d will require round drill bits (which are used to cut the core of door latches) and feather drill bits.

Devices for processing edges:

This list clearly shows what home craftsmen cut drywall with. Of course, it is far from complete. The arsenal of experienced craftsmen can include professional equipment, such as a special cutter for GVL. However, for those working with the material for the first time, this set is quite sufficient. In order to understand better how to cut drywall, you must clearly understand the structure of this material.

The first way: how to cut in straight lines

The sequence of cutting gypsum boards: a-cutting the cardboard and part of the gypsum core; b-cutting the uncut gypsum core; c-cutting the cardboard on the back side of the sheet; g-machining the edges.

The first thing to do is to make measurements. Guided by the drawings or the project plan, we measure all the parameters of the future piece with a tape measure and put a line for trimming the cut on the front side of the gypsum board. It is important to draw exactly with a simple pencil and in no case use markers, as a trace from any felt-tip pens will be visible even through the putty. Apply a metal ruler or rule to the line, you can also use a piece of profile. Accurately and evenly begin to spend on the marking with a box cutter. Carry out several times to cut through the top layer of cardboard and the plaster core by a couple of millimeters.

Slightly move the whole sheet so that the notch is a little beyond the edge of the surface on which we cut the drywall. Then simply bend the hands at the place of the notch with a little effort and our sheet breaks, remaining hanging down on one side of the cardboard only. We take a knife and cut the layer of cardboard on the back side of the sheet. The edges of the cut off piece we process with an abrasive planer, and that’s all, we just have to screw it to the prepared profile. You do not need to be a super-specialist, everything is fairly easy and simple to do with your own hands.

Cutting drywall sheet

#1. Gypsum board consists of two layers of paper, which are covered on both sides with a thick layer of gypsum. Such a combination creates a relatively strong building material, which is also fireproof. So in order to get a precise and quality cut it is enough to go along the slab with a sharp knife and then break it in this place. To make the cut, run the knife across the drywall sheet from top to bottom several times. To get the cut right you need to guide the knife with confidence, without jerks and exactly along the marked line. When cutting through the paper layer, you need to hold the straight edge firmly in one position, otherwise the cut may be uneven.

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The same procedure should be followed if you cut the drywall not on the floor, but leaning against the wall. Hold the paper clip down with your foot and draw the knife several times around the drywall from top to bottom. It is not necessary to cut through many times, you will only dull the knife blade.

As you can see in the picture the cut must be perfectly straight. Otherwise you will not be able to break the board evenly. The aim is to completely cut through the paper layer and grip the plasterboard slightly.

How to cut plasterboard Cutting off out in drywall board

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#2. Now you have to break the board along the notch. If you followed the previous steps correctly, the drywall sheet should break along the notch. Holding the sheet with your feet, simply fold it.

There are, of course, lots of options for how you make the notch itself. Explaining all these procedures in two sentences is rather difficult, but we assure you: in practice it is very easy to do. The most important thing is to make the right notch. How you break it is not important.

But if you have trouble grasping a large sheet with your hands to bend it, then put your knee on it. If you are not sure that you can cut it well, you might want to practice on a piece of scrap wood first.

#3. Once the sheet is broken with a office knife, cut through the paper layer on the back side of the drywall board. If you have broken the gypsum board correctly, you should have no problem cutting the layer of paper from the back side.

Trim the outer side of the cardboard.

#4. Place the cut board against the fixing point to see how accurate the cut is. If the cut board is slightly too big, use a rasp to remove the surplus material. Remember that working with a rasp, you will make a lot of dust. Therefore, try to make a precise marking.

Marking

The result of the work depends largely on the correctness of the marking. Standard instructions for drawing cutting lines on the sides of the sheet include the following steps:

Important! When making the markings it is not recommended to use a pen or markers, because if you make a mistake or after installation you will not be able to get rid of them. Erase such marks will only be able to use strong liquids, which may adversely affect the characteristics of gypsum plasterboard.

What to cut: the choice of tools

If you are going to cut drywall on a regular basis or at least often enough, it is recommended to buy a professional tool once and not to suffer with improvised means in the future. In any other case you should have a box cutter. a construction cutter, a reinforced cutter. or a box cutter. The types of stationery are barely distinguishable from each other, but the construction jigsaw is stronger. However, in any case, the cut from this knife is such that after it is necessary to eliminate the resulting jagged edges.

For prodeleniya operation is quite applicable hacksaw for metal. its blade thinner than that of a hacksaw for wood, so it wins in the accuracy of the subsequent result.

Another useful tool is an electric jigsaw. Its advantage is the lack of need to think how to cut drywall, because you just need to guide along the drawn line. To process the edges you use additional tools like a planer, the effect of which can well be reproduced by sandpaper.

The Best Way to Cut Drywall!

When we have figured out what to cut plasterboard with, you can go directly to the ways of cutting it, the number of which is also large and varied. Let’s look at some of these.

How to cut with a montage knife

The mounting knife is suitable for cutting drywall into large longitudinal pieces. First make the necessary measurements with a tape measure and a pencil, attach a metal ruler to the outlined line and start cutting the material with the tip along the edge of this very ruler.

Be careful and take your time so that the cut is straight and precise, and coincides with the line from the pencil lead.

The core is broken by light tapping, then the board is turned over, and the drywall is again notched at the broken point. At the end of the material should be processed with a planer to make the edge even.

How to saw with a hacksaw

It is worth noting that most often the hacksaw is used to cut rectangular openings. In this case, you need to trace the drywall from the back. In one of the corners of the drawing with a drill, make a hole with a diameter so large that the blade of the hacksaw could easily enter there. You can also make holes on all sides. After completing the operation, the edge, as in the previous case, is processed with a planer or file, depending on the size of the hole made. Important: It is desirable for the tool blade to be perpendicular to the plane of the drywall sheet. In this case the edges are flatter.

Cutting with the jigsaw

The jigsaw is a tool that saves you time and energy. Using it, you can saw and cut not only straight, but also smooth, curved lines and various shapes. If you use it, put the sheet of plasterboard on two stools so that the previously drawn line for the trimmer shape of the desired cut goes in the distance between the surfaces of the stools. Cut smoothly and slowly, exactly along the marked line. The electric jigsaw has another significant advantage: with it the processing of the received edges is reduced to a minimum, because it is held perpendicular to the surface of the sheet, which is the key to such a result. This is facilitated by the special sole installed in it. It is possible to carry to minuses that on it all the same it is necessary to spend, but this tool is worth it. Also a lot of dust is raised when working with it, you should take care in advance about eye and respiratory protection.

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What tools do you need for cutting?

For cutting and working with drywall you will need:

  • pencil or marker, the latter “marker” is better visible from any point;
  • A long metal ruler (alternatively, a profile), a tape measure;
  • hacksaw for drywall (wood, better. metal), file;
  • An assembly knife for gypsum board (an unequivalent substitute. a clerical knife);
  • a rule, a construction angle, a compass;
  • planer for drywall or wood;
  • Drill with crowns and feather drill bits;
  • sandpaper;
  • jigsaw.

The anti-marker has its detractors, who say that it’s hard to hide the marks it leaves behind. The best jigsaw for cutting GKL is the one that has a thin blade and a fine tooth. In this list often add “heavy artillery”. an angle grinder, a special cutter for drywall, but such tools require skills. For those who first encountered the need to cut gypsum board, a simpler set, which is in almost every home, will be enough.

Can you use a jigsaw to cut drywall??

The fastest way to cut drywall with an electric jigsaw is considered to be. Of course, you will have to spend money to buy this tool (if you do not already have it), but the jigsaw is worth the money. After all, with its help, you can cut not only apertures of a strict shape, but also to make curved lines.

with a construction knife with a retractable and interchangeable blade. At the beginning we do a marking, that is, from the edge of the sheet of plasterboard indent the required distance, attach a ruler and draw a clearly visible line for a trimmer, along this line you can make a cut.

Rectangular holes in drywall

A hacksaw is used to cut the holes. Mark the rectangle on the sheet with a pencil. In the corner of a rectangle with a drill make a hole so that the hacksaw can fit through it. Hold the saw perpendicular to the plane of the sheet.

If the rectangular hole is on the edge of the sheet, then the horizontal cut is made with a saw, and the vertical. with a knife. Then the sheet is simply broken off at this point.

How to bend drywall

In order to mount arched designs over doorways or niches, you must somehow bend the drywall so that it does not break.

For these purposes, manufacturers of plasterboard produce special sheets of GKLA (arched), which have a thickness of 6.5 mm and are easily deformable.

Such material is somewhat more expensive than usual. For its installation, special arched profiles are used, equipped with cutouts on the side walls. Thanks to these cutouts, the profile can be easily bent as required, and then fix a flexible sheet in it.

Since the thickness of the flexible sheet is small, then to strengthen the construction you need to use two layers of plasterboard: the rough layer is made of ordinary sheet, and the front layer of arched.

But if you were not able to buy GKLA, there are ways to bend and ordinary wall plasterboard. For different situations, different techniques are used to affect the sheet.

If you only need to get a small bend, you can do it this way:

  • The prepared gypsum plasterboard by means of a roller or brush is wetted on one side with water.
  • It is left for 10-15 minutes for the water to soak into the gypsum layer.
  • After that, the sheet is screwed in the intended location. Do it carefully so as not to damage the water-weakened material.
  • After the evaporation of the water the material acquires its original strength, while holding the specified shape well.

If the bend radius of the sheet is small enough, you can bend it like this:

  • Sheet of one side of the treated with a needle roller.
  • Then using a sponge, it is soaked in water for an hour. Do not let the paper on the back of the sheet get wet, or it may break while bending.
  • Then gently bend it with a template and fix the ends of the sheet with clips.
  • The structure is left in this form until completely dry.
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If the roller with needles is not at hand, you can use another option (dry bending):

  • Instead, use a knife to make cuts in the sheet, placing them in a direction perpendicular to the curve line.
  • The distance between the cuts should be 10-50 mm. The more often you make cuts, the smaller the bending radius.
  • The side on which the cuts are made should always be inside the fold.

So, having previously studied all the ways of cutting and bending of plasterboard, choose the most suitable for yourself and act exactly according to technology.