Which side to cut drywall

Introducing the toolbox

The obligatory list of tools for sawing gypsum fiber with your own hands includes three groups of objects

Devices for applying markings on a sheet of gypsum board. a simple pencil, tape measure, long ruler.

Cutting and sawing devices themselves.

• Knife. You can cut the gypsum fiber board with a clerical knife, as well as with a specialized construction knife with a double-sided replaceable blade (suitable for denser materials).
• Hacksaw. Better if it is a tool for processing metal than wood.
• Jigsaw. Ideal for cutting rounded elements. Least of all, high-quality saws for metal with a fine notch leave chips at the ends of drywall.
• Electric drill. Needed for making holes. For gaps of large d, you will need round crowns (which cut into the core of the door snap locks) and feather drills.

Edging attachments:

• roughing plane;
• chamfering planer.

This list clearly shows how the home craftsmen cut drywall. Of course, it is far from complete. The arsenal of experienced craftsmen may include professional equipment, for example, a special cutter for GVL. However, for those who are working with the material for the first time, this set is quite enough. To better understand how to properly cut drywall, you need to clearly understand the structure of this material.

The structure and purpose of drywall

Plasterboard sheets are a layer-by-layer combination of two types of materials. gypsum (inner content) and sheets of thick cardboard glued to it on both sides. It is clear that if the cardboard layers are damaged, it is not difficult to cut the rest.

Therefore, in order to be able to quickly cut a sheet of gypsum plasterboard, it is not enough to know the best way to cut drywall. It is important to know the basic principle of this action: after the continuous even cutting of drywall is carried out, the second step immediately follows. breaking the sheet.

Sawing drywall, like any solid porous material, is not difficult. It also lends itself well to drilling.

The functions of the material make it possible to differentiate it into varieties: moisture-resistant, fire-resistant, standard, increased strength (for example, gypsum board or gypsum board made using Knauf technology), acoustic gypsum board, etc.

Despite the large assortment of GK, panels of any of its varieties lend themselves well to dividing into parts by means of the available material at hand.

Standard cut

Cutting the sheet in a straight line is the easiest way to cut. It boils down to the following:

GVL is placed on a hard and flat surface. Then mark the future mowing line of the cut.

Whichever knife is chosen, they should be cut strictly, placing a ruler on the side. An uneven cut is guaranteed if you decide to handle without a ruler. Cutting begins from the back (there is a thicker cardboard layer). The front part of the Civil Code is somewhat different, as it is intended for finishing work. When cutting, they try to deepen the knife as much as possible into the plaster content.

At the end of the process, the GK is turned over and bent in the direction of the solid (without the mowing line of the cut) side. Plaster not hit by the knife will break in the desired direction. The cardboard is cut from the opposite side along the formed mowing line of the fold.

It is not particularly important which side to start cutting drywall from. However, on a flat, dense surface, this is much easier to do than when holding the GL in weight.

Before you cut drywall with improvised devices, you should familiarize yourself with two more types of simple cutting, feasible for independent implementation.

Double-sided cutting. often, cutting in the form of any rectangle is performed in this way. With a hacksaw, one of the sides is sawed, the other is simply cut with a blade. After that, the material is cracked, and the cardboard is cut from the opposite side (as in a simple cut). The finished cut is polished to perfection using an edging planer.

Cutting on uneven mowing lines. To cut material along uneven lines, you must first prepare a drawing.

Drywall cutting

Newbies in the construction business do not know how and how to cut drywall in the best way. After all, any work, whether it is the creation of a ceiling structure, partitions or a complex decorative element, requires knowledge of the rules for cutting gypsum board and strict adherence to them in practice. Different tools are used for these purposes. It all depends on the chosen cutting method. So, how to cut drywall at home, the recommendations below will tell you.

Cut to specified geometry

Figured cutting of drywall is used in the situation of creating unique shapes for a specific structural element. This procedure is more complicated, and you cannot do without basic experience and a sufficient arsenal of tools.

When curly cutting, the material is also marked first. If you need to draw a circle, but there is no compass at hand, then they arm themselves with a needle and thread and a tied pencil.

For curly cutting of HA in different situations, we will apply one of the methods described below.

Option one. Describes the process when a hacksaw is selected as the tool. Manipulating a hacksaw is akin to working with a serrated knife and a handle. Using a drywall hacksaw, you can cut out fragments with any non-trivial shapes (for example, butterflies or flowers).

Option two. An electric drill with a cylindrical nozzle allows you to create even circles of small diameter in drywall. The circle is not marked here, but limited to a mark in the desired area.

Option three. For cutting GVL with an electric jigsaw, a clear marking of the contour of the required shape is performed. Priority in the choice of a jigsaw is given when the diameter of the circle to be made must be greater than the diameter of the crown of the electric drill, and the rounded mowing lines of forms are not limited to a circle.

Option four. The most primitive, when the choice of tool comes down to a knife and a hammer. Drywall is cut along the outlined border. At the same time, they try to press on the blade as hard as possible.

Then the HA is placed on a flat surface with a depression. over, the detachable part of the element must fall into this hole. It is less effective to support the sheet against the wall. Then hit with a hammer in the middle of the fragment to be separated. The part to be removed should break. A layer of cardboard is cut from the bottom, leveling the ends as necessary. The GC masters strongly discourage people with no experience from using this technique. Since you have to spend a lot of drywall sheets for stuffing your hand and working out the pressure.

Choice of methods for cutting HA

What method of cutting drywall to resort to will become clear after studying the options available for these purposes.

The nuances of making circles

Circles in the ceiling structure are made primarily for the installation of luminaires. The easiest way is to cut a circle of a given diameter in the gypsum fiber with a blade. And gently knock out the middle part with a hammer. However, it will be easier to carry out what was conceived would be a drill with special equipment. a cylindrical nozzle. The same one that is used when cutting into the door of the lock mechanism with a latch.

The better to cut drywall

A hacksaw for metal differs from the one used for sawing wood in a thinner blade blade. With its help, drywall is cut very easily.

The edges of the material remain flat and practically chipped free.

A sheet of material must be placed on some kind of support and cut along the marked mowing line.

With a construction knife with a double-sided sharp blade, you can easily cut a dense sheet of drywall.

To make the edge of the sheet straight, you should first draw a line of the marking and attach a metal ruler to it. An incision is made along it with a knife.

In the case when the drywall is thin enough, you can replace the construction knife with a regular stationery, which is used for paper.

How to Cut Drywall EFFICIENTLY!

It is convenient to make curly cuts with an electric jigsaw. When working with drywall, it is recommended to purchase fine-toothed files that are used for metal.

We cut drywall with our own hands: popular methods

During the repair, you have to cut drywall almost every 5-10 minutes. Why? Because a sheet of this material will be at least 2 square meters and it is impossible to mark a wall, ceiling or any other structure without residues. The smaller the structure, the more you will have to cut, and it is not always necessary to cut it straight (corners, uneven walls and ceilings have not been canceled either). What to do? There is only one way out. to learn how to quickly and efficiently cut drywall.

You will need to make not only ruler cuts across the sheet, but also cut triangles, rectangular pieces, ovals or circles (for example, for lighting elements). It is advisable to consider several options for cutting drywall at once, from an ordinary stationery knife to an electric jigsaw. Now we will consider the simplest and most high-quality methods for cutting and processing drywall edges.

How to make holes in drywall

Next, we’ll show you how to make a hole in drywall. Learning how to make holes in drywall is very important, as it often needs to be done to install new outlets, switches and other fixtures.

In addition, you have to cut out round or rectangular holes in order to repair damaged areas of drywall. Although it is quite easy to cut holes in drywall, in order to do it professionally, you need to use certain tools and have some skills.

Therefore, we advise you to work with caution and follow our step-by-step explanation exactly before getting started.

To make a hole in drywall, you need the following:

• flight bus;
• pencil;
• tape measure and stationery knife;
• drill;
• ring drill bit;
• jigsaw;
• drywall hacksaw.
• make accurate measurements to make rectangular holes;
• be careful not to damage pipes or electrical wires when cutting holes;
• wear a respirator mask to cut a hole in the drywall.

Cut to specified geometry

Figured cutting of drywall is used in the situation of creating unique shapes for a specific structural element. This procedure is more complicated, and you cannot do without basic experience and a sufficient arsenal of tools.

When curly cutting, the material is also marked first. If you need to draw a circle, but there is no compass at hand, then they arm themselves with a needle and thread and a tied pencil.

For curly cutting of HA in different situations, we will apply one of the methods described below.

Option one. Describes the process when a hacksaw is selected as the tool. Manipulating a hacksaw is akin to working with a serrated knife and a handle. Using a drywall hacksaw, you can cut out fragments with any non-trivial shapes (for example, butterflies or flowers).

Option two. An electric drill with a cylindrical nozzle allows you to create even circles of small diameter in drywall. The circle is not marked here, but limited to a mark in the desired area.

Option three. For cutting GVL with an electric jigsaw, a clear marking of the contour of the required shape is performed. Priority in the choice of a jigsaw is given when the diameter of the circle to be made must be greater than the diameter of the crown of the electric drill, and the rounded mowing lines of forms are not limited to a circle.

Then the HA is placed on a flat surface with a depression. over, the detachable part of the element must fall into this hole. It is less effective to support the sheet against the wall. Then hit with a hammer in the middle of the fragment to be separated. The part to be removed should break. A layer of cardboard is cut from the bottom, leveling the ends as necessary. The GC masters strongly discourage people with no experience from using this technique. Since you have to spend a lot of drywall sheets for stuffing your hand and working out the pressure.

Choice of methods for cutting HA

What method of cutting drywall to resort to will become clear after studying the options available for these purposes.

How to cut drywall / Sheetrock

Preparatory work

There are special rulers for cutting drywall

At the preparatory stage, everything is quite simple. Place the sheet to be cut in a comfortable position. If a professional in some cases can carry out cutting by weight, then a beginner requires a flat solid surface on which drywall is laid. Most often they use a large table or, in extreme cases, put a sheet on the floor. If there is no table, and the floor is not an option due to the tools used, then the sheet is simply placed on two stools (or more).

It is better to cut drywall sheets from the front side.

It is necessary to ask not only the question of what is the best way to cut drywall, but also what additional tools may be needed for this. What can come in handy?

• A tape measure or ruler is required to make accurate measurements before cutting.
• Cutting is carried out directly with a construction knife. You can use a clerical knife as a fallback.
• A hacksaw can be used instead of a knife.
• A pencil is needed to mark the incision site.
• An edge planer is needed to immediately trim the cut edges. They don’t look very good after cutting. Can also be chamfered immediately.
• For the same purposes as in the previous paragraph, you will need a file or sandpaper if the cut was not even (the plane is only good for straight edges).
• The electric jigsaw is used by the most experienced craftsmen for large volumes of work. It makes no sense to rent or buy an instrument for a dozen straight lines.

Of course, not all of these tools will come in handy. It all depends on what kind of cutting you want to do.

Edge processing

When the drywall is cut off, the edges should be leveled slightly to avoid chipping or chipping. This can be done using sandpaper. Gently pass all the edges to it until they are smooth.

The final stage of material preparation includes its fascination. To do this, you need to cut off a few millimeters of gypsum from each edge (about two-thirds of the sheet thickness). The chamfer is removed with a plane or knife at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.

After installing drywall, all gaps between the material canvases must be putty. When the seams are dry, you can start painting the surface or pasting it with wallpaper.