Drywall

After your home is insulated, drywall contractors come in to measure the space. Drywall hangers come in to hang the gypsum board, commonly called sheetrock. Gypsum board is fire retardant and comes in varied thickness. In this area, it’s typical to have ½ inch thickness on the walls and 5/8 inch thickness or thicker on the ceiling. Then, tapers or mud men will embark on what is usually a six or seven day process of coating, mudding, sanding and spraying on texture.

During the drywalling process, one local professional advises owners to “crank up the heat!” He says, “Many problems occur when houses are built in the spring and fall when the furnace is not running consistently. Areas in the house will appear to be dry and ready to sand, but are not. Later, the seams will shrink back and end up “flashing.”

There are different texturing options available for your walls and ceilings. Orange peel texturing has become very common, partially because it’s easy to match if it needs to be repaired. One drywall professional compared the texture to a newly washed car because there are little beads all over the surface. Sand swirl texturing looks like someone took a brush and brushed the surface in an arc-shaped motion. Other textures include smooth, sand texture, splatter, knockdown and acoustic.

Our local professional advised homeowners to book a drywall professional about a month to two months before you begin drywalling. He also offers advice on what to look for in a good drywall finisher, “As the old cliché goes: you get what you pay for.” Houses settle over time and that affects your drywall. Some drywall finishers use products that fluctuate with the movement of a settling house to prevent cracking, but those higher quality products come with a higher price. Don’t always hire the drywall finisher with the lowest bid. Make sure you hire someone that will not cut corners, otherwise it will cost you more in the long run.

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