Information on Drywall Tools & Textures

Drywall Layout and Cutting

• The first group of professionals to work on a drywall project are called drywall "installers" or "hangers." Drywall hangers attach or "hang" drywall from the structural framing members that compose a room's walls and ceiling. Drywall installers lay out cuts on sheets of drywall with a large, T-shaped layout tool called a drywall T-square. Installers score the sheet's surface along a cut mark with a utility knife and snap the sheet along the score. Specialized cutting tools called "circle" cutters allow installers to make round cuts for light fixtures. Additionally, installers might use a sharp-toothed handheld drywall saw or a motor-driven rotary tool to cut drywall.

Hanging Tools

• To complete the hanging process, drywall installers must lift and fasten the sheets to structural framing. Drywall professionals usually employ motorized machines, called drywall "lifts," to hoist sheets against ceilings and walls. However, similar to a car jack, some small-scale lifts employ simple hydraulic mechanisms to lift the sheets. Once the sheets are in place, drywall hangers fasten the drywall to framing members with self-loading screw guns, power drills or a drywall hammer and nails. Installers attach rigid corner pieces, called "corner bead," with power tools, such as drills or nail guns, or with a hammer and nails.

Drywall Finishing Tools

• Drywall professionals that apply joint compound and decorative coatings to hung drywall are called "drywall finishers." Traditionally, drywall finishers use drywall taping knives to manually apply joint compound. Taping knives are similar in concept to putty knives, but have broad edges, ranging from roughly 4 inches wide to more than 14 inches wide. Additionally, taping knives are slightly flexible and allow a drywall finisher to perform detail work and smooth transitions called "feathering." Professionals working on large jobs often use automatic taping tools. Finishers roll these wheel-mounted tools across a drywall joint to apply both tape and joint compound in a single run.

Texturing Tools and Textures

• To manually create basic textures, drywall finishers apply diluted joint compound to walls with paint brushes or rollers. Alternatively, finishers splatter the diluted compound across the wall by tossing it from a taping knife. Finishers allow the compound to partially dry and scrape across the wall's surface with taping knives. This basic process creates the familiar random-pattern splotch textures, such as knockdown and orange peel. Alternatively, finishers can draw large portions of compound across a wall to create fan-like patterns, circular patterns or knife-strike patterns. The most common power tool used to assist with texturing is a drywall sprayer. As with a paint sprayer, the drywall sprayer distributes its contents from a trigger-operated spray tip.