Sheetrock Tools

Cutting Tools

• The standard utility knife is the most common tool for cutting drywall. Drywall hangers use the utility knife to score through the drywall's paper and subsequently break the sheet of drywall along the scored line. To cut unusual shapes or saw through installed drywall, builders use a specialized saw, called a drywall saw or keyhole saw. The drywall saw has a long, roughly triangular blade attached to a straight, palm-sized handle. The drywall saw's teeth are jagged and ultra-sharp. Sometimes called a jab saw, the drywall saw has sharp points that allow drywall professionals to puncture sheets of drywall.

Lifting Tools

• Drywall lifting tools relieve drywall installers of lifting and holding heavy sheets in position. The most common type of drywall lifting tool is called a "drywall lift." Simple and effective, drywall lifts consist of a metal frame that holds drywall sheets and a hydraulic or motorized lifting mechanism. Drywall installers place a sheet of drywall atop the lift's frame and turn a crank or activate a motor to raise the sheet to its final position against a wall or ceiling. With the lift holding the sheet, the drywall installer has two free hands for fastening the drywall to framing members.

Fastening Tools

• Drywall installers use both nails and screws to fasten drywall to framing members. Although some drywall installers use a standard finish hammer to drive nails, many installers use a specially designed hammer called a drywall hammer. The drywall hammer has a convex striking face that forces nails below the drywall's surface. Opposite the striking face, many drywall hammers have a small hatchet bit for demolition or cutting of plaster and drywall. To drive screws, drywall installers use standard power drills or special, self-loading screw guns.

Finishing Tools

• The drywall taping knife is the essential drywall finishing tool. The taping knife is essentially a putty knife with an unusually broad and thin edge. Often rectangular in shape, the taping knife's blade attaches to a straight handle. Drywall finishers use taping knives to apply joint compound to the tape that covers the seam between sheets of drywall. To hold joint compound, drywall finishers scoop portions of the compound into a hand-held, rectangular bucket called a mud pan. Alternatively, finishers use mechanical tools called automatic taping tools. Automatic taping tools employ sets of wheels and containers to both apply joint tape and joint compound at once.