DRYWALL AND PLASTERING
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- Drywall - Install Also called plasterboard, sheetrock & gypsum.
- Drywall - Repair Also called plasterboard, sheetrock & gypsum
- Acoustic Ceiling Tiles - Install Includes staple-up & suspended ceilings.
- Acoustic Ceiling Tiles - Repair Includes staple-up & suspended ceilings.
- Metal Ceiling Covers - Install or Repair Decorative panels applied to the ceiling surface.
- Plaster - Install Traditional material applied over mesh or lath.
- Plaster - Repair
- Popcorn Acoustic Ceiling Texture - Apply or Remove Special equipment used for textured ceilings.
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From Plastering to Drywall
Drywall is a relatively new material. Up until the 1950's plastering was used as the surface for interior walls. In fact plastering was a technique used for almost 3000 years. Thin wood strips, known as laths, were nailed horizontally, about 1/8" apart, to interior studs. These laths would hold the plaster in place. The plasterer would then plaster in between these laths to ensure the final coat would hold. Plaster was reinforced by fibers such as horsehair.
Plaster was a very solid and hardy surface, but the time plasterers needed to complete a job was long, so it was also an expensive surface. The advent of World War II required a great need for many new buildings in a short period of time. Gypsum board, also known as sheetrock or drywall, was introduced. Since drywall panels were fabricated as 4' x 8' sheets and then sent to a job the time needed to install them was cut down significantly. Drywall panels are actually two sheets of a heavy paper filled with compressed gypsum. The panels are nailed directly to interior studs. After hanging the drywall panels, the seams need to be taped and patched with drywall compound. When this dries, drywall sanding on all seams is done for a smooth finish. The drywall hanging process has come a long way in the past 60 years, and drywall panels as long as 12" are now manufactured.
Most residential and commercial interior walls are constructed with wood or steel frames. Interior studs are generally 16" apart, allowing for a drywall panel to cover the span with little excess. When drywall panels do need to be cut for specific measurements, a drywall installer will cut the top layer of the panel first. They will then break the board and finish the cut by slicing through the bottom layer of paper. Prior to screwing the drywall panels to the wall, any additional cuts for outlets or other disturbances are made.
When hanging drywall on a ceiling, installers typically use a drywall lift to lift the sheets and hold them in place. The installer can then screw the panels in. You will see drywall installers using stilts to give them height when hanging drywall in these high places. To create the smooth finish we associate with interior walls, drywall finishing must occur. All seams are filled in with drywall compound, or mud. Drywall tape then goes over the seams. An additional layer of compound goes over the tape and any drywall screw holes. Once the compound is dry, drywall sanding is performed to create the smooth finish.
While you can find a multitude of books, videos and instructions online on how to drywall, it is best to seek the help of a professional drywall installer. The process is not as easy as it looks and any mistakes to drywall are only exacerbated when you add a final coat of paint. Drywall finishers can also go a step further and add drywall texture or Venetian plaster to give a wall depth and design. They can add designs from prefinished plaster molds and create many different looks in your home.
Steel Stud Construction
Used for over a century in commercial applications steel studs are now making inroads into the residential housing market. This includes both exterior as well as interior applications. Recent costing statistics show that in many areas of the country steel joists are 18% cheaper to buy and install than the wooden ones.
Steel studs are lighter than wooden ones (40% of the weight) and easy to install. They come in predetermined lengths with passageways already cut for wiring and plumbing. This means less wastage than wooden studs.
In addition, insurance companies like them because they will not burn and termites, mold and mildew will not take hold on their surfaces. As for attachment they can be glued, bolted, screwed and welded. Once in place they don't shift, warp or shrink like the wooden variety will.
However, they should not be used in basements as, even though they are galvanized there is a chance of rusting. In the case of bathrooms, a steel stud wall with proper green or cement board will be sealed from water.
New innovations in steel stud manufacture mean that a stud-making machine can be used onsite to facilitate all of the stud requirements. Like a seamless gutter machine the galvanized steel is fed off a roll and stamped to the correct height. The appropriate holes are stamped out as well.
One of the main advantages of a steel stud building is that, even in hurricane winds, the structure will resist the force whereas wooden structures may be compromised through a week spot in the fastening. This is why steel stud framing is popular in those areas.
Steel studs are also popular with drywall companies because of their uniform size. Unlike wood each stud is exact which makes crewing the sheets more exact.
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