Tips for Installing Drywall Near Windows

Drywall is one of the most common coverings used for walls and ceilings in homes today. Drywall is also known as rock, sheet, sheet rock and wall hanging material. It is calcium sulfate that has been made into a paste and then pressed together between sheets of thin paper. That is why it breaks apart and snaps so easily. Also, that is why you can repair holes in drywall with drywall compounds. Here are some tips for installing drywall near windows.

Tip #1 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Thickness

Don’t buy too thick of drywall sheets. They come in all kinds of sizes and lengths. Buying the too thick of ones will make it near to impossible to complete the drywall project. You should purchase the drywall that is about a quarter of an inch thick to hang near windows.

Tip #2 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Screws

Get the right screws for the project. Do not use nails. If you use nails you’re going to have splitting, cracking and chipping of the drywall. Also, you can seriously waste drywall sheets that you have put a hole through using a hammer and nails.

You will need to purchase drywall screws. Don’t go cheap on these and get the good quality ones. After all the screws will be what holds your project together! The best kind of drywall screws to get for the project is one and five-eights inch drywall screws.

Tip #3 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Window Frame Studs

Your next thing to remember is to secure the drywall with the screws that you bought to the studs nearest your window. You don’t want to skip these studs or your drywall is not going to hang right for the project.

Tip #4 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Take Down Window Frames

You really do have to remove the window frames completely before you install the drywall near windows. Once you get everything completely done, you can put the window frames back up and no-one will ever know that they were taken down in the first place.

Tip #5 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Clear the Studs

Alright this might seem like a simple tip but you would be surprised how many people doing home projects skip this step of the process. Get rid of any nails, screws or other trash that is on the studs. You want the studs completely clear before you hang any drywall onto them. Trust me you will be glad that you followed this tip if you don’t follow anything else.

Tip #6 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Work Your Way Up

When you hang the drywall near windows you want to work your way up from the floor. It is easiest to get someone else to help you at this point. Drywall can be heavy and awkward. Having a friend hold it while you use a screw gun to screw the drywall to the studs will make the project go a lot smoother and decrease the chances of cracking or splitting the drywall.

Tip #7 for Installing Drywall near Windows – One Foot Intervals

Everyone likes to save money. Too often though people don’t want to put in enough drywall screws to securely hold the drywall to the studs. This is a huge mistake that you want to avoid at all costs. The best tip is to secure the drywall with screws that are at one foot intervals. If the drywall is very long sheets, you will want to go back and put more screws in at six inch intervals. It does you no good to hang drywall that is going to crack and fall apart later.

Tip #8 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Seamless Work

Drywall seams that are near windows will crack, break and split. This makes for a huge repair mess and your window area will look awful. You must, must, must avoid seams around the windows to not run into this problem.

Work the drywall the same way that you did before for the rest of the room. When you get near the window make sure that the drywall is flush with the window area. The window frame that you took off earlier will cover this up later.

Tip #9 for Installing Drywall near Windows – Tape and Mud Window Area

Once you get the drywall up against the window area without any seams, you need to make sure that you tape it well. Once it is taped, mud it with a thin layer with your putty knife. This will help to seal off the edging before you put back up the window frame that you took off earlier. Once it dries you can add the window frame back and your project is complete fro installing drywall near windows.

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