Installing drywall is something most of us often leave to professionals as it feels like a very difficult and intimidating task. However, with the right tools and proper instructions, setting up your drywall can be easier than you think! If you are looking forward to replacing your drywall, or repairing custom drywall, you should carefully consider many factors.
The major aspect that deters people from installing their own drywall is the amount of dust it creates when you cut drywall.
Therefore, knowing how to cut drywall without dust can make this job a lot easier. Yes, cutting drywall without dust is indeed possible and a lot more doable than you believe.
Drywall is a very important component of your home and many homeowners will often find themselves face-to-face with the arduous task of installing drywall in their own homes.
This article will discuss the best way to cut drywall without dust and guide you through the whole process. Hopefully, you will feel a lot more comfortable with doing it yourself after reading this article.
Contents
How To Cut Drywall Without Dust
Knowing how to cut drywall without dust will save you a call to the professionals and maybe even a lot of money in the process. Here is a step-by-step procedure for cutting dry and keeping it all clean while doing it:
Gather The Required Tools
Cutting drywall requires its own set of special tools. These tools come in all shapes and sizes and from multiple manufacturers.
These tools are very versatile, however. Most of them can be used for various other purposes than just cutting and shaping drywall.
Some of the tools that should come in handy while installing drywall are drywall cutting knives, jab saws, circular saws, cut-out rotary tools, oscillating tools, a rotary tool, etc. make sure to be careful about using your vacuum cleaner on drywalls.
Drywall dust is very harmful and plenty of vacuum cleaner manufacturers will terminate your warranty if they find drywall dust in your cleaner.
While you don’t need all the tools mentioned above, having some of them is crucial to cutting drywall. Of course, you can always cut your drywall with saws and cutters you have at home, but they might create a lot of dust and damage the drywall. Therefore, it is best to pick some of the tools mentioned in the previous paragraph before getting started.
Scoring
Scoring is a less messy and comparatively simpler way of cutting drywall. This process works best for cutting long sheets of drywall and then sawing can be done over it to make room for windows, doors, and other necessary holes. Here is a 3 step easy procedure on how to do it:
- Firstly take chalk and draw a straight line across the point you want to cut. You can also use the straight edges for reference while drawing the lines. Then take a sharp knife and start cutting through the paper into the gypsum core of the drywall sheet on the face side.
- Now, due to the knife cut, the drywall will be weaker on the spots you want to separate it from. Therefore, carefully apply pressure to the face side of the drywall while supporting it from the back. Be very cautious during this step as any mishap can damage the drywall. Considering everything went well, you will see the drywall break on the spots you have marked.
- Finally, guide the knife through the back of the drywall paper and completely separate the pieces. You may notice a few irregularities and imperfections in the cut. But there is nothing to be concerned about. Take a drywall rasp or a sanding block and rub it against the uneven edges until it is perfectly flush.
Sawing And Cutting Out Doors And Windows
Now that we have cut appropriate portions of drywall, it is time to make holes for the windows, the doors, and other outlets that will be sticking out of the wall.
Drywall saws are generally used to make this type of cut while a smaller keyhole saw would be used for much smaller cuts.
Make sure to cut them from the front side because that will help better preserve the wallpaper. Damaging the wallpaper would create a whole set of new problems for you so it is best to preserve it as well as possible.
Now lastly, make sure to measure twice before cutting. It is important to be precise with the measurement because cutting too much would mean you’ll need to apply fillers or potentially get new drywall and cutting too little would mean sanding and more dust.
Therefore measure and check carefully before beginning to cut.
Electrical Box Cutouts
Finally, it is time for the electric box cutouts. These are some of the smallest holes you will have to make on the drywall so it is important to be very careful with them. These holes for the electric boxes need to be more tight and precise and there is very little room for error unlike there is for doors and windows.
The most commonly used method of doing this is tracing the location of the cutouts and drawing the outline on the sheets using a spare electric box.
Another method is to just rub lipstick on the electric box and press it against the drywall until an imprint is created and then using it to make cuts.
After the marking is done, use a keyhole saw to cut the holes by inserting the sharp part in it but hold the blade at an angle so that the cut out is slightly larger on the inside than outside. Now, place the utility knife inside and adjust the box properly.
These are the three ways you may have to cut drywall. Following the instructions mentioned is the easiest way to cut drywall without creating dust.
FAQs
How Do You Reduce Dust In Drywall?
Your drywall may collect dust during cutting, installing, or even build it up over time. Depending on the situation you are in, the answer may vary.
You could use a Low-Dust Drywall Compound which would create less dust. Dry sanding the drywall with barrier and negative pressure is an option too. You can also consider a drywall vacuum sander.
Does Cutting The Drywall Create A Lot Of Dust?
Yes. The component that drywall consists of is prone to turning into powder if broken down enough. Therefore, it does create dust when broken or cut.
However, careful treatment and precise cutting of the wall can prevent excess dust release. This is why it is important for us to cut drywall properly as the dust is very harmful.
How Do You Cut Drywall Cleanly?
It is not as difficult as it seems. Making clean cuts with sharp objects will usually result in no dust being released.
There are several tools in the market that you can choose from which are great for removing drywall. You will find some of these tools mentioned in the article above.
Conclusion
Drywall is a necessary part of our homes. We may have to deal with fixing and cutting them ourselves sometimes.
Due to how toxic and messy drywall dust can get, it is important to contain it as much as possible. This article discusses the easiest way to cut drywall without creating a mess.
There are three major types of cutting that need to be done with drywall. These are mentioned above along with the tools necessary to cut them with the least amount of dust possible.
These tools are very versatile and will help you with cutting and sanding drywall without dust. But that is not the end, they also have several other uses!
I hope this article will provide you with a better understanding of how to cut drywall and what sort of tools to use for them.
The task is not as intimidating as it seems at first and anyone with the time and willingness to install their drywall should be able to do it on their own.