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Drywall Tips and Advice about Hiring a Professional Drywall Finisher

Learn more about drywall and Austin drywall finishers by watching the video and reading the article below.

Austin Price Check! Whether you'll be installing drywall yourself or hiring a professional, get a good idea of the cost of your drywall and other materials by visiting www.homedepot.com/calculators.

Drywall finishers' work begins after the drywall is installed. They begin by making sure the screws and nails used to apply the drywall are below the surface of the panels. Next, finishers mix their own joint compound, or open buckets of premixed materials. Finishers cover nail and screw heads, cracks, and other imperfections in the drywall with the compound. Then they begin filling the joints between panels with the compound. Finishers use a special trowel and brush-like strokes to apply the joint compound. Working quickly, they use the trowel to press a paper tape into the wet compound. Then they remove any extra compound. Finishers apply two more layers of tape and compound and sand between each layer. Some finishers apply textured surfaces to walls and ceilings with rollers, brushes, or spray guns.

Drywall finishers may use two labor-saving items. One, they may install metal molding at the corners of walls instead of applying tape. Two, finishers may use automatic taping tools that apply the joint compound and tape in one step. The use of these automatic taping tools is usually limited to larger projects.

Drywall finishers perform the following activities on a regular basis:

• Countersink (put below the surface) nails and screws.
• Mix joint compound by hand or with portable mixers.
• Use trowels or spatulas to spread joint compound between drywall panels.
• Fill cracks or holes in the drywall with joint compound.
• Spread and smooth cementing material over taped joints.
• Install metal molding at corners of walls instead of using tape.
• Sand rough spots after cementing material dries.
• May tape joints using mechanical applicators instead of doing the work by hand.
• May apply textured surface and primer to walls and ceilings to prepare them for painting. Use brushes, rollers, or spray guns

Source Information:
Minnesota Department of Education
Minnesota Department of Economic Development

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