How to Cut Drywall

How to cut Drywall, Sheetrock, Plasterboard. THE EASY WAY!

G'day Knuckleheads, Uncle Knackers here and welcome to Video Two of my ten part series titled 'My Top Ten DIY Tips' as nominated by you..

In todays video l'm going to give you the basics of cutting drywall, plasterboard, sheetrock. All the same product but different names for different parts of the world. The great news is that anybody can do it, and even better, you hardly need any tools. The basic kit will include:

Tape Measure,

Pencil,

Stanley knife or utility knife with a nice new blade for cutting the drywall,

A Keyhole saw for cutting out holes for things like powerpoints, light switches etc and a,

Straight Edge which can be anything from a Plasterer's T Square to a straight piece of timber. In this video l use my Spirit level.

Righto, Let's get this show on the road.

The first thing you should really know is how do you determine the front of the drywall sheet from the back of the sheet.. Generally speaking, the light grey side of the drywall sheet is the front. The front of the sheet also has visible recess's on the top and bottom edge of the sheet. The back of the sheet has the manufacture's branding all over it. The reason you should be aware of this is that when you scribe the drywall sheet, you do this on the face of the sheet and not on the back.

Step One:

With your tape and pencil, mark where you want to scribe your cut.

Step Two:

Position your straight edge on the pencil marks and scribe a line with your utility knife.

Step Three:

Stand the drywall / plasterboard sheet upright and with a little force from your thumb or knee behind the sheet on the scribed line, bend the sheet till it cracks. This will be done with very little effort.

Step Four:

With the sheet bent to about 90 degrees, run your utility knife down the back of the sheet on the crease. This will cut the paper from the back causing the sheet to separate. BINGO...Job Done!!

OK, let's now have a crack at cutting out a hole in the drywall for your new powerpoint, a recessed medicine cabinet or even preparing the area for patching up a hole.

THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE VIDEO. Be extremely aware of what could be inside the wall before you start cutting. Put your hand in and have a feel first (or use the wire trick as noted in the video). If you're cutting a fresh hole make sure you find out where your studs are as you don't want to cut a hole that falls directly over a stud as you fixture won't fit. Also be aware of what's on the other side of the wall. If for instance there's a shower then there is a real possibility of pipework inside the plaster / drywall. You need to be aware of this as you don't want to pierce and pipework with your saw or knife.

To cut the hole out, use your drywall / sheetrock keyhole saw. To start the cut, exert some force on the end of the keyhole saw which will penetrate the drywall / sheetrock sheet. From here you will be able to cut your way around the hole.

All and all the basics of cutting drywall are fairly simple, so get out there and have a crack!

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Cheers,

Uncle Knackers