Drywall and Plaster - Page 5 of 9

During the winter months, I usually renovate basements. When I'm drywalling and painting, I can't wash my tools and brushes with the garden hose because it's so cold outside. If…

Metal flashing goes a long way to avoid big problems from seasonal changes.

The mother of all drywall jobs gave birth to this invention. We needed to cover the ceiling of a warehouse, soon to be a recording studio, with two layers of…

Longer sheets mean fewer seams and simpler taping and finishing.

I stuck a hunk of adhesive-backed 80-grit sandpaper on the back of my drywall square, as shown in the drawing. The sandpaper keeps the square's tongue from sliding around when…

No matter how good your drywall-taping skills are, chances are you'll find a missed dimple or two in the final sanding. I used to circle the dimples with a pencil, touch…

If cracks and crumbling plaster have you down, here's a remedy that uses basic methods and materials, and that requires no sanding.

During my 40 years in the trades, I've had a number of high-end drywall jobs that required dead-flat ceilings -- no telltale bulges allowed where the ends of the drywall…

This family of specialized taping and finishing tools allows you to do a faster, more precise job.

Whenever I use paper tape to cover drywall seams, I make it easy on myself by using tape that has been precoated with joint compound. As shown in the first…