Drywall Tools & Their Uses
- Drywall drills are similar to a regular drill. They tend to be corded rather than battery powered because the large volume of screws that need to be installed for drywall depletes a cordless battery very fast. They have a specialized drill bill that sets the depth of the drywall screw perfect every time. As the screw embeds itself in the drywall, the drill automatically disengages the rotational movement when the correct depth is reached. This increases that rate at which you can install drywall.
- Drywall utility saws are short hand-held saws used for cutting receptacle or light socket holes in the drywall. They have a pointed end for penetrating the drywall and a serrated blade. They work quickly at cutting drywall using a single hand working in a back-and-forth motion.
- A utility knife is a hand-held knife with replaceable blades. It is used in the cutting of straight lines in the drywall. Simply hold a ruler or straight edge along the line you wish to cut and score the paper surface of the drywall along the edge with the knife. Then use your knee behind the scored line and pull on both sides of the drywall. This snaps the drywall along the line and breaks it into two sections. Then cut along the fold on the other side with the utility knife to complete the cut.
- Trowels are flat rectangular sections of metal with a handle on the back. They are used in the application of the plaster to hide the seams and screw holes. There are a variety of different types of trowels for inside corners, outside corners and seams. A wide trowel is desired for drywall because the ideal way to hide a seam is by spreading plaster across a wide area then smoothing it out.
- A hand sander assists in the final smoothing of the plaster. It works by installing sandpaper on its flat surface, then using the handle on the other side to hold the tool. This gives the operator a good handle and section of flat sandpaper to work the wall until it is smooth.
