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Top 10 Things You Should Know About Drywall

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DrywallAre you starting a new project that includes drywall installation and taping? Here we’ve got 10 tips to share with you. Drywall is typically the phase when the rubber meets the road. If items like framing, HVAC and plumbing weren’t thoroughly planned and installed, the drywall phase is when a lack of adequate execution or a miscalculation becomes obvious. Drywall is one of the hardest trades to master; it takes a steady hand and a well-experienced eye. Here’s our top 10 things to know about drywall before you start.  Share this advice with your friends on twitter and facebook.

1. 5/8” or 1/2” Drywall?

5/8” GWB (Gypsum Wallboard) is always a better move than ½” GWB for thickness- it’s stiffer and hides framing imperfections. Nothing makes up for a day or two of extra work with long levels flattening walls and ceilings and checking for other framing problems that will become evident only at the end of the project when all the interior lighting is in place. Also 5/8” GWB may be necessary for fire rated walls.

2. Reflective Lighting

Reflective light (i.e. off adjacent bodies of water, like pools or ponds) can create visually unpleasant washes of light that show every imperfection. In this case it is best to go full mud-coating and sand over complete surfaces that will get reflected light.

3. Watch for Dust

When you’re sanding compound off of drywall, the dust will flow everywhere. Before sanding drywall seal off any vents and turn off the air conditioning so it doesn’t draw into the systems. When you’re ready to sand drywall, there’s a good chance that there will be dust. If we are talking about only one isolated room in a house, put a plastic drop cloth at the doorway. If you don’t want any dust, you can use sponges. The sponges will have to dry, though.

Drywall

4. Cabinets and Drywall

Double-check wall and ceiling flatness during taping wherever cabinets meet drywall. Once cabinets are installed, an uneven wall or ceiling becomes all the more evident (even with scribes).

5. Doors and Drywall

The devil is in the details. We strongly believe, anything that can reduce the visual signs of a wall assembly, is better.  This requires that the interior doors be installed prior to drywall, and we’ve learned, they need to be secured well so they don’t shift (or get shifted) during drywall hanging.

6. Minimize Seams in Drywall

Start by hanging the drywall sheets vertically. If, lets say, the height of the ceiling is 10 feet, and you use the 8-feet drywall; there’s still a 2-foot section missing, so you add a 2-foot piece on top. On the next wall adjacent,  put the 2-foot piece on the bottom and then the 8-foot piece of drywall on top, so that there is no one line going horizontally around the room; you want it to be staggered.

7. Consider Layers of Drywall

Thicker drywall offers a better measure of sound abatement and will also give you a much more rigid wall. Two layers of drywall will help to hide any sort of imperfections you may have and give a more rigid surface for finishing.

8. Keep Drywall Dry with Vapor Barrier

A good thing to have on your exterior wall is vapor barrier. The moisture can cause mold and the vapor barrier will keep it from  penetrating the back of the drywall. If you don’t do the vapor barrier and you have a large exterior wall, you can get a mildew buildup behind the drywall, and then sometimes you’ll get that little browning or blacking effect in the areas.

9. Take Pictures of Drywall

Get a camera and start taking picture of the drywall installation process. In the future it will help you to identify several helpful things things, such as electrical wiring and plumbing pipes. Having this information to look back at is very valuable.

Drywall

10. Drywall is white

So don’t wear black to site visits.

Planning a renovation or a new drywall installation project in Toronto? Give us a call 647-693-9936

 

What Is Drywall? Choosing Drywall Contractor in Toronto

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Sometimes called plasterboard, gypsum board or sheetrock, drywall is one of the world’s most common materials used in construction. The majority of homes in the USA, Canada and Europe that are not brick clad have drywall interior walls and ceilings and even most brick homes have drywall ceilings and some drywall separation walls. What is drywall and what makes it so popular?

What is Drywall?

Drywall comes as the result of the development of the building industry. For hundreds of years, for smooth interior finishing builders used plaster, which was made from lime, sand, animal hair and other ingredients. With time, bright minds discovered that gypsum dried faster than lime, so gypsum became the main ingredient in plaster. However it wasn’t until the late  20th century, that someone decided to make a sandwich from two layers of paper and a layer of gypsum, thus creating prefabricated sheets of drywall, which began to replace traditional wet plastering.

Today, drywall comes in standard sizes and thicknesses. The drywall sheets used in Canada  are usually 8, 10 feet long and ½ inch or ⅝ inch thick.The latter is considered fire rated. The sheets are heavy and brittle and care must be taken when handling them. Straight cuts can be made in drywall simply by scoring through one outer paper layer and snapping off the unwanted excess.

Drywall is applied to walls and ceilings using special drywall nails or screws, which penetrate the gypsum without shattering it and hold the heavy sheets firmly with their wide heads.

Drywall nails and screws are sunk just beneath the surface of the drywall. After it is installed, the indentations and seams are filled using special plastering compound. This process is called taping and mudding.

Choosing a Drywall Contractor in Toronto

Professional drywall contractors in Toronto make their job look easy. However that’s only because they do it every day for many years. Technically the process is straightforward and can be done by anyone, but if you need to install and tape drywall for anything larger than a very small home renovation project, it’s better to let the professionals do the job for you. Aside from having the expertise to create a smooth finish, professional drywallers know the best techniques and materials to use in any given situation. Wet areas, for example, require special products and techniques.

Can’t decide whether to try your hand at drywalling or hire a professional? Use the form on the right side of the page to get a quick free quote to see how much a professional job will cost. The quote includes labor and materials, so you can better compare the price of doing it yourself and having the job professionally done. When calculating your DIY costs, don’t forget to include all the materials you will need for the job, including tools and the cost of hiring equipment to hold the drywall in place on the ceiling while you fix it and a ladder, if needed. Don’t forget to include some extra materials in case you make some mistakes. All professionals add 10%, you will probably need to add extra 20%, since in the case of miscalculation the delivery will cost you much more. When you add it all up, you’ll probably agree that it’s well worth letting the drywall experts handle the job for you.

Planning a renovation or new construction? Give us a call 647-866-0201

 

History Of Drywall Taping Tools

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Drywall Taping Tools

Here is a short history of automatic drywall taping tools in Toronto, GTA and all over Amerca.

In 1939, brothers Robert and Stan Ames started experimenting with new ways of finishing drywall in Georgia. They were painters and plasterers who came up with the Corner Shoe, which was the first of a long line of drywall tools. The Corner Shoe applied joint compound to seams using air pressure and a long hose. Ames brothers came up with the pre-curser of today’s Bazooka (automatic taper) in 1945. This first taper was battery powered and weighed more than 100 pounds when fully loaded. In 1951 Ames brothers introduced the first drywall boxes and nail spotters. In 1954 the automatic taper was invented by Robert Ames. The Ames brothers sold their company, Belmont Manufacturing of San Carlos California and its patents for $5.2 million dollars to Bliss and Laughlin Industries from Illinois in September of 1962. The company was renamed Axia Incorporated in 1982. In October 1984, Axia was acquired through a leveraged buyout by affiliates of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., certain members of senior management, and other investors.

Tape Tech Tools had been operating from Redmond, Washington. In 1982TapeTech joined with Axia. TapeTech Tools and Ames Taping Tools Systems are wholly owned subsiduaries of Axia. Axia is a subsidiary underAmes Holdings. Ames Taping Tools were primarily involved in the rental and servicing of drywall tools. Tape Tech markets and sells the Ames drywall tools in a golden colour. Ames was in bankruptcy filing in December, 2009 for Chapter 11 protection with a debt of $161 million. In July 2010 they were converting to Chapter 7 liquidation. They have re-surfaced and still renting and selling tools. Ames is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia

Tapeworm – Tapeworm Automatic Taper by Murco Wall Products was the first brand of automatic taper available for purchase in 1977. Murco Wall Products have stores in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama, and California, and still market their silver coloured Tapeworm Tools.

Columbia – Columbia Taping Tools got its start in 1979 when Bernie St. James was involved in Nanaimo Tools then Tornado Tools. Bernie was making tools out of his garage on Vancouver Island at Columbia Beach (near Parksville) and changed the name to Columbia Taping Tools. They are now based out of Surrey, B.C., They are a family run business and make some of the best tools in the drywall business. Columbia also makes a wide variety of drywall tools for Marshalltown and more recently a taper for Wall Tools.

Drywall Master – Larry D’Souza founded Tapemaster Tools in 1980. He later formed Drywall Master in 2000. With the company is Larry’s son Sunil D’Souza and Robert “Johnny” Payne who started with the Ames Brothers. Drywall Master is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and continue to produce quality tools.

Concorde Taping Tools, (Concorde Tools Corp.) Surrey, B.C. was owned by Donald Mark MacMillan, an inventor and former drywall finisher and Raymond Bernier. LFD Industries (Yee Bun Lee, David Fung and David ****) purchased Concorde in June 1990 and kept Macmillan on as a consultant. Macmillan left Concorde in 1997 and formed Northstar in December 1997with Mr. ****. Concorde sold the patents on their red tools to Ames in 1999.

NorthStar Tool Corporation – The first tool Mark Macmillan built was the AdjuStar extendable flat box handle, acknowledged to be the “state of the art” in adjustable handles. The first Northstar AdjuStar was sold in March of 2000. Their products were a metallic green in colour and they were British Columbia based. In 2007 Northstar affiliated with ToolPro and their tools are no longer being made.

Drywall Tools Inc. out of San Carlos, California was started by many of the inventors of the original drywall tools at Ames and later became Premier Taping Tools.

Premier Taping Tools was based out of Stockton, California and started by Robert Ames, Stan Ames and Carl Raff in 1974. They developed what became know as the “Blue Tools”. The company was acquired by Axia and then shut down. The Premier tools became the basis of the TapePro andBlueLine tools.

Belmont Taping Tools – Belmont Taping Tools is owned and operated by Carl F. Raff in Belmont, California. Carl worked with Bob and Stan Ames as a principal developer of both the original Ames Taping Tools and the Premier Drywall Tools. They were a light purple in colour.

TapePro Drywall Tools – Stewart Orchard started this company in Australia in 2001. Stewart is a son of Graeme Orchard, owner of Wallboard Tools in Australia. Stewart had worked for some time at Premier Taping Tools.

Blue Line Drywall Tools – Blue Line Drywall Tools was launched in 2002with some of the key people from Premier Taping Tools. TapePro Drywall Tools is part owner of Blue Line. The company was based in Stockton, California.

Goldblatt – H. Goldblatt Tool Company in Kansas City was started in 1885 by Henry Goldblatt and was primarily involved in cement trowels. It ended up in the hands of Axia Incorporated and in 1992 it was purchased by Stanley Works. FinishPro Tools of Lenexa, Kansas purchased from Stanley the Goldblatt name in 2006. In 2010 Goldblatt Tool Company was sold to Hong Kong interests and renamed Goldblatt Industries. Goldblatt continues to operate in Kansas and Shanghai,China. They have a line of bright red coloured automatic taping tools.

Wilco Drywall Tools – Established in 1985 with Willis Trout in Pennsylvania.

from DrywallTalk.com

In the video below you can see how our professional drywall tapers use simple taping tools to mud drywall for one of our recent projects in Toronto.

If you have any questions about your next drywall project, send us an email atinfo@drywalltaping.ca or give us a call 647-866-0201

 

 

 

10 Questions To Ask Before Hiring a Drywall Contractor In Toronto

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Questions to ask your drywall contractor

Making updates and changes to your home or building a new one is stressful enough, without having to worry about cowboy contractors ruining your experience and wallet. A few simple questions before you hire someone could save you a lot of headache.

A highly qualified drywall contractor takes away a lot of the potential for frustration but can turn your dream home experience into a bottomless money pit. I’ve heard a lot of stories from many of my friends and clients about some terrible experiences with dodgy contractors who cut corners, avoid responsibility and are generally a pain to deal with.

But how do you know what to ask and where to start if you have never dealt with a drywall contractor before? The following 10 simple questions will help you choose the right drywall contractor and get the job done right the first time.

1. Do you have Liability Insurance?

You need to make sure your drywall contractor provides you a proof they have Liability Insurance before you pay them anything. This covers you for financial loss should the drywall contractor die, become insolvent or run away.

2. Are there any current or past disputes underway with the relevant construction authorities in your province or with a former client?

This will let you know about the drywall contractor’s general reliability and professionalism as well as the overall quality of their work.

3. Have you ever been declared bankrupt?

If your drywall contractor went bankrupt at some point it may mean a quick eject button on your project should they not have the financial resources to finish the job. A bankrupt company may disappear without warning leaving you with a half finished drywall project and the need for you to search for another drywall contractor willing to complete the job.

4. Do you work in the same area I’ll be building?

It seems self-explanatory, yet many people never ask this question. Your drywall contractor may not be interested in a project far from their office, where they have to travel. The drywall contractor may also need to hire sub-contractors they are not familiar with and these people may not be up to standard.

5. How long is your warranty and what does it cover?

A drywall contractor agrees to perform quality drywall installation and taping job and warrants against any defects in workmanship or materials supplied. Since it is not always possible to find these defects on the spot, such a warranty should extend to one year for residential units and sometimes longer for commercial properties.

6. Who supervises the drywall project?

This is important because the supervisor or project manager is the person who keeps everyone honest and insures the drywall job goes smoothly. When a project manager is onsite, higher quality work is performed. Look into their track record including past experiences and duration at current employer.

7. What about your drywall installers and tapers and their long-term employment?

A consistent and reliable trade base is essential to making certain the job will be finished on time with high quality results.

8. Can provide us with references of your recently finished projects?

This is absolutely a no-brainer. Try to see for yourself the drywall contractors’ recently completed work or at the very least talk with their clients. This way you can understand if the drywall contractor is doing the type of job you want for your home. Check out the quality of materials they use for their drywall projects. This way you can get feedback about customer experience and satisfaction.

9. What other projects will you be involved with while installing my drywall?

You don’t want the drywall contractor to take on more jobs than they can handle. The more they can concentrate on your job, the faster it will be completed and with a fewer mistakes.

And finally… 10. Reviews?

Remember, being involved in a new construction or a renovation project is a huge financial and emotional investment. Take the extra time to do a thorough check on any prospective drywall contractor, their workmanship, references and credentials. There are several places on the web where you can read reviews about their qualification. Such as Homestars.com, Google places or even Facebook.

Speaking of quality, check out the speed the taping job is done by our drywall taping team member.

Follow us on Twitter for more news, tips and inspiration. Become our fan on Facebook and browse our Youtube Channel.

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Have questions about your upcoming drywall project? Give us a call 647-866-0201 or email at info@drywalltaping.ca

 

How to Find a Good Drywall Contractor in Toronto

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Framing ready for drywall installationNeed some drywall work done around the house? The Toronto area is full of drywall contractors. So how does one narrow the field to find people that will work well for you?

Here are three important aspects you need to consider when hiring a professional drywall contractor:

Reputation

Do your homework to find out what type of name they have in Toronto. In the age of internet you have all the information you need at your fingertips. Use Google, Yahoo or Bing to find how you potential drywall contractors are represented online. Do they have a website? Do they have pictures and videos covering their projects? They can help you quickly assess their qualification. In the age of social web it makes sense to check out reviews online. Websites like Homestars, Google Pages and even Facebook allow clients to leave their reviews and testimonials. Drywall contractors should be in the business of turning customers into spokespeople, at every job they work. So ask your friends and family who they’ve used and who they like and can recommend.

This is a great way to make sure your job will be done on time and on budget

Price

Get some price quotes and think about how much you can afford to spend. Larger companies may charge more, but may bring more credibility and guarantee to the table. At the same time, newer and smaller companies may be willing to do a bit more to get the job and earn your referral when the job is done. However, keep in mind, if the offer is too good to be true, probably it is and you may end up paying twice if you risk to hire an unqualified contractor. A lot of homeowners hire us to fix the poor work that has been done by someone else. Of course the cost of fixing is higher than that of a new project.

Time

This can be a deal-breaker. Decide exactly when you need your project done. If there’s no big rush, a company that can’t start for another 2 weeks is fine. However, if you need this done before you have guests over the long weekend, make sure your crew can be in and out by then. Keep in mind though, most reputable companies have their schedules filled up, hence their reputation, and usually require a 2-3 week prior notice.

Have a peek at how our team of drywall installers does their job at one of custom homes in Toronto

If you have any questions about your next drywall project, send us an email at info@drywalltaping.ca or give us a call 647-866-0201

How To Install Drywall On The Ceiling In Your House

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Installing drywall on the ceiling can be challenging when working alone, but with a few minor adjustment to the working process, you can easily accomplish this task on your own. Follow these simple steps as you learn how to install drywall on the ceiling in your house.

  1. Check if the area where you are going to install drywall is clear from electrical wires, ductwork, or protruding pipes. Install furring strips to the framing in order to create a flat, even surface for drywall installation around these obstacles.
  2. To keep it easier mark the wall studs to indicate the locations of the ceiling joists for reference when installing drywall. Also mark the placement of light fixtures and electrical boxes.
  3. To get some leverage and support for raising the drywall sheets to the ceiling when you’re working alone, build a T-brace. Use a 2 foot piece of 1 by 4 and nail it to a 2 by 4. It should be 1 foot higher than the length from the floor to the ceiling.
  4. Start hanging drywall in the corner, where you can use a full sheet. Raise the first sheet to the ceiling so you can get an idea of the placement in relation to the joists.
  5. If you have a friend, ask him to assist you, or alternatively use the T-brace that you have build in the step 3. Raise the first sheet of drywall to the ceiling and slide it snugly into the corner. Install drywall in the way that tapered edges of the sheet are facing the floor.
  6. Screw in the drywall sheets permanently to the ceiling joists using screws. The heads of the screws you choose should come in contact with the paper, sinking in slightly without breaking through the paper.
  7. Proceed to install drywall along the first wall, always make sure that the tapered edges abut one another and are facing down. The tapered edges are designed to make the taping, mudding and sanding process easier.
  8. To enforce the stability of your ceiling, start the second row with a half sheet of drywall in order to stagger the seams.
  9. Measure and mark the cut line at the vertical midpoint of the drywall sheet. Use a straightedge to help guide your utility knife as you cut. Tip the panel off of the floor or table at a slight angle, then push it down to break it in half. Use the utility knife to cut through the paper backing.
  10. Install panels over vents or light fixtures loosely at first. Use a rotary drill to cut out a border for the fixture or vent, and then fully attach the board.
  11. Complete installation of drywall on the entire ceiling of your house and only then proceed to install drywall on the walls.

In case you don’t want to install drywall alone, you can hire professional experts. In the video below see how our installers hang drywall on the ceiling on one of our custom home projects in Toronto.

Toronto drywall taping expanded!

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Toronto drywall taping team expanded!

“Choose to deliver amazing service to your customers. You’ll stand out because they don’t get it anywhere else”

Kevin Stirtz

Toronto drywall taping team expanded!

We’ve grown, and we got some talented new people on board who specialize in new home construction that are quick and efficient.  The new team DrywallTaping.ca is ready to explore this market and work on any size home new construction drywall projects thanks to additional equipment and personnel capacity. We will continue to deliver the same level of service, quality materials and highly experienced drywall installers and tapers that we have built our business and reputation on over the last decade.  No matter how big or small your project is, call 647-866-0201 or email info@drywalltaping.ca for a friendly quote or free onsite quotation.   Past project references available.

DrywallTaping.ca is very excited to be able to grow its Toronto talent set and expand as a #1 drywall company in the Toronto GTA. In this time of Thanksgiving, we thank all of our customers, suppliers, friends and supporters for your continued support and we look forward to continuing to exceed your drywall taping expectations well into the future.

DrywallTaping.ca

Toronto Drywall Taping

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

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Hello Everyone!

DrywallTaping.ca officially started up a new chapter in our storied history as Toronto leading drywall services provider. We have some exciting news to share with you.

Here is the first: DrywallTaping.ca is excited to announce that we have joined the Toronto Construction Association (TCA), one of Canada’s oldest and largest associations. In existence since 1867, it currently serves over 2,000 member companies across the GTA.

Membership in the TCA provides us with entry into networking and educational events and access to industry updates which we then apply to each and every drywall installation and taping job we do.

DrywallTaping.ca is proud to be a part of Toronto’s construction industry and we commit to support and help boost the growth and quality of it as a whole.

Drywall taping

Drywall Installation