How to Drywall Around a Vent
Hanging drywall isn't as simple as merely attaching the large, rectangular sheets to an existing surface. You must also make allowances for outlets, junction boxes, pipes, air vents and other items the homeowner must have access to. This involves cutting holes in the sheet of drywall. The holes must be exact, lest the insulation show through around the air vent. With the proper tools, you can do the work so precisely that no one would know that the installation was a do-it-yourself project and not performed by a professional. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Drywall
- Pencil
- Carpenter's square
- Utility knife
- Joint compound
- Drywall knife
- Paper drywall tape
Instructions
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1
Measure the length and width of the air vent. Measure the distance from the top of the vent to the ceiling and the distance from the bottom of the vent to the floor. Measure the horizontal distance from the adjacent piece of drywall to the top and bottom of the air vent.
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2
Transfer your measurements to the fresh piece of drywall. Draw the vent's outline on the drywall with a pencil. Use a carpenter's square as a guide to ensure that you draw perfectly straight lines.
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3
Insert a utility knife into the corner of the traced vent on your drywall square. Move the utility knife around the traced area, following the lines.
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4
Push the outlined vent out of the drywall.
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5
Lift the drywall up to the wall. Fit the drywall's hole around the vent. If you measured and cut the hole correctly, it will fit snugly around the vent.
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6
Apply joint compound to edges of each piece of drywall and any other area with ragged edges. Smooth out the ragged edges with a drywall knife. Let the joint compound dry.
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Apply paper drywall tape to the edges where you spread the joint compound. Apply another layer of joint compound over the tape. Smooth out the joint compound over the tape and allow it to dry completely.
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Tips & Warnings
Perform each measurement twice to ensure that you're measuring correctly. This prevents you from having to purchase a new sheet of drywall if you make a mistake with your measurements.
Keep your utility blade sharp. A dull utility blade does not make straight cuts.
If the hole you cut for the air vent is slightly too big, fill in the gaps with joint compound and smooth it out. When the joint compound dries, the gaps will no longer be visible.
When pushing shapes out of drywall, also push from the front of the drywall to the back. There is always a risk that the outer paper layer of drywall will rip when you are pushing out a shape. Pushing from the front ensures that, should a rip occur, it will occur in the back of the drywall sheet.
If your joint compound dries up before you can finish attaching the drywall, throw it away. Do not mix it in with a new batch of joint compound. You cannot apply dried compound smoothly, and chunks of dried compound ruin a batch of fresh compound.
References
Resources
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