How to Glue Drywall to Cinder Block

Finishing the drywall requires hiding the seams with drywall compound and tape.

Erecting walls is the process of placing a finishing material onto a subsurface. Frame houses use 2-by-6 wood beams as vertical wall studs to which the builders attach drywall with screws. Solid surface walls, such as cinder block walls, require special handling. Small 2-inch by 2-inch wood strips need to be placed on the drywall to act as studs for the drywall. If the drywall is properly sealed for moisture from the outside, gluing drywall to the blocks is an option.

Things You'll Need

• Construction adhesive
• Caulking gun
• Drywall sheets
• Utility knife
• Premixed drywall compound
• Drywall tape
• 6-inch taping knife
• 150-grit drywall sandpaper

Instructions

1. Spread the construction adhesive on the back of the sheet of drywall with a caulking gun. Start one or two inches from one corner and pull the gun back and forth across the width of the drywall sheet, making a zig-zag pattern from edge to edge.

2. Press the drywall into place and hold it for one minute until the adhesive holds the sheet in place.

3. Repeat for additional sheets until the wall is covered. Cut any partial sheets with a utility knife by cutting the face of the drywall sheeting, snapping the sheet in half at the cut, and cutting the backing of the sheet to finish the cut.

4. Spoon premixed drywall compound into the seams between sheets using a 6-inch taping knife. Spread the compound 1 inch above and below or to the left and right of the seam.

5. Tear off a piece of tape the length of the seam and press it into place so that the visible seam in the tape matches the seam of the drywall. Spread additional compound on top of the tape. Smooth the tape and compound over with the flat edge of the taping knife to remove excess. Allow the compound to dry according to drying times listed on the container.

6. Sand the compound with 150-grit drywall sandpaper. Add more compound, and sand as necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• As an alternative to direct gluing, installing 2-by-2 wood beams, called furring strips, every 16 inches along the face of the cinder block wall creates a basic wall frame with wood studs. Installing the drywall over the wood beams leaves a gap between the wall and the drywall, which allows for the mounting of fixtures onto the wall. The wood beams are attached to the cinder block by driving anchor screws through the wood into the mortar between cinder blocks.

References

• "Lowe's: Complete Home Improvement and Repair"; Don Vandervort; 2005
• Hammer Zone: Insulating A Sloping Ceiling With Rigid Foam Insulation