Working with drywall (plasterboard)

In short: Drywall or plasterboard panels are used to clad walls, build suspended ceilings, or construct partition walls. With a screw gauge, a trowel, and a bit of practice, even beginners can tackle simple projects.

In more detail: The panels are screwed onto a frame of metal profiles or wooden battens, and the joints are then filled and smoothed.

In detail

• Panel types: Standard (white), moisture-resistant (green) for bathrooms and kitchens, fire-resistant (pink).
• Frame: Metal stud framing is more dimensionally stable than wood and doesn’t react to moisture.
• Cutting: Score with a utility knife, snap, and cut through the back.
• Screwing: Drywall screws spaced about 25 centimeters apart, heads driven in slightly below the surface (bohren-in-wand-duebel-richtig-waehlen).
• Filling joints: Embed joint tape, apply filler in several layers, letting each dry in between.
• Sanding: After drying, sand the transitions smooth before painting.
• Painting: After priming, the walls can be painted (wand-streichen-schritt-fuer-schritt).