Drywall Screws and Nails Video

Drywall Screws and Nails

Full pieces of drywall weigh a lot. How can the small drywall screws hold all that weight to the ceiling or walls? On the nail shank, there are little grooves. These nails are called ring shank nails. These make the nail act like a screw and hold tight in the wood. The grooves act as barbs to hold the drywall. The underside of the screw is flared so when you drive it into the drywall, it will not tear the paper coating.

Drywall screws have a bugle head. This conical shape provide a lot of surface area for the screw to hold the drywall in position. Don't drive the screws in too far or you will tear the paper. If that happens, the screws lose their holding power.

There is a special drywall hammer for driving in the nails. The head of a regular hammer has square edges. This can tear the paper. Not good! The drywall hammer has a larger diameter head with rounded edges and cross-hatching on the face. This provides an indent on the drywall around the nail so that the drywall mud holds better.

It pays to have the right tools and fasteners when hanging drywall.