Drywall is a popular finishing material, characterized by versatility and environmental friendliness. In addition, it is absolutely non-toxic and does not conduct electricity. Its installation is not difficult and does not require serious financial costs, while the result is stunning.
As you know, any repair and subsequent finishing work leads to significant financial costs, so it is especially disappointing if the purchased materials remain unused and are redundant. Therefore, when buying them, everyone tries to calculate the right amount as accurately as possible so as not to overpay. But if this can be done easily with large elements, then it will not work so quickly to determine the number, for example, of self-tapping screws for fastening drywall sheets. There are many nuances here.
What kind of screws are used when installing GKL?
Self-tapping screws are reliable and inexpensive fasteners made from brass or stainless steel. These hardware differ in threading, coating, purpose and shape of the tip. Everyone who decides to make repairs in the house with the help of gypsum boards is wondering how many self-tapping screws are needed per 1m2 of drywall. There is no unequivocal answer to this question, since their number is calculated depending on the step of fastening the GKL to a wooden or metal profile.
Basic rules for calculating the number of required screws
Most often, gypsum boards are attached to the profile using self-tapping screws. At the same time, the step of self-tapping screws is observed when attaching drywall to the wall, equal to 30-35 cm. If it is necessary to increase the strength of the structure, the step is reduced to 10 cm.
It should be remembered that in order to avoid cracking, these elements must be fastened from the edge of the sheet at a distance no closer than 10 mm.
To determine the consumption of self-tapping screws per 1m2 of drywall, you need to consider some parameters.
Drywall sheet size
GKL are produced in standard sizes - 2500 x 1200 mm. There are also non-standard panels, 2000 x 600 mm in size. In order to calculate the approximate number of self-tapping screws, it is necessary to take into account the first option, since it is morewidespread.
- Mounting step. Most experts recommend making the distance between the screws when attaching drywall to a vertical surface in increments of 35 cm. It is this indicator that can ensure the reliability and durability of the finished structure.
- The distance between the screws when attaching drywall to the ceiling is 10–20 cm.
- The number of GKL layers. When deciding to mount several layers of drywall at once, self-tapping screws should be fastened with different steps. For example, the first layer will be attached after 60 cm, the second layer after 35 cm.
So, having decided on the main indicators, you can accurately calculate the consumption per 1m2 of drywall self-tapping screws. One sheet of this material will take approximately 70 pieces, two layers - at least 110. By choosing the required number of panels for the future design and a certain fastening step, you can easily calculate the consumption of hardware.
Consumption of self-tapping screws
If you draw a frame plan, you can easily calculate the consumption of self-tapping screws per 1m2 of drywall. For example, to attach one standard GKL to a frame on a vertical surface (wall), in which the distance between the posts is 40 cm, you will need:
- 11 hardware per post (sheet length 2.50 m, fastening pitch is 25 mm);
- 4 racks require 44 screws;
- plus this 6 - for attaching to the lower and upper horizontal jumper (three for each);
- total one sheet of drywall will take 50pieces.
Let's consider further what kind of self-tapping screws to attach drywall to the profile. We will also learn their features.
Types of self-tapping screws
Before considering which self-tapping screws to fasten drywall to the profile, we learn their main types. Fasteners differ in their size, coating features. There are several main types of them, among which:
- wood screws;
- for metal;
- dowels-butterfly;
- dowel-nails;
- and many more.
Different self-tapping screws are used for metal and wood profiles. It is very easy to distinguish between them: fasteners designed for working with metal have more frequent threads.
For wood screws, the pitch and angle of the thread profile are greater than for hardware designed to work with metal. Thanks to their design, they firmly attach the drywall sheet to the wooden bars. Wood screws cannot be replaced with metal counterparts, as this will significantly weaken the finished structure.
To find out which screws to fasten drywall to the profile, you need to know the features of these hardware.
- Protects self-tapping screws from corrosion with a special coating that gives products a black color.
- Due to the pointed spiral of the thread, the metal profile is easily penetrated into the metal profile, and it is securely held there in the future.
- The tapered head of the self-tapping screw is completely recessed inside the GKL and does not interfere with further finishing.
- The cross-shaped deep slot located on it allows you to screw in the hardwarescrewdriver or a regular screwdriver.
Metal screws
When assembling a structure from a metal profile, special hardware is used - self-tapping screws for metal. Their size is:
- diameter 9.5 and 3.5mm;
- length 11 and 9.5mm.
Protective coating can be of two types: zinc and phosphate. Their head has a semi-cylindrical and hemispherical shape.
From the side of the thread, the base of the heads is knurled to provide protection against possible self-loosening. For such self-tapping screws, the thread pitch is frequent, which is how they differ from other representatives of fasteners that are designed for fastening drywall. These hardware are also called self-tapping bugs. They are considered the most popular among the presented products in the modern construction market.
There are several types of self-tapping bugs:
- Products with a drill for fastening a profile, 2 mm thick. With the help of hardware, fastening is carried out without serious problems. The main thing during work is to adjust the twisting force of the tool (screwdriver) in order to prevent tearing in the thread profile. To get the best result, you need to use a high-quality bit-nozzle, which will perfectly align the axis of the self-tapping screw with its own axis. The documentation from any manufacturer for each of the types of hardware used for both wooden and metal profiles provides information on the recommended twisting forces.
- Self-tapping bugs with a sharp end allow you to drill holes in a metal profile, up to 1.2 mm thick. If such elements are used, the material of the metal profile is not destroyed, so that its structure is preserved. Tips for choosing the appropriate tool and nozzle are the same as in the previous case.
In order to better fix the GKL, sometimes they use an additional magnetic nozzle that comes with the bat. This provides a more reliable and high-quality retention of the hardware on the axis of the tool used.
What you need to have for fixing GKL
For mounting drywall on a wall with a profile using self-tapping screws, a large set of tools is not required. Only needed:
- screwdriver;
- wood or metal screws;
- bit;
- special magnetic tips.
To attach a drywall sheet to the frame in one layer, you need to use self-tapping screws for wood, the length of which is 32 mm or for metal, the length is 25 mm.
The head of such fasteners is open-ended, countersunk. When screwing such a hardware, the top layer of drywall does not break, since it presses the edges of the cardboard inside the hole. If, when installing drywall on a wall with a profile, it is not possible to tighten the self-tapping screw (or it is bent), it must be unscrewed and simply replaced with another one. At the same time, it is very important to remember that you cannot screw a self-tapping screw into the same hole twice. It is necessary to indent a distance notless than 5 cm.
What are the requirements for GKL fasteners
So, we have considered which drywall screws are used. There are some mandatory requirements for installing fasteners for GKL:
- Hardware should enter the frame strictly at a right angle. At the same time, it should deepen by at least 1/3 of its length. In a wooden profile frame to a depth of at least 20 mm, from a metal profile - 10 mm.
- From the edge of drywall to fasteners, the distance must be at least 10 mm.
- The head of the self-tapping screw must be deepened into the plaster sheet by about 1 mm.
Conclusion
If you understand the installation technology, it is easy to accurately calculate the consumption of self-tapping screws per 1m2 of drywall. It will depend on the frequency of the frame itself and the pitch between the screws being screwed in
