Drywall Tool Terms

The drywall lexicon job

All-purpose compound:  This is the thick white putty that you use to cover screws, nails and for setting the tape. It is a combination of drywall joint and a topping compound. Premixed or packaged as a dry powder to be mixed with water, it has many of the smooth-spreading qualities of topping compound but has greater adhesion.

Base coat: The first coat of compound when multiple coats are applied.

Bullnose: A curved finished edge.

Butt joint: The joint formed when two pieces of wallboard are butted together.

Chalk line: A line of string that unspools similar to a measuring tape. Once the line is covering the desired length, it is snapped against the surface to create a line on said surface.

Clickers control joints: This is a means of controlling seasonal expansion of drywall or veneer plaster systems. Without such joints, cracks and buckling can occur.

Corner bead: A piece of sheet metal or plastic that is L shaped and has a nice round curve at the apex to be used to finish drywall corners.

Drywall primer: Thick paint that is made to fill pores and equalize the amount of paint absorbed by gypsum board surface paper. Also used on finished joints, angles, fastener heads, and accessories.

Drywall: Drywall goes by a number of different names including sheet rock, wallboard, or gypsum board. It consists of a paper cover and a panel of compressed gypsum.

Drywall tools panel carry: A small-wheeled cart, about the size and shape of a shovel, which can be used to move drywall with very little effort.

Drywall hangers tools: Collections of these tools consist of a Drywall Hammer, Roll Lifter, Circle Cutter, Stanley Utility Knife, Jab Saw, and Drywall Rasp.

Fire taping: Taping the joints in gypsum wallboard, using drywall hand tools to eliminate a path where fire might travel. This tape is used without a finish coat of joint compound.

Firewall: In construction, a firewall is a non-flammable wall that prevents fires from spreading throughout a building. Homes, for example, may have a firewall between the garage and the rest of the house to prevent garage fires from threatening other rooms.

Greenboard: Water-resistant drywall. It is suitable for humid areas, but not areas that actually get wet. Concrete backerboard should be used where actual moisture is expected.

Gypsum: A soft mineral used to make walls, sheetrock.

Joist: Horizontal wood framing member set from wall to wall to support the boards of a floor or ceiling.

Mud: Joint compound.

Ring-shank: Nails with ring around the shanks. This increases the gripping power of the nails.

Texture: A decorative treatment of gypsum board surfaces.

Topping joint compound: Topping is a smooth sanding material for second and third coats over all-purpose compound. Produces excellent feathering and superior finishing results.

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