Use a Drywall Screw Gun When Hanging Drywall

A Drywall Screw Gun is the tool of Choice when Hanging Drywall

By Mark J. Donovan




If you have intentions of hanging drywall, throw away the idea of using a hammer and ring nails and invest in a drywall screw gun.

A screw gun is one of the best home improvement tools you can purchase. Though designed as an aide for making short work of hanging drywall, they are also perfect for many other home improvement and household repair jobs.

Unlike a typical power drill, screw guns have an adjustable collar and clutch to help control the depth of the screw when securing it to the drywall panel. This is extremely important so that the screw is not driven so far into the sheetrock that it tears the paper.

Whether using ring nails or drywall screws it’s important that the nail or screw is fastened to the drywall such that it makes an ever so slight recessed dimple in the drywall. However, it should not be fastened so tight that the nail or screw tears the drywall paper.

Screw guns are also ideal for many other home improvement or remodeling projects such as installing decking, hanging ceiling strapping / furring strips, or for smaller tasks like hanging curtain rods. There are literally a million and one uses for a drywall screw gun.

Drywall Screw Gun Selection

Drywall screw guns come in a variety of shapes, sizes and power ability. Most importantly there are corded and cordless varieties. Personally I prefer the cordless types, such as the DEWALT DC520KA Heavy Duty 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Drywall/Deck Screwdriver Kit, as they are easier to work with due to the fact that you don’t have to keep hauling around a cord. They are however, more expensive then the corded ones, and you need to recharge them, but these negatives are far outweighed by the flexibility of not having to drag around a cord.

There are also drywall screw guns with automatic screw loads. The screws for these types of guns come in coils and strips. Unless you plan on becoming a professional drywall hanger,

I would use the manual load screw gun where you have to insert the screw onto the head of the gun for each application.

Using a Drywall Screw Gun

When applying a drywall screw to the drywall panel, attach the screw to the end of the drywall gun, then press the head of the gun up against the drywall panel. This releases the trigger mechanism on the head of the gun. Squeeze the release trigger and the drywall screw gun will do the rest. If the collar/clutch assembly is adjusted right, the drywall screw should be attached to the drywall such that it creates just a slight dimple in the drywall panel. If it goes in too deep or too shall, then you will need to adjust the setting depth with the collar.

How to Repair a Large Drywall Hole EBook

For information on repairing a large drywall hole, see the “How to Repair a Large Drywall Hole” Ebook from HomeAdditionPlus.com.  The “How to Repair a Large Drywall Hole” Ebook provides step-by-step instructions on how to repair your damaged wall so that it looks as good as new.

See HomeAdditionPlus.com’s Drywall Calculator

Related Information


Additional Drywall Installation Resources from Amazon.com


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