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Builders’ Tip: Protecting Stairs During Drywall Installation
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Click for larger image | During my 20 years as a drywall contractor, I’ve worked on plenty of two- and three-story houses and in just about every one, the finished stairs are already in place before I begin my work.
Because my crew and I make numerous trips up and down the finished stairs in those houses, we work over them and on them while carrying drywall, tools and 60-pound buckets of joint compound.
In every home, the steps need to be protected when we are working so that they’ll be spotless when we finish the job and I’ve tried all kinds of protective layers on the stairs with so-so results:
- Plastic is the answer for dust control, but it isn’t heavy enough to stay put without some ballast.
- Cardboard isn’t heavy enough to hold down the plastic.
- Plywood is heavy enough, but it tends to curl up and then move around when you walk on it.
- Drop cloths keep sliding down the stairs and are easy to trip on.
As shown in the accompanying drawing, the solution I use is a combination of polyethylene plastic sheeting and drywall scraps. The heavy drywall holds down the plastic and stays in place. It also is quick and easy to install and the material is free and readily available on the job site in most situations.
Here’s what I do to protect the stairs:
- I cover the stairs with 4-millimeter or 6-millimeter plastic first, leaving it long, wide and loose-fitting.
- I then push each piece of drywall back into the riser so that its leading edge is about 1/2 inch back from the tread nosing. That will keep the drywall from tipping up when you walk on it.
- If the ends of the treads are open, the drywall can be scored and flopped down to protect the edge.
— Myron R. Ferguson, Galway, N.Y.
Tips & Techniques provided by Fine Homebuilding.
©2009 The Taunton Press
To contact Fine Homebuilding, e-mail Christina Glennon.
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