Drywall has become a staple in most home construction these days. Asides the fact that they are quite handy to help to form partitions within a home, they can also be used to protect the wall and ceilings.

Because of the gypsum that the drywall is made with, it makes it harder for a fire to spread during an outbreak, this is one important reason why people proof their walls and ceilings with it. It will suffice to add that drywall are quite flexible to work with as opposed to other of its alternatives.

Drywall obviously comes with a lot of benefits but installation also causes worry because of the higher tendency of dust maturing the place when going through this process.

I understand how mind-boggling having to contend with such inconvenience could be because you simply want to install drywall, hence I am using this medium to educate you on some solutions you could try out to help you cut your drywall without dust.

Things you will need for this process

Here is a list of essentials you need to go through this process effortlessly y

● Carpenter pencil

● Polythene sheets

● Handheld multi-purpose tool

● Cutting bit

● Duct tape

● Measuring tape

Cutting the Drywall Sheets

The key thing about this process is that the device used in sawing through the drywall panels is a handheld multipurpose tool that comes with a compartment that makes it hard for the dust coming out of the drywall when cutting, to litter everywhere.

Here is the process to follow

1. Open the windows

First things first, open the windows for proper aeration and ensure you close all doors that are linked to the place you are about fixing drywall in. To further solidify that plan, hang polythene sheets on the doorways and use a duct tape to ensure they are held on firmly.

2. Do your measurements

This is where your measuring tape, carpenter's pencil and cutting bit will come in handy. With a measuring tape, take appropriate measurements of the parts of the drywall sheets that you want to cut, then use your carpenter pencil to mark them. Now, attach the cutting bit into the end of the handheld tool. Most importantly, fix the dust attachment into the dust port of the tool, then place a shop vac hose over the other end of the attachment.

3. Simply switch on the shop vacuum

Now use the handheld tool over the marked spots on the drywall and watch how seamless this operation will be. Minimized dust particles littering around and an even more efficient way to cut the drywall sheets as opposed to the use of saws.

The Important Things To Note

This is more related to the shop vacuum you will be using. Shop vacuums are highly susceptible to damage when too much drywall dust enters into the motor of the machine. This is because the dust of drywall is very fine and smooth, hence making it easing to penetrate the filters, causing eventual damage. This is the same reason why most shop vac manufacturers won't accept your machine when you return it within the warranty period after it must have been exposed to drywall dust. Because they are aware too. So in essence, you need a more reliable means of trapping the dust, which obviously foam or paper filters might not be able to handle. What you would need is a pleated filter. For a big cutting and sanding job, you might end up needing to clean the filter time and time again. To make it easier for yourself and to avoid having to keep cleaning the filter, it is better you have replacement filters that you can easily switch to when the filter is overwhelmed during use.

Sanding the Drywall

Ideally, after cutting the drywall and applying it, the next process to go over is sanding the sheets. This process, like cutting the drywall, could be very much messy too and it could leave your body looking like you were sprayed dust. Unfortunately, sanding is something you can do away with when installing the drywall, because it is what creates a fine finish of the whole job. With the processes discussed below, it makes it harder for that to happen.

1. Directly attach your sanding sponge under an open faucet.

2. With little pressure, scrub the semi-wet sponge over the edges of the drywall. Ensure you keep at it until it is seams are visibly smooth and far from rough. Run your hands across the seams to be sure they are smooth enough.

3. Clean the sponge that is attached to the faucet every time the sponge gets saturated by drywall compounds or dry. Else, you might end up wasting your time.

4. Repeat the process.

As opposed to the regular sanding method, which will cause dust particles from the drywall littering everywhere, this sandy procedure helps to curtail it and puts it in check.

Harmful Effects of Drywall Dust

This is to put things in perspective as to why there is a need for this article to educate you on better processes to go about cutting and sanding your drywall without having to be bothered about dust.

Drywall contains talc, calcite, mica, gypsum, silica, etc. All of which are toxic components that have no business being in the body because of how harmful they can be to the organs in there. According to the CDC even, it is established that exposure to drywall dust could cause airway irritation, coughing, and pose more strains to breathing properly. If you are a smoker or suffering underlying health issues, then you are going to be at the negative end of this spectrum because these side effects will definitely hit you harder

Individually let's look into some of the components of drywall dust  particularly breaching their side effects

Silica 

Inhalation of silica especially in large amounts, could amount to scar tissue in the lungs making it harder to take in oxygen. Also, in the longterm, it could end up disabling the patients and cause eventual death.

Talc

This is even worse. Talc when inhaled for some time could cause detrimental effects to your respiratory system and sadly, could contribute to the development of cancer.

Gypsum

This is known to irritate the mucus membranes when inhaled for some time and generally disorganized the respiratory system as it is attainable with talc inhalation.

Calcite​

This harmful element when inhaled for a long time, like the others that have been discussed so far, could make breathing such a herculean task and also cause death in extreme cases. Worsley, it contributes to silicosis too.

Generally too, exposure to these harmful elements from drywall could cause skin and eye irritation, which you don't want to be bothered with because you didn't take the necessary precaution.

Conclusion

Drywall dust can be very messy. They make your space a bubbling mess to clean and it is quite uncomfortable having to stay in a space that is saturated by it. You are better off applying a method of cutting and sanding that makes things easier and healthier for you. And I want to believe with the information inherent in this article, you are able to try it out on your effortlessly, without having to contend with dust as it is the case normally.

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