Cutting sheetrock is not a difficult project. With the right tools and measurements, you can cut sheetrock just as if you were a pro. While it is an easy project, it is important to take your time and make sure your measurements are accurate. Cutting sheetrock too short or too long will cause extra work. You will have to fill in gaps if you cut sheetrock too little, and you run the risk of breaking the sheetrock if it is too long. Also see how to install sheetrock

Sheetrock Cutting Tools and Materials

• Utility Knife
• Sheetrock T-square OR 4-foot level or straight board
• Tape Measure
• Keyhole Saw
• Drywall or Hand Saw
• Chalk Line

Tips for Selecting Sheetrock Cutting Materials

• Make sure to have extra blades for the utility knife, as you will need to change them often.
• The sheetrock T-square should be long enough to cover the width of a standard size sheetrock. If you do not have a T-square available, a 4-foot level or 4-foot straight board will work. The T-square is used to guide the utility knife when scoring the sheetrock.
• The keyhole saw is used to make cutouts for electrical boxes or other areas that need cutout. This is a small tool that has a sharp point making it easier to plunge into and through the sheetrock.
• The drywall saw is optional if you have another type of handsaw; however, the size and configuration of the teeth make cutting sheetrock a much easier job. It can make clean, short, and straight cuts.

Sheetrock Cutting Steps

It is important to keep all gaps at the butt joints at about ¼ inch wide. Joints that are tapered should fit as snug as possible. Try to keep the cutting to a minimal. For best results, use as many full sheets as possible.

NOTE: All vertical edges need to line up with the center of a stud. If a joint falls over an empty bay between the studs, it will be too weak. Sheetrock panels will fit perfectly on studs that are spaced 16 or 24 inches on center.

1. Measure the top to bottom of the area and from side to side.


2. Put a sheetrock on sawhorses or brace with your foot finished side up.


3. Mark measurements on the finished side of the sheetrock.


4. Chalk a line between the top and bottom marks. To do this: hold the string of the chalk line at both end marks. If you are alone, tap a nail at an angle away from you into the sawhorse at one end. Hook the tab over it. Snap the line one time by pulling it up about five inches and then letting it go. The line will hit the sheetrock and will create a chalk line.


5. Score the sheetrock by aligning the T-square with the mark. Slide the utility knife along the edge of the T-square in a continuous stroke. The point is to score the paper coating and a little bit of the gypsum core.


6. Snap the drywall. This will create a crease in the backing paper.


7. Cut through the paper from the back. This will complete the cut.


8. Smooth rough edges with coarse sandpaper on a sanding block.


9. If you need to make a cutout in the sheetrock for an electrical box, receptacle, or any other obstacle, take the measurement from the floor, a stud, or other fixed point.


10. Transfer measurement to the sheetrock.


11. Poke through the sheetrock with a keyhole saw. Cut about 1/8inch outside of the lines.

Now that have cut sheetrock, it is time to install it.

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