Here is a quick video from our old friend, Myron Ferguson, aka "That Dryall Guy." Myron has been a drywall professional longer than I (Dan) have been an editor, and I have been an editor for two decades. Myron has a lot of stuff in his bag of tricks, and in this video, he pulls out some fastening tricks for attaching drywall to framing—four, by my count.
1/ Use coarse thread screws for wood framing
Since drywall screws and drywall screw guns were invented, drywall nails have gone extinct on jobsites*. That's a good thing. It's worth saying out loud because they still sell drywall nails at hardware stores and lumberyards. But lumber right past them and grab a box of screws. Coarse thread screws bite into wood framing better than fine threaded screws, which are made for metal framing.
Yes, fine-threaded screws will penetrate wood framing, but they will also slip out when the wood moves. And if there is one thing we all know about wood, it is that it moves. Fine threaded screws do not need to penetrate 5/8 inch because the metal is thinner. It only needs to penetrate about 3/8 inch to make it past the tip of the screw and fully grip the steel stud flange.
Drywall screws should be 1-1/4 inches long to penetrate the framing 5/8 of an inch. Longer screws are not better. They are harder to install straight and they are harder to set to the proper depth. Also, because they are set deeper in the wood, they are more likely to telegraph wood movement, which can lead to fastener pops.
2/ Properly set the screw
If a screw is set too deep, it will weaken the connection between the drywall and the stud. How deep is too deep? If the paper is torn, the screw is set too deep.
If the screw is not set deep enough, it will still be visible after taping, or worse, it will catch the finisher's knife, making them upset with your lack of professionalism. They will inevitably screw it in too deep.
3/ One screw, not two, and not too many screws
In the old days of nailing drywall, nails were sunk in pairs: one right next to the other. There is no need to do this with drywall screws. You also do not need screws closer than 16 inches apart. Myron says that for a four-foot wide sheet, you only need two screws in the field (per stud). Install one at the top, one at the bottom, and two in the middle.
Screws should not be closer than about 5/8 of an inch from the edge of the sheet. Screws that are too close to the edge often (usually) break the edge, damaging the core and causing finishing headaches.
4/ Splice butt-seams instead of breaking them over studs
This is something Mytron has been saying for decades, and it seems like drywallers do not hear it. The long edges of drywall are recessed, which makes room for tape and compound to flatten out. Butt edges are not recessed, so they tend to cause humps after they are taped and finished. To eliminate humps, Myron breaks the seams between studs, using a RockSplicer to pull the seam into the cavity. You can also make splicing blocks with strips of 3/8 inch plywood.
If you break seams on studs, it will be difficult to keep screws 5/8 inch from the edge, drive the screw straight, and still hit the stud, because 5/8 + 5/8 = 10/8, or 1-1/4, leaving 1/8 inch at the edges of the stud to receive the screw.
Of course, the easiest way to avoid humps in the butt seams is to buy longer drywall.
*There is one old use for drywall nails that may also be on its way to extinction: Drywall nail dart games (yes, it is a bit of an old video).
