How to make a drywall box?

Today on the construction market there is a huge amount of various finishing materials intended for the arrangement of premises. The most common and versatile is drywall. It is with its help that boxes of various designs and purposes can be erected.

The undoubted advantage of a drywall box is its ability to mask unsightly interior elements. Sewer pipes, risers with cold and hot water, wires and other communications can be hidden from view by such structures. In addition, they are installed to level the ceiling, correct the curvature of the walls, and it can also be the basis of built-in wardrobes.

Plasterboard is produced in sheets, which are glued layers of different materials. In the middle of the sheet there is a layer of gypsum, which is covered with cardboard on both sides. Gypsum is a fragile material. To increase its strength, it is impregnated with special additives. The cardboard is also impregnated with a special reinforcing compound, so this finishing material can withstand quite heavy loads.

A drywall box consists not only of drywall sheets, but also of a frame on which these sheets are attached. The frame itself can be made of either wood or metal. The wooden frame consists of bars with a cross section of 40x40 or 50x50 mm. To prevent decay processes, the bars are treated with antiseptic agents and soil compounds.

The base of another type of frame is galvanized metal profiles with a curved U-shape, suitable for working with such material. They do not require special processing, therefore they are a more profitable option for making a box. Profiles are divided into guides and main ones.

Installation of a plasterboard box indoors has many advantages, thanks to both the material itself and the design as a whole:

• Plasterboard material is environmentally friendly, therefore it is used for any premises. With its help, you can change the space in a fairly short time, which is important for complex work.
• It is easy to handle, the sheets can be given almost any configuration. And plasterboard cladding does not present much of a hassle.
• The installation of the box is carried out both in a frame and frameless way. It all depends on the place of installation of the structure. Wooden bars or metal profiles, which are the basis, are perfectly combined with gypsum plasterboards.
• The durability of the material is also important. A properly installed structure will last more than one year.

But there are also disadvantages to using such structures. First of all, this is, of course, the loss of several centimeters of area. After all, the device, despite its attractive appearance, requires some free space, therefore, this nuance must always be taken into account before installation.

Plasterboard boxes are subdivided depending on the location, purpose and number of edges. Most often it is built on the ceiling. Ceiling structures are among the most demanded and widespread structures, allowing not only to hide significant defects, communications, but also to change the shape of the ceiling, creating multi-level compositions of different configurations. The ceiling box is a good location for the LED strip and spotlights mounted in the canvas.

On the wall, a plasterboard box is often mounted for different purposes. Besides hiding communications. it can perform other functions as well: the surface of the walls can be leveled, small structures serve as shelves or niches, the installation structure can occupy the entire wall or a small part of it. Depending on the location, the boxes are subdivided into angular and straight ones. Straight views have three faces - two side and one central.

The corner version, in contrast to the wall and ceiling, consists of two planes. Such forms are mounted at the junction of two walls and are used to hide pipes, and are also erected under the hood. The box itself has an L-shaped appearance, and its edges dock at a right angle, having an oblique cut of the cutters.

The installation structure is mounted in different premises. The location depends on the functional accessory. In the kitchen, a plasterboard box is installed, as a rule, for additional illumination of the working area. Sometimes it is made and then installed to hide a battery consisting of one or more sections. This design is located around the heating radiator and is attached in two ways.

In the first case, the upper plane is screwed to the bottom of the window sill, and the lower one is attached to the floor surface. When using the second method, instead of the floor, the box is fixed to the wall. In order for the warm air to circulate correctly, special slots are made in the box.

The box intended for illumination can be mounted both with two sides and with three sides. The modification depends on the intended installation location and height.

Wall, ceiling and mixed types of systems are installed in the kitchen. Under the hood, as a rule, ceiling boxes are used, which have a stacked rectangular shape and mixed-type structures, and the walls adjacent to the corner are L-shaped.

In the toilet, the box is often installed to hide the sewer drain, and in the bathroom - to close the water supply system. Due to the special microclimate of these premises, gypsum plasterboard sheets must be moisture resistant. And the pipes themselves, around which the structure is built, are often covered with condensation, so the use of a moisture-resistant material is an essential necessity.

In the bedroom, living room and other living rooms, the box can be used not so much to disguise unsightly interior elements, but as for practical purposes. A small box in the form of a TV shelf, books and other things can significantly transform the interior without spending a lot of money and time.

Sometimes the box in the room serves as a decorating and at the same time functional element. It is installed to hide the hanging parts of the curtains (hooks). This option is mounted on the ceiling surface along the window opening. In addition, the structure serves as a platform for placing the LED strip.

Where there is lighting, there are wires. For safety and aesthetic appearance of the room, a junction box is installed. The installation of a junction box is necessary in order to correctly organize the switching of wires and cables.

A high degree of protection against external factors is possessed by a junction box, marked by manufacturers with the letters IP and two numbers indicating the level of protection against dust particles (first digit) and humidity (second digit).

In order to build a drywall box with your own hands, you need to properly carry out the preparatory work.

These include processes such as:

• determination of the installation site;
• markup;
• preparation of material and tools;
• installation itself.

Marking the installation site requires aids, which include a pencil, tape measure, building level and a square ruler. To mount the frame, you cannot do without a drill, screwdriver, hammer, hacksaw for metal and a cutter for connecting profiles. The formation of the box is impossible without a suitable construction knife and a roughing plane. The materials used are gypsum plasterboard sheets with a thickness of 12.5 mm and rigid metal profiles.

To determine the future dimensions of the box, the location of the object is important. If you plan to install it on the ceiling, then this location is considered horizontal. The marks that determine the width of the structure in this case will be located on the ceiling surface, and marks are placed on the wall corresponding to its length. When the object is located vertically, the marks corresponding to its length and width are deposited on the wall surface, and to determine the volume of the future structure on the floor and ceiling. To determine the boundaries of the box, the most protruding parts should be noted, and it is from them that the necessary centimeters should be set aside.

When measuring the future structure, it is worth remembering that the gap between the edges of the box and the object itself must be at least 5 cm. You should also take into account the subsequent external finish, namely the thickness and integrity. If the finishing of the outer sides of the box is supposed to be tiled, then when marking it, you need to take into account its width so as not to adjust the tiled material to the already constructed model. After marking, it is necessary to accurately connect all the marked points. When outlining the contours of the future box, it is necessary to use a square. Correctly constructed lines going from the marks to the object should be in a strictly perpendicular position.

The layout for a vertical object starts from the ceiling. To make sure that the contour is accurate, you need to lower the plumb line from the upper corner point, the lower corner point should coincide with the upper mark. After checking the markings, you can proceed with the installation of the structure. In order to install the box quickly, and most importantly, correctly, you need to follow certain rules. On this account, there is a step-by-step instruction, thanks to which all work is divided into stages.

Installation of the frame is no less important stage than marking. Metal profiles must be installed along the finished contours. First, we attach the rack-mounted to the wall, having previously drilled holes for this process, and hammering dowels into them. For a more stable fastening, the distance between the holes should be in the range of 50-60 mm. The guide profiles must be fixed first to the ceiling surface and then to the floor. After that, you can proceed to fastening the front struts, coming from the upper guide profiles, using cutters or self-tapping screws.

To maintain the structure in a level position, additional profiles should be used - the so-called stiffeners. They should occupy a strictly perpendicular position in relation to the rack-mount profiles, and be located at a distance of no more than 1 meter from each other. The installation of stiffeners is important if the height of the entire structure is more than 1.5 m, and the width of the edges is more than 25 cm. In addition, they are the basis on which plasterboard sheets (gypsum plasterboard) are subsequently attached.

For horizontally located objects, the installation of the structure begins with the fastening of the guide profile (UD) along the entire perimeter. Then the vertical jumpers are screwed on.Having fixed them, you should proceed with the installation of the guide profile. The lower part of the box can also be assembled on the floor, and only then this structural element can be fixed to the upper half. After preparing the frame, they begin to form the box itself. From the prepared sheets of drywall, the edges of the future structure are cut out of the desired size and shape. First, you need to make measurements of the width, length of the sides and mark these indicators on the sheet. Then you can start connecting the marks. A cut is made along the outlined contours.

In order not to spoil the material, you must follow some rules:

• The sheet is cut along the contours using a ruler and a clerical knife. The process itself should take place without haste and unnecessary pressure. The edges of the cut are processed with a roughing plane with a slight bevel of 22.5 degrees. When joining the gypsum board, an angle of 45 degrees is formed, due to which the sheets adhere firmly to each other.
• After preparing the sheets, you can sew up the frame using self-tapping screws for fastening 35-45 mm, with a pitch of 25 mm. For small frame boxes, self-tapping screws are the most acceptable way of fixing sheets. If gypsum boards are used to level walls, then mounting foam can be used as an attachment. The total cost of the foam required for fixing is lower than the cost of the used metal profiles, and it also helps to retain heat in the room.

A plasterboard box is, in fact, a simple structure designed in most cases to hide some decorative elements. But, during installation, do not forget about the practical reassignment of this structure, as well as about some of the nuances of the installation itself.

The installation of the box, starting with the marking and ending with the fastening of the sheets, should be carried out using a building level. You can use both a simple instrument in the form of a ruler with a central location of the flask with a liquid, and a more accurate, modern device like a laser level.

For the stability and strength of the box, the size of the frame is of great importance., or rather, its stiffeners. With the length of these frame elements more than 80 cm, additional fasteners are installed - these are U-shaped holders, with which the structure is maintained in an even position.

When installing a box with curved shapes for cutting sheets, it is better to use a jigsaw. Thanks to him, the cuts are quite even, smooth and beautifully defined. To form round holes for sockets or ceiling lights, it is better to use special crowns that are attached to a drill.

When installing a duct for objects such as a sewer pipe or plumbing pipe, it is necessary to cut a hole in the sheets, which will facilitate access to the special elements of these objects. In a sewer pipe, these are couplings that have a branch or hole closed with a special cover. The device is provided for clearing the blockage, so you cannot cover access to it with a sheet.

In addition, the sewer pipe has a connection where the inner sewer pipe converges with the central riser. In case of an emergency or simple replacement, it must also be accessible. This requirement also applies to water meters, valves, compensators, check valves and reducers when lining water pipes.

For the aesthetic appearance of the entire structure, a hole for a special window is cut out taking into account the installation of the door. When forming it, it is necessary to take into account the size of the sash frame, as a rule, it is 1-3 mm less than the hole. Installation of a window in a box can be done both before installing the sheet on the frame, and after.

Holes in the box are also formed in the places where pipes or other sheathed object exit from its limits. The cut should be slightly larger in diameter than the pipe. The resulting gap is filled with materials that weaken the transmission of vibration vibrations from the pipe to the structure.

Today, durable and lightweight drywall is the best finishing material, and the basis of beautiful interpretations in the interior is an ordinary box. Decoration of the ceiling, walls and other surfaces, the formation of interior items and the installation of structures that transform the room, is possible only on the basis of the box.

With the help of the box, the ceiling and walls can be given any, even the most unusual shape: install lighting devices in the right places, form beautiful shelves and niches that give the interior of an apartment or house a special unique look. Thanks to the plasterboard box, the disadvantages of the room turn into advantages. The main thing is to correctly position the structure, then an ordinary apartment will turn into a beautiful and cozy home.

See the next video for more on this.