Tried pre-filling screw holes on my last ceiling job and it worked better than I thought

I was doing a 12x14 bedroom ceiling last Thursday and got tired of hitting the same stud and having the screw spin out. So I took a scrap piece and pre-drilled about 20 holes into the drywall before hanging it. It took maybe 5 extra minutes but I had zero screws pop through the paper on the whole sheet. Usually I get at least 2 or 3 that tear and need to be backed out. Has anyone else tried this or am I overthinking it?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_mitchell27d ago

Try dimpling the screw holes with a drywall bit first, saves even more time.

the_susan27d ago

Oh man, you're so right. That little extra step is the difference between fighting with screws for 10 minutes or being done in 30 seconds. It's funny how we all figure out these tiny shortcuts that aren't in any manual but make the actual job go way smoother. It's like that whole 80/20 rule thing in real life - 20% of the effort handles 80% of the headache if you just know the trick beforehand.

williamm8215d ago

Yeah, @the_susan nailed it - those little tricks are everywhere once you start looking, and it's usually the small stuff that separates smooth work from a headache.