Casing covers the gap between drywall and a window jamb.
Drywall is a compressed sheet of a powdery substance known as gypsum, sandwiched between layers of paper to stiffen it. It can be easily cut with a utility knife, and unlike its predecessor, wall plaster, it requires no additional lath or framework and can be installed directly to wall studs with nails or specialty drywall screws. It can be cut to fit against the sides of window openings, where the gap is covered with wood trim, or casing, nailed to the wall frame, or the edge of the window jamb.
Instructions
1. Install drywall from each corner of the wall up to the window in full sheets, until you reach a point less than 48 inches from the window on each side. Install the sheets to end in the center of a stud on either side of the window. Standard studs are spaced 16 inches from center to center, with each sheet of drywall 48 inches wide, starting in the center of one stud, covering two and ending in the center of the fourth.
2. Measure from the end of the last panel on the left side of the window to the edge of the wall frame at the window opening. Use a chalk line or drywall square to mark a line from top to bottom of your sheet at that point. Measure from the floor to the bottom and top of the window opening. Use the drywall square to mark a line at each of these heights back to the vertical line you drew. Draw a second vertical line at a point equal to the right edge of the window, if it is less than 48 inches from the last panel on the left side.
3. Cut along the lines with a utility knife, scoring the drywall about ¼ inch deep along the vertical line. Cut the horizontal lines with a drywall saw, cutting all the way through the panel. Make the cuts on the front face of the panel. Pull the three-sided flap toward you sharply to tear the back paper cleanly along the line of the vertical score. If all four corners of the window fall inside the panel, cut all edges with the drywall saw and remove the piece.
4. Position this cut panel against the last panel on the left so that it surrounds the window opening, ending on the fourth stud to the right. Screw the panel in place with 1 5/8-inch drywall screws along both edges, every 12 inches. Drive the screws so that the heads are flush with the face of the paper, but do not break through it. Drive screws into the other two remaining studs through your drywall, every 12 inches. Use the tape measure to locate the studs, measuring in 16 inches from either side.
5. Measure and cut a panel to fit the space from the right edge of the panel you just installed to the left edge of the last panel to the right of the window opening. Cut the left edge of this panel to fit around the window as you did with the right panel, if the opening is not covered by the first panel. Cut the width of the panel to fit along the left edge, so that the cut edge will fit against the right edge of the panel you fitted around the window above and below the window so that you have the shortest cut edge possible.
6. Apply drywall mud to all vertical joints between the sheets of drywall. Use a wide drywall knife to spread the mud flush with the faces of the sheet on either side of each joint. Apply a strip of tape down the center of this joint, bridging the seam between sheets. Press the paper into the mud with the edge of the knife and apply a second, thin coat of mud on top to conceal it. Apply mud to cover all screw heads with the drywall knife. Allow this to dry completely.
7. Sand the mud smooth, recoating the seams as needed. Sand the final coat smooth, once it is completely dry.
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