# bending drywall



## cdwoodcox

All Ive been hearing lately is some guy on diy network rubbing regular bat insulation on both paper faces of a piece of 1/2 drywall and was able to bend rock around a tight radius with no cracking or stress to board what so ever. Anyone else hear about this or has anybody actually done this.


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## ns005

Nope, you can get it wet and lean it against a wall at an angle and it will bend. Never heard of the old "rub the drywall with insulation" trick. I dont buy any of that DIY stuff unless Bob Vila does it. If he uses it, its gotta be good. Right? :whistling2:


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## mudslingr

Sounds like maybe they were trying to heat up the board with friction so it was pliable.  Would have to see that done for sure !


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## 2buckcanuck

you sure he wasn't laying the drywall over a bat of insulation for the night??????


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## carpentaper

sounds totally bogus.


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## raven

maybe two 1/4" sheets of flex board. sounds like somebody misunderstood the other somebody.


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## cdwoodcox

raven said:


> maybe two 1/4" sheets of flex board. sounds like somebody misunderstood the other somebody.


Agree with all previous posts. 

I went to the diy website nothing on their. I agree unless Bob Vila watched somebody on his show do it has to be false. However, while on the diy site I found a how to hang&finish drywall section. You learn how to hang and finish a room in your house.

Difficulty= moderate too easy

Price range = $100/$250

Time = 1 weekend

I guess I never realized diy was an hispanic channel


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## OTISBECK

I saw the same thing, and wondered about it-been around drywall for 35 plus years, and i've never heard of it or seen it.
I think it was bull****


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## 1/2 irish

*yes it's true..*

Yes it's true. As a matter of fact it was done/performed on a the DIY channel w/ Matt Muenster who was the host, helping on a project that the home owner wanted to do an archway. I watched the episode where he took a piece of drywall the width of a wall and took a piece of insulation and rubbed it on the drywall and it started to flex. He did say as he was about to do that that he heard of this technique but was leary abouty it. Well he did it on tv and amazed himself and the homeowner. He could not explain why it happens but it does. So yes it is true. I may have to try it also to see if I can figure out the science to it. Cross my fingers....


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## moore

bob vila is BORING / COCKY / JACK OF ALL TRADES/ MASTER OF NONE! :thumbsup:

norm abram is a true craftsman! 
give norm a bucket of turds, you get a bad a$$ coffee table.. :yes:


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## evolve991

No Way. You may get a narrow piece of 1/2" to bow say for an arch niche but a sheet? And rub it with insulation? LMAO sorry they're telling stories. You can wet 1/2" and let it bow for a while in a corner OR you can get 1/4" and may STILL have to wet it depending on what the radius is like. We've even had to wet Ultraflex for some barrel ceilings before.


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## SlimPickins

I have trouble believing this one. And since I abhor fiberglass insulation, I'm not going to try it either.

But, I _have_ found that if you lay your rip on the floor and stomp it, fracturing the gypsum inside without breaking the paper, you have an easier time getting your radius to bend. I'll also roll it across the edge of my bench with gentle pressure (although sometimes I snap it.....that's because I'm strong like the hulk)


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## alltex

Just rip 1/4 in masonite or peg board the width you want and double layer it ,bends perfect .Or rub fiberglas on drywall and look like an idiot.


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## SlimPickins

alltex said:


> Just rip 1/4 in masonite or peg board the width you want and double layer it ,bends perfect .Or rub fiberglass on drywall and look like an idiot.


Yeah, masonite works well, but then you need to have access to a table saw to get it done quickly. When I used to run crews, I'd pre-rip a sh!tpile of masonite rips for the subdivisions, and then stock them with materials. It IS some bendy stuff:thumbsup: (although I don't like how screws don't set all the way in it).


"Or rub fiberglass on drywall and look like an idiot." :laughing::laughing:


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## joepro0000

The best stuff, the steam machine. Use an iron or a machine that throws out steam, and steam up the drywall. Just did this a month ago with 5/8" rock.


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## ell

*re: drywall insulation rub*

The reason they use Insulation to wet the Drywall is because they are to cheap to own a sponge.Insulation rubbing against the drywall has nothing to do with bending. It's the wetting of the board,Why kill yourself just use double 1/4 inch.


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## cdwoodcox

I always use 1/4 with 1/4 lauan behind it helps the drywall flex without cracking


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## evolve991

So they WET the insulation and THEN rub it on the rock?!? OK that makes a bit more sense....kind of redundant if you ask me...when we wet the board we either use a spray bottle or just our hands to rub it down. Why double 1/4" when you can bend 1/2"? Because sometimes you get octagons and hexagons instead of a radius. And because sometimes High Flex (I said Ultraflex before DOH) doesn't need wet down. And what about the Low Tide smell wet insulation fills the job with? Ug.


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## igorson

Hello from* drywall service *in* MN,*
You can bend drywall as you like but you have to make it wet for some time like put outside and get water on it within 1 day and you can bend it as you want on the next day.

http://1drywall.com/services.html


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## chris

5/8 rock bends better


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## Arey85

I laughed while reading this thread. A few months ago I did a basement and the lady wanted a 16" radius in her stair landing. I used double layer hi-flex 1/4" and it wouldnt make the curve and the only thing I could think of at the time was dunking a peice of scrap insulation in water and rubbing down the sheet.....I thought I made that up until now. Funny thing is she told me she got the curve idea from the diy channel. I told her I'd do it. But good luck getting furniture downstairs.


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## joepro0000

here is a trick to bend drywall, leaving it hanging vertically on a wall at a slight angle, so it bows. Leave it overnight, and in the morning you will see its flexible.


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## hey taper

you could float the back of the rock with mud


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## chris

practice makes perfect.. all in the timing:yes:


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## wnybassman

ALFABENDER said:


> http://www.alfabender.com/


lol From the initial pictures on the site I thought it bent whole sheets, then watched the video and was surprised it only bent small pieces.

Interesting.


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## SlimPickins

joepro0000 said:


> here is a trick to bend drywall, leaving it hanging vertically on a wall at a slight angle, so it bows. Leave it overnight, and in the morning you will see its flexible.


Laying it over the spare tire on the back of your rig works too.....if you have one of course.

Now I have to have other tricks:whistling2:

That alfabender looks like fun:whistling2: I'll have to watch the video later, my wife's mini-comp doesn't have any plug-ins installed. It LOOKS like there's a big curved piece of plexi-glass??


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## Zendik

You can wrap 5/8 around a 8' radius without any water, cutting or magical voodoo techniques.
Just have to use a lot of screws.


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## Giriraj Singh

*Bending Drywall*

When you're constructing a curved wall, sheeting it with a regular drywall panel poses a problem if the curve is greater than 3 inches per the average 4-foot width of a 5/8-inch drywall panel. To address this issue, flexible drywall panels take the place of a standard panel and, with a little coaxing, they may bend to fit a tighter curve.

Before installing the flexible drywall panels, frame the intended curve with studs in the shape of the bend. To prevent uneven bowing of the panel, consider placing the studs at 8-inch intervals, instead of the standard 16-inch intervals. Install the flexible panels perpendicular to the curve. For instance, if you're sheeting a wall that curves around a spiral staircase, lay the panel on its side, instead of installing it upright.
​​


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## Mudshark

Thanks Nathan or who ever caught this first. 

:ban:


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## JeffeVerde

Sorry about resurrecting an old thread - but just saw this on TV. This was a 4' long, 4-1/2" rip, not a full sheet, and *NO WATER INVOLVED!* The shows host grabbed a wad of (dry) fiberglass batt insulation, rubbed the face of what appeared to be standard 1/2" gyp for a couple minutes, and then pressed the strip into a 31-½" inside radius (a keyhole doorway). There are editing cuts, so no knowing what was really done, but the gyp didn't look like it had been wetted. As he's doing it, the host says "This is a trick I learned in my old HVAC tin-knocker days. I don't remember why it works, I just remember the trick" (his bio says he's a licensed contractor and "...worked in construction for several years". So who knows). The show was "House Crashers" - episode "Asian Modern" - first aired 01/24/2011.

I found lots of Google hits asking about the same show, and most of them pointed to this thread as a reference. But no definitive answer on whether or not it works, much less why. Guess I'm going to have to go and frame up a 30" radius form and see for myself :hammer:


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## SlimPickins

JeffeVerde said:


> Sorry about resurrecting an old thread - but just saw this on TV. This was a 4' long, 4-1/2" rip, not a full sheet, and *NO WATER INVOLVED!* The shows host grabbed a wad of (dry) fiberglass batt insulation, rubbed the face of what appeared to be standard 1/2" gyp for a couple minutes, and then pressed the strip into a 31-½" inside radius (a keyhole doorway). There are editing cuts, so no knowing what was really done, but the gyp didn't look like it had been wetted. As he's doing it, the host says "This is a trick I learned in my old HVAC tin-knocker days. I don't remember why it works, I just remember the trick" (his bio says he's a licensed contractor and "...worked in construction for several years". So who knows). The show was "House Crashers" - episode "Asian Modern" - first aired 01/24/2011.
> 
> I found lots of Google hits asking about the same show, and most of them pointed to this thread as a reference. But no definitive answer on whether or not it works, much less why. Guess I'm going to have to go and frame up a 30" radius form and see for myself :hammer:


You'd find, that in most common radii, you can bend the sheetrock easily if you go with a skinny butt (talking arch wraps here, not curved walls). No water, no fiberglass, nothing. I would run the rip-butt over the edge of my bench to start the bending and break the gypsum apart inside. Sometimes I would lay the rock on the ground and walk/stomp on it to break it internally. I could babble for a while but my fingers are tired.


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## JeffeVerde

SlimPickins said:


> You'd find, that in most common radii, you can bend the sheetrock easily if you go with a skinny butt (talking arch wraps here, not curved walls). No water, no fiberglass, nothing. I would run the rip-butt over the edge of my bench to start the bending and break the gypsum apart inside. Sometimes I would lay the rock on the ground and walk/stomp on it to break it internally. I could babble for a while but my fingers are tired.


Now, this could have been a "magic of television" moment -- but based on the opening part the scene, none of the above applied-- 

-no skinny butt-- the strip was cut across the width of a sheet (tapered edge at both ends of the 4' piece)

-no crushed core -before the host started "rubbin' his rock" :whistling2: , he attempted to press the piece into the radius to show that it wouldn't conform to the curve.


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## chris

No insulation used here:whistling2:


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## SlimPickins

JeffeVerde said:


> Now, this could have been a "magic of television" moment -- but based on the opening part the scene, none of the above applied--
> 
> -no skinny butt-- the strip was cut across the width of a sheet (tapered edge at both ends of the 4' piece)
> 
> -no crushed core -before the host started "rubbin' his rock" :whistling2: , he attempted to press the piece into the radius to show that it wouldn't conform to the curve.


If a tapered edge was at both ends, then it's a butt, otherwise it would be a rip. That's the way rock wants to bend, because of fiber orientation. You can bend it without crushing the core, depending on the radius. Although, I could be wrong.....I don't have a lot of experience.


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