You just whiz drywall screws in and thats the job done isn’t it?
No actually. I see drywall screws that have been driven much too far into the plasterboard (or sheetrock in the USA) all the time.
Over-driving a drywall screw causes it to tear through the paper on the plasterboard, losing nearly all of its holding power in the process.
A happy drywall screw just bites into the paper!
Over-driving drywall screws also leads to more “popped” heads. This is where the filler over the drywall screw is pushed out by movement as the house settles down and moves.
A good drywall screw has a little sharp ridge on the underside of the the bugle shaped head which allows them to bite into the plasterboards paper, pulling the board tight up to the underlying support, usually a timber stud or joist. Too tight though and this sharp ridge on the drywall screw tears a hole right through the outer layer of paper leaving the screw head pulled up into the softer plaster inner core of the board.
So remember don’t over-tighten the drywall screws when fastening up your plasterboards, exactly flush is enough if you are plaster skimming the whole board or a fraction of a millimeter under if you are filling the screws drywall style.
Stay well
