Knife for cutting drywall sheets. How to cut gvl at home How to cut gvl at home

Many people believe that gypsum board is some kind of gypsum board and try to cut it using ordinary household knives. It is unlikely to be possible to do this in the case of GVL for completely objective reasons.

Specifics of GVL

Gypsum fiber sheet, like gypsum board, is produced on the basis of building gypsum. But the similarity of these materials is limited to this. Unlike drywall, gypsum board has the following characteristics:

  • Salty homogeneity of the internal mass;
  • No outer covering of thick paper;
  • The presence of reinforcement from cellulose fibers;
  • High degree of strength;
  • Zero flammability;
  • Withstands humidity up to 70%.

Despite all the strength characteristics, the material practically does not bend and is quite fragile to fracture. With the wrong tool, you can simply crumble the slab. That is why you will need a special tool to cut it.

Tools for working with GVL

GVL can be cut using the following tools:

  • A hard construction knife - in this case, the blades will have to be constantly changed, as they quickly become unusable;
  • Hacksaw for working on gypsum fiber boards - teeth on the blade special form located at a specific angle. This was done so that the material does not become dusty or crumble when cutting;
  • Corner Grinder(Bulgarian) - the most quick way cut the GVL, but the dust will remain in a column. You should work in goggles and a respirator;
  • Electric jigsaw - it is better to use a model with a built-in dust collector. Use a wood blade with a pitch of 4mm.

GVL cutting technology

Regardless of which tool is chosen for cutting, you must remember that the material crumbles easily. IN in this case, we will describe the procedure for cutting with a construction knife, since this method the most budget-friendly. The sequence of actions is as follows:

  1. Clear markings are applied to the gypsum fiber sheet.
  2. A long metal ruler should be placed as close to the marking line as possible; it will do pure rule or a straight slate.
  3. Use a construction knife to mark the markings several times.
  4. It is necessary to obtain a groove with a depth of more than 2/3 of the sheet thickness.
  5. The sheet breaks with a sharp movement towards itself.

Working with any finishing material requires knowledge of its proper processing. This avoids serious problems that can delay cladding processes and lead to product damage. Due to its increasing popularity, it is necessary to take into account the features of gypsum fiber boards. The greatest difficulties can be caused by trimming sheets; the procedure has its own nuances.

GVL is an abbreviation for gypsum fiber or gypsum fiber board (both options are correct). It is often compared to drywall, but, unlike it, it has high performance characteristics, because it is not covered with cardboard on both sides. According to the technology, up to 80% of the mixture is gypsum, the rest is loose cellulose fiber, which is obtained from paper. Required form and a single structure is obtained through pressing.

Due to the fact that no binders are added to the product during manufacturing chemical substances, the material turns out to be completely safe for health. In addition, the sheets are hygroscopic, which allows you to maintain a certain microclimate in the room: when high humidity the stove absorbs excess, and releases it when low.


The density of gypsum fiber sheets is significantly higher than that of gypsum plasterboard, so cutting the material requires a special approach

There are two main types of products: standard sheets of GVL and GVLV (moisture-resistant material, which is obtained by adding hydrophobic substances to the mixture).

Gypsum fiber has high strength, so it is more difficult to cut than drywall. But, unlike gypsum plasterboard, gypsum board does not have such plasticity and is not able to bend. This must be taken into account in order to cut the product correctly and without damage.

Choosing a tool for cutting slabs

The processing of gypsum fiber boards should be approached responsibly and cutting devices should be selected with special care. If found best option, then the process will not take much time.

List of tools for use at home:


It is possible to cut gypsum fiber board with a jigsaw, but for such work high-strength blades with a medium tooth are used

GVL can also be cut with other tools: for example, a regular hand hacksaw on wood. But the result will not always be necessary, so you should proceed from the specific situation.

How to cut a GVL sheet

To cut gypsum fiber board with your own hands, you need to follow simple instructions depending on the method.

Construction knife

Scheme of work:

  1. The sheet is laid on a flat surface, and extremely precise markings are carried out.
  2. To cut material with such a tool, it is necessary to provide a stop. For this purpose, smooth wooden slats or the ruler is set exactly along the line and the knife is repeatedly drawn along the selected border. Take into account that the recess should be about 2/3 of the thickness of the product. Otherwise, there is a high probability of getting an edge that is too uneven.
  3. A beam is placed under the cutting line or a smaller part of the slab is lowered from the elevation and broken off.

To make a cut with a clean edge, you need to go at least 2/3 deeper into the sheet; Alternatively, you can cut through the slab on both sides, but the main thing here is that adjacent grooves coincide clearly, otherwise you will end up with a step

Electric tool

Algorithm of actions:

  1. Marking is being carried out.
  2. The slab is placed on an elevation, which should provide a free cut, taking into account the immersion of the disk or file. If cutting is done in the center, then both halves must have stop points.
  3. The tool should move with slight pressure.

To cut a closed window on the plane of the sheet, it is necessary to drill a hole inside the future window with a cross-section of at least 10 - 12 mm, through which the jigsaw blade will enter

If it is necessary to make a cut inside the sheet, preliminary drilling will be required. After marking the required boundaries, a hole is made within the resulting figure. It should allow free immersion of a jigsaw or hand tool.

Gypsum fiber sheet or GVL is actively used in finishing work. This material was created later than drywall, so it has not yet managed to become so popular. Gypsum fiber sheets have a special composition, which provides them with completely new characteristics of strength and fire resistance, exceeding gypsum board several times. GVL is considered an indispensable material when creating bulk floors, the initial finishing of walls, ceilings, as well as in the process of constructing various boxes.

In the process of working with such a valuable material, only one important question arises - how to cut gypsum fiber board?

Features of gypsum fiber sheets

To understand what and how to cut gypsum fiber, you must first understand the essence of this material itself. The production of gypsum fiber sheets, like plasterboard, is carried out from building gypsum, which limits their similarities. GVLV slabs are distinguished by the following features:

  • Dissolved cellulose is used as a reinforcing material,
  • The material is characterized by absolute homogeneity of structure,
  • No coating is used on top,
  • The material is completely non-flammable,
  • The density of the material is higher than that of traditional drywall.

This construction material is produced by many companies, but the sheets manufactured by Knauf have earned the greatest demand. If you take plasterboard and gypsum fiber sheets from this company for comparison, you can understand how ideally complementary they are to each other, and when used as finishing materials During the repair process, you can only get a positive effect.

Despite the fact that gypsum fiber board is an excellent material for making any box, and the walls will be strong and practically non-flammable, this material is different in that it cannot be bent in the same way as drywall. It turns out that it is not suitable for installing structures with rounded shapes and complex elements.

The use of gypsum fiber sheets is advisable on the floor, in dry screeds, where there is expanded clay, where they show all their most best qualities. When used in the process of constructing a subfloor, you can get excellent result. Floor elements obtained by gluing a pair of GVLV sheets with a total thickness of 20 mm have the following useful properties:

  • They are resistant to loads, that is, they do not break during operation,
  • Resists the penetration of cold,
  • Perfect surface smoothness
  • GVL can withstand humidity up to 70%.

What is required to work with GVL?

Typically, craftsmen who independently prepare and install drywall believe that working with gypsum plasterboard is carried out in a similar way.

However, quite certain troubles may await them here. With all the available strength characteristics, gypsum fiber sheets demonstrate increased brittleness to fracture, and therefore break easily. For this reason, GVL sheets do not bend like plasterboard.

Before cutting gypsum plasterboard, you need to figure out what tools are suitable for this?

So, the tools that can be used to cut gypsum fiber boards:

  • A sharp construction knife, the thickness of which is at least 12 mm. Because the blades will dull quickly, they will need to be replaced frequently.
  • There is a special hacksaw for gypsum boards, with which you can cut the material with virtually no dust.
  • The use of a grinder or a circular saw is advisable only in well-ventilated areas, unless the end really justifies the means. This is a very noisy and dusty method, but of all it is the fastest. If you decide to choose such a tool, be sure to use respiratory and eye protection.
  • A jigsaw with a built-in vacuum cleaner is the most perfect option, especially when using a wood saw with a tooth pitch of 4 mm. However, in this case quite a lot of dust is generated, which requires the use of a respirator and safety glasses.

Once you decide what to use to cut gypsum fiber board, you must be careful and careful when working with these materials. When using a special hacksaw or cutter for work, it is recommended to proceed as follows:

  • The GVL sheet is marked as it needs to be cut,
  • The marking line is used to attach a rule or straight ruler to it,
  • The knife needs to be drawn across the sheet so many times that a groove is formed on it with a depth of at least 2/3 of the thickness of the sheet,
  • A special strip should be placed under the formed cut line,
  • Next, using a sharp upward movement, you need to carefully break the sheet.

You can watch the related video before cutting.

Gypsum fiber sheets are characterized by the formation of smooth edge edges, so there are usually no problems with joining. If minor adjustments are required, you can use a roughing plane. To obtain a fold, a chisel or a shoe-cutter is best suited. If the amount of work is quite large, then it is recommended to use a router. When using a groove cutter with a step of 3-4 mm, you can complete all the necessary work in 2-3 approaches.

At finishing works Gypsum fiber sheet, or GVL, is often used. This material was created much later than drywall, so it did not gain such widespread popularity as gypsum board. However, thanks to their special composition, these boards have outstanding strength and fire characteristics with performance much higher than that of drywall. Therefore, GVL is indispensable for the construction of bulk floors, rough finishing of walls and ceilings, as well as for the construction of all kinds of boxes. The only question that arises when working with this building material is how to cut gypsum fiber boards from Knauf.

Advantages of GVL

To answer our question, we need to understand what this material is. , like drywall, are made from building gypsum. But that's where the similarities end. The main features of GVL are:

  1. Reinforcement with dissolved cellulose.
  2. Complete homogeneity of the material.
  3. No top cover.
  4. Non-flammability.
  5. High density.

Many manufacturers produce this building material, but the most popular is the GVL manufactured by the Knauf company called “Superlist”. If we continue to compare gypsum fiber with plasterboard from the same company, we can see that they complement each other perfectly. And the use of these materials during finishing work will only benefit the renovation.

Despite the fact that any box can be made from gypsum fiber board, and the walls will be strong and non-flammable, nevertheless, this material cannot be bent like drywall. This means that for installation complex structures It will not work with rounded shapes.

But on the floor, in dry screeds with expanded clay (KNAUF-Superfloor technology), gypsum fiber sheets have no equal. Using them in the construction of a subfloor is guaranteed to give positive results. Floor elements glued together from two sheets with a total thickness of 20 mm have the following useful properties:

  • They don't break.
  • Keeps the cold out.
  • Create a perfectly flat surface.
  • Moisture-resistant gypsum fiber boards can withstand humidity up to 70%.

Tools required for working with gypsum fiber boards

Many who independently prepared for installation and installed drywall mistakenly believe that they work with gypsum fiber board in the same way. But here an unpleasant surprise awaits them. Gypsum fiber sheets, for all their strength qualities, when you take them for a break, turn out to be fragile and break easily. By the way, this is why they cannot be bent like drywall.

Tools used to cut gypsum fiber sheets at home:

  • A sharp construction knife with a thickness of 12 mm. The blades will have to be changed frequently as they become dull quickly.
  • A special hacksaw for gypsum plasterboard, which can be used to cut this material almost without dust.

Some craftsmen claim that it is convenient to cut gypsum fiber boards with a special cutter, such as that used by shoemakers.

  • A grinder or circular saw is used only in a well-ventilated area and provided that the end justifies the means. This is the fastest way and at the same time very dusty. If you decide to choose this tool, you will have to stock up on respiratory and eye protection.
  • Ideal with a built-in vacuum cleaner, if you install a wood saw with a tooth pitch of 4 mm in it. But there will still be a lot of dust, so you should work with safety glasses and a respirator.

Gypsum fiber cutting process

With any cutting method, you should remember to be careful and careful when handling gypsum fiber boards. If you decide to use cutters or a special hacksaw to carry out the work, then you need to proceed as follows:

  • We make the necessary markings on the GVL sheet.
  • We apply an even strip to the marking line. You can also use a rule.
  • We carry out the knife as many times as necessary so that the depth of the cut is at least 2/3 of the thickness of the sheet.
  • We place a strip under the cut line.
  • Gently break it with a sharp upward movement.

Before cutting, it is better to additionally watch a video on how to properly cut a sheet.

GVL has smooth edges and there are usually no problems with joining. But if, for a number of reasons, a small adjustment becomes necessary, then a roughing plane is suitable for this purpose.

But the most convenient way to make a fold is with a shoe-cutter or chisel. For large volumes, you can use a milling cutter. A 3–4 mm groove cutter will allow you to complete the necessary work in 2–3 passes.

Gypsum fiber is a relatively new, but already very popular, material for finishing premises. It is produced in the form of sheets, the characteristics of which are similar to plasterboard slabs, but superior to them in many respects. The composition of the gypsum fiber sheet (GVL) includes building gypsum, reinforced with dissolved cellulose, which is “extracted” from ordinary waste paper. Today this material is less known than its older brother - drywall, since it costs slightly more than its counterpart.

Features of gypsum fiber sheets

Gypsum fiber has a number of unique characteristics that are unavailable to most building and finishing materials:

Application

Plates made of gypsum fiber can be used for covering walls or floors, arranging suspended ceilings, interior partitions, creation decorative designs and sound-absorbing screens. Gypsum fiber sheets can also serve as fire retardant coating rooms with normal humidity conditions.

Along with the use of GVL slabs for finishing walls and ceilings, this material is often used when installing dry floor screed. Anything can be placed on top of it. finishing coat– durable gypsum fiber will provide an absolutely flat, reliable surface. To carry out such work, it is not at all necessary to hire professionals; the sheets can be laid independently and very quickly.

GVL installation options

The installation of gypsum fiber boards, although they do not require the use of special skills, must be carried out strictly in stages; it is the observance of a certain procedure that will ensure the required operational characteristics of the structure. Surface finishing can begin only after all preparatory work, including cleaning, leveling, eliminating defects and priming.

Installation of GVL for walls, floors or ceilings differs in its characteristic features. For example, laying a dry screed will significantly raise the floor level, which will require sawing down the doorway. If we are going to lay the slabs directly on a wooden floor, we must securely fasten its elements and remove all rotten parts.

The first method of installation work is as follows: you need to lay sheets of gypsum fiber on a special glue, using self-tapping screws for gypsum fiber board as fasteners. We fasten the slabs around the perimeter, following the following technology: material thickness – up to 12.5 mm, length of self-tapping screws – 40 mm, pitch – 400 mm. The screw caps must be recessed 1.5–2.5 mm deep.

The second installation option is the frame method. To perform this type of work, only the most common tools and materials are needed:

  • plumb line, level, tapping cord;
  • drill, grinder, screwdriver;
  • dowels, self-tapping screws for gypsum fiber board and metal.

The sheathing of the structure can be made from wooden beam, But the best material For its manufacture, a galvanized metal profile is considered - it is more reliable and durable. The frame must be assembled in such a way that its elements are located at a distance of no more than 400 mm from each other.

Conducting installation work, many novice craftsmen ask the question: what is the best way to cut gypsum fiber board? There are several options for solving this problem, it all depends on your capabilities and preferences. Some craftsmen recommend cutting the sheet with a knife, others use circular saw or Bulgarian. We believe that the best way out of this situation is to use a jigsaw with a built-in vacuum cleaner - its operation eliminates the formation large quantity dust.

It is important to remember that when using the first (frameless) method of surface cladding, it is necessary to maintain a certain width of the gap between the plates (6–8 mm), seal the joints with a special gypsum putty and use a special glue for gypsum plasterboard.

Finishing

As materials for finishing coating, you can use any type of wallpaper, paint or tiles. Let's talk about tiled cladding. First, you need to determine a step-by-step scheme for performing the work, which should consist of processing and marking the surface, preparing tiles and adhesive composition, the actual installation, as well as subsequent grouting.

Floor and wall tiles have different characteristics and is selected taking into account individual characteristics surfaces!


Plays a very important role in gypsum fiber sheet covering activities. correct selection primer and adhesive composition - the quality of fixing the tiles will depend on them.

The well-known manufacturer of GVL - the KNAUF company - recommends using only quality materials for finishing and consistently perform all stages of the technological process. German experts advise using a special branded FLIESEN tile adhesive in your work, preparing it in small portions, sufficient to treat a surface area of ​​1 m2.