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Repairs

More Drywall Screws Make a Weaker Wall

A drywall screw holds through the paper face, not the gypsum core. Drive it a fraction too deep and its holding power drops to near zero.

Drill driving screws along a stud line into drywall

Gypsum core is crumbly; the paper laminated to each face carries the tensile strength. A correctly set screw dimples the paper without cutting it. Once the head punches through, the core alone resists pull-out, which it barely does.

Standard spacing — roughly 300 mm on ceilings, 400 mm on walls — assumes every screw is sound. Adding extras with an unclutched driver typically adds tears, not strength. A depth-setting nose cone costs little and fixes the problem permanently.

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