01 /FRAMINGCurved ceiling · From framing to finish
30 yearsof industry experience
Second generationBuilt on knowledge of the trade
Western CanadaBC · Alberta · Select Saskatchewan projects
01 / THE DGS APPROACH
Quality is where we start.
Quality isn’t a standard we’re trying to achieve. It’s the standard we start from.
From there, we push further through thoughtful planning, efficient systems and attention to the details that make a lasting difference.
DGS is built on three decades of experience as a second-generation drywall contractor. From managing large finishing crews to developing production systems and delivering complex projects, that experience shapes how we work today.
Intricate ceiling assemblies. Curved details. An aggressive construction schedule.
The team coordinated crews and workflow around the clock, translating architectural details into carefully executed work.
Completed in 12 days. Delivered two days ahead of schedule.
12DAYS TO COMPLETE
24hSHIFT COVERAGE
2DAYS AHEAD
BOARDED
FRAMING
G7 CONFERENCE ROOMSSteel framing and insulation, then the boarded ceiling planes.More from the project +
KELOWNA, BC · 2022–2023 · COMMERCIAL OFFICE
Harmony Homes Offices
Selected leadership experience
A two-tenant office building at Pier Mac Way, across from Kelowna International Airport: Harmony Homes at 2065 and ACE Plumbing & Heating at 2075. Steel stud framing, double-height walls and open-to-below edges, carried through to a finished head office.
2TENANTS, ONE BUILDING
1/16″LAYOUT TOLERANCE
2STOREYS, OPEN ATRIUM
FRAMING
FINISHED
The buildingExterior soffit framing, then the finished head office at dusk.
FRAMING · 2022
FINISHED
1/16″
Laid out to within a sixteenth.
The wood ceiling had to fit into this double-height gypsum wall assembly, so every line was set out with no room for error. We held it within 1/16″ of variance.
BEFORE
FINISHED
Corner officeSame corner, same view of the valley.
FRAMING
FINISHED
Main corridorLong, straight wall planes, ready for glass.
FRAMING
FINISHED
Open to belowEdge framing around the opening, finished with glass rails.
BOARDING · 2023
FINISHED
Mezzanine and receptionBoarding the mezzanine band, then the finished reception below it.
Finished photography courtesy of Harmony Homes. Construction photos by our crew.
David Sandor has been leading drywall crews since 2010, first running taping crews, then running companies. In that time, a low bid has always shown up in the finish.
Put a drywall package out to tender and the numbers can swing widely. The low one is tempting. It’s also the one most likely to come back to you six months later as rework, missed milestones, or a crew that stops showing up.
We’ve watched the same pattern repeat across Western Canada. A contractor prices below the market, wins a run of work, and looks like the smart choice for a season. Then it disappears, overextended or out of business, and the builder is left looking for someone to finish the job.
They left us for a cheaper bid. Eighteen months later, they came back.
When material and labour costs moved during COVID, we moved our pricing with them. Others held their rates artificially low to buy work they couldn’t afford to deliver. We lost jobs to that decision. We kept our crews, our standards, and our word, and the work came back.
We priced to deliver, not just to win the bid.
It’s the same approach David brought to the G7 Kananaskis 2025 project, where he won the client, bid the work, built the team, and ran the schedule. It’s the standard DGS now carries into hotel, commercial, and multi-family projects across BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
IN THEIR WORDS
Since our first project together many years ago, David Sandor has served as Harmony’s primary and most trusted drywall contractor. Managing a wide-ranging portfolio of luxury estates, multi-family builds, and commercial properties requires exceptional organization and attention to detail. David has never let us down.
Through rigorous systems and proven processes, David consistently meets demanding schedules while maintaining an uncompromising standard of quality. He is highly responsive, exceptionally organized, and approaches complex construction challenges with a methodical, “can-do” mindset.
Harmony deeply values our partnership with DGS Drywall, and we look forward to many more successful collaborations. He has our highest recommendation.
Jason Webb, President · Harmony Homes, Kelowna
David and his crew delivered the G7 Kananaskis project ahead of schedule where minutes mattered, and under significant scrutiny. The coordination and quality were exactly what a project of that profile demands. I’d work with him again without hesitation.
Desmond · Pomeroy Lodging
The cheap bid is the expensive bid. We’ve watched it happen enough times to know.
Our approach centres on planning, clear communication and coordination with the project team. Safety requirements and site expectations belong in that conversation from the start.
Plan the work.Coordinate the details.Respect the site.
08 / JOIN OUR TEAM
Build with DGS.
Exceptional people and experienced trade partners are the foundation of dependable work across Western Canada.
Leadership & Operations
Bring your experience in crew coordination, planning and project delivery. Get in touch about operations management opportunities.
Over the years, we’ve seen too many ways to do the same job. One crew hangs it one way, the next crew another, and the client gets whatever shows up that day.
So we wrote it down. Every DGS trade, from framing to final sand, now works from one written standard operating procedure. The work you approve on the first unit is the work you get on the last.
STRUCTURE
Steel Stud Framing
Every wall is laid out, squared and checked against the plumbing and services before any steel goes up.
Top track goes in first, off the chalk line, with top and bottom track joints always staggered.
Every stud is screwed in the slot of the deflection track, so the wall gives the full deflection the architect calls for.
ENVELOPE
Thermal & Acoustic Insulation
Every batt and every sheet of poly is pressed tight by hand, because insulation only seals where it touches the framing.
Windows and doors are spray-foamed before the batts go in, and every pipe and wire gets foam plus caulking.
Every joint and corner is sealed so the job passes inspection and the blower door test the first time.
BOARD
Boarding
Every butt joint is V-cut, so the paper can't lift or bubble under the tape.
Windows and doors are picture-framed, with no butt joint at the edge of an opening, to prevent cracking as the building settles.
Every screw is checked before handover, and every unit goes back broom-swept.
FINISH
Taping & Finishing
Every butt joint is pre-filled before it's taped, to prevent callbacks.
A set four-day sequence on every unit: tape, load, skim, sand.
Every wall and ceiling is light-checked, then handed over ready for paint, not ready for touch-up.
Joining a DGS crew? Every trade partner gets the full SOP for their trade before day one, so expectations are clear before the first piece of material is cut.
Every pin is a project from our CompanyCam photo records. Open one to see the work, from framing to final coat. Historical projects may have been completed under previous companies.
Project map and photos hosted by CompanyCam.
Boarding SOP
DGS Drywall Ltd. · Issued October 2026
This SOP sets out how DGS boarders hang a job, from counting sheets to handing over a clean unit to the tapers.
1. The DGS boarding standard
No service calls at year end. Every rule here is about preventing cracks, popped joints and callbacks later.
V-cut every butt joint. This is the most important DGS boarding rule. A board crew that doesn't V-cut will soon find itself out of work with DGS.
Follow the guidelines. The quickest and easiest way to do the job is the way laid out here.
Clean in, clean out. You'll be given a clean unit to start, and we expect a clean unit handed back.
Screw patterns are basic. Every boarder is expected to know proper screw patterns before working for DGS. We hire master tradesmen; we're not here to teach basic boarding.
2. Before you start: count your sheets
On the first day of boarding, count the sheets in each unit before hanging anything. There's always a difference between the footage ordered and the footage delivered, so everyone needs to know what they're working with. Report any shortage to the Site Foreman right away.
Check the window legend
The board types for each unit (5/8" Type X, CD board, mold-resistant, tilebacker, double layer, 54" board) are written on the window legend posted in that unit. Read it before you start hanging.
Set up the job
After counting sheets, make sure you have the tools and access to finish the work.
Up to 10' ceilings: boarders are expected to reach these with their own equipment.
Above 10': DGS supplies scaffolding.
Stairwells: boarders must be able to reach the high points, so every crew needs extendable metal planks.
Safety is important. Set up planks and scaffolding properly every time.
3. Board thickness and resilient channel
Board thickness
If the spec calls for 5/8" drywall, use 5/8" (all 5/8" is Type X).
If the spec doesn't call for anything other than 1/2", use 1/2" CD (control-density) board on ceilings.
Resilient channel
When a job needs resilient channel, installing it is the boarder's responsibility.
Know how to install it and follow the proper technique.
Set it up square and true, so the boarding goes easily when it's time to hang.
4. Ceilings first
Use the right board. CD board on 1/2" ceilings, or 5/8" where the spec calls for it (see section 3).
Plan the ceiling layout before hanging. Work out where every joint will land first.
Hook the corners. Never let a corner bead run into the ceiling with a butt joint right beside it. Cut the sheet as a hook (an L-shape around the corner) so the joint lands away from it. Aim for a 12" hook; 6" is the minimum. If you need to add an extra butt joint to make the hook work, that's acceptable.
Butt boards are acceptable if the crew likes using them, as long as there's enough backing for them.
5. Walls
Once the ceilings are done, hang the rest of the big sheets.
Crew setup
With a three-person crew, two guys run the big sheets and the third, most skilled boarder fills in the smaller areas. Putting your best cutter on the small pieces saves drywall footage. The person cutting the small pieces must know how to cut properly: we measure our board tight, and wasting drywall is not acceptable.
Measure template
Each project has a template on paper showing how each wall was measured. Use it, so the board goes up the way it was estimated.
Picture-frame windows and doors
Picture-frame windows and doors to cut down on butt joints. Multiple butt joints above windows and doors lead to cracking as the building settles, and that means service calls. Where sheets end at a doorway or window, hook them around the opening the same as ceiling corners (12" preferred, 6" minimum). There should never be a butt joint at the edge of a door or window.
Sheet placement and damaged board
Decide on sheet placement before you hang.
If board was damaged in delivery or by another trade, place the damaged part where baseboards or door casings will hide it whenever you can.
6. V-cut every butt joint
This is the most important thing DGS asks of its boarders. Every butt joint gets V-cut, on ceilings and walls.
What it is: a very shallow score that takes the paper off the butt edge. It is not a 45° V-cut. Just score the paper.
Why: it stops the paper from delaminating (peeling and bubbling) under the tape. It's proven to work.
How long it takes: with a sharp blade, a boarder can V-cut a full 54" board in under three seconds. Once it's routine, it adds no time to the day.
Why it's the boarder's job: cutting the paper after the board is screwed to the wall slows the taper right down and wrecks their knife blades.
Router misses: any routered opening other than plugs gets V-cut to take the fluff off. If the router went wide on a plug, V-cut the fluff from the miss so the taper has an easy repair.
A board crew that doesn't V-cut will soon find itself out of work with DGS.
7. Boxes, lights, wires and cleanouts
Before boarding, every box and penetration is marked on the floor in spray paint, using the same legend on every DGS job. Check the marks before covering a wall or ceiling, and never cover a marked item.
Item
Mark on the floor
Low plug
Blob right against the bottom plate
Switch or high box
Blob a little further out than the plate size
Wire coming out of the wall
Line 6–8" long, directly under it
Ceiling light
Blob directly underneath
Square vent (e.g. bathroom fan)
Small square directly underneath
Round ceiling vent
Small circle directly underneath
Cold air return, low
Line along the wall, tight to it
Cold air return, high
Line about a foot out from the wall
Cleanout
The letter C
Wires: think carefully about where each wire is before you cover it.
Cleanouts: every cleanout must be marked. The Site Foreman confirms with the client whether each one gets cut out or gets an access panel.
8. Double layer, damage and screws
Double layer
Stagger the joints between the first and second layers by at least 4". This is the code minimum, but it can vary by jurisdiction, so check the job's requirements.
Broken board
Cut back any broken pieces of board. The taper repairs it, but the boarder cuts it open so the taper has an easy job.
Screw check at the end of the job
Before handing over, every boarder checks their screws. Screws must not be sunk too deep or sticking out.
The quickest check: run the flat edge of your T-square across the wall. If you hear a click, a screw is sticking out. Sink it properly.
Screws sunk too deep are a visual check. A master boarder knows not to over-sink them.
9. Work clean, hand over clean
True tradesmen clean up after themselves.
Scrap out as you go, not just at the end of the day. Heading to the bathroom? Take your scrap to the bin on the way.
Scrap out the units behind you. Each boarder scraps into the bin for their unit.
No bin yet? Put everything in one neat pile at the front of the house or unit. DGS will do everything it can to make sure a bin or trailer is on site to scrap into.
Garbage goes in the garbage: glue tubes, paper tabs, cut plastic and any other trash.
Hand over a rough broom-swept unit. You started with a clean unit; hand back a clean unit.
Taping & Finishing SOP
DGS Drywall Ltd. · Issued October 2026
This SOP sets out how DGS tapers finish a job, from showing up on site to final sand. The same system works for a big crew, a small crew, or one person working alone.
1. The DGS taping standard
Hand over a product ready for paint, not ready for touch-up. Fixing blown-out corners, plugs and damage is the taper's job.
Finish in four days: tape, load, skim, sand. If a job can be finished in four days, finish it in four days. A $4,000 job done in four days pays $1,000 a day. Stretching it to five pays less per day.
Let the machines do the heavy work. About 80% of the mud should go on by box or bazooka, not by hand. It's faster, and it's easier on your body.
Taping is the most important trade in drywall. It's the last touch before decorating, so the quality bar is high.
Clean in, clean out. You'll be given a clean unit to start, and we expect a clean unit handed back.
2. Before you start
As soon as you arrive on the job, confirm:
Heat is on and holding.
Water is available for mixing.
Access to every high area: ladders and planks for stairwells, and scaffolding where needed.
Material is on site. Use a fast-setting compound for pre-fill so you can tape the same day. This matters most with a large crew.
If any of these are missing, report it to the Operations Manager before starting.
Box flats, then butts, then corner beads, then pre-load three-ways
First coat of finish mud on screws
3. Skim
Rough sand, skim with 12" box, run angles, tie in three-ways
Skim screws
4. Sand
Pole sand everything, sponge, light check, touch up
Job ready for paint
Day 3 is the biggest day. It can run 10 to 11 hours, and that's okay.
4. Day 1: Tape
Tape day sets up the whole job. Get it right and the rest is an easy run.
Pre-fill and repairs
Pre-fill every butt joint on walls and ceilings with fast-setting compound. No exceptions. It adds quality and prevents callbacks.
While pre-filling, scan for blown-out corners, plugs and damage, and repair them. If the boarders didn't V-cut the butt joints, catching it is the taper's job: V-cut them and cut back any loose paper before you pre-fill. We all work as a team.
Tape flats and butts
Mix taping mud and run tapes with the bazooka (automatic taper). Run butt joints first, then flats right after. Running the flats over the ends of the butt tapes locks any loose tape ends underneath, so the box won't catch and tear them on load day.
With two people, one runs the bazooka and one wipes. The bazooka runner must not get so far ahead that wiping becomes hard.
Tape angles
Run all the top angles in the room first, then the stand-ups.
Roll the tapes into the corners. Check for proper overlap, no gaps, and no folded tape.
Wipe three-ways tight so the tape is fully covered.
Install corner bead
Everyone on the crew helps cut beads to length.
Experienced members install long runs. Where two beads meet (for example on a 20' bulkhead), put a 2" to 3" piece of bead underneath the joint as a connector, so both pieces line up in a straight line. A bead box speeds up installing a lot: it puts enough mud on the bead to set it, with a little in the centre for strength.
Wipe beads out with an even, coatable area on both sides. Loading one side heavy and the other tight makes flashing hard to avoid.
Screws (last thing of the day)
Coat the screws with taping mud.
Where a screw was pulled out and left a bump, coat over it, then knock it into the wall with the back end of your knife. This locks it in so it won't pop back out. Add a little mud to fill the dent.
5. Day 2: Load
Load day is the shortest day of the job. The DGS method: run flats and butts the same day, without waiting for anything to dry.
Box the flats with a 10" box on the middle setting (3).
Box the butt joints with the 10" box set to zero, running on each side of the butt joint tape. Start and stop before you dig into the flats. Ride the brake a little; most guys pick this up in a day or two.
Wipe the butts right away, while the box mud is still wet. With a hawk and trowel, fill the centre of the joint, blend it into one continuous piece, and tie into the flats to remove ridges. One quick pass, then keep moving. Putting the mud on by trowel while the box mud is still wet and pliable makes this very quick and easy. If you're working alone, box the butts in one room, then wipe them before moving on.
Coat the corner beads, by hand with a trowel (preferred) or by box. If boxed, tie them in afterwards to remove heavy ridges.
Coat the screws with the first coat of finish mud, using a 4" or 5" knife.
Pre-load the three-ways. With a 6" knife, load all three sides of every three-way. This saves a lot of time and drying on skim day.
That's the end of the day. Nothing more goes on the walls; leave it to dry overnight.
Why box first: it puts about 80% of the mud on by machine instead of by hand. If an apprentice runs the box, it's better to tire out the apprentice than the finisher on the trowel.
On a large job with lots of corner bead, you can install the corner beads first thing on load day to gain hours of drying time. This is a shortcut for when you need it, not the standard. Also, if not all the corner beads got installed on tape day, install the rest first thing on load day.
6. Day 3: Skim
Skim day is the biggest and most important day. Extra people on the crew help most here. Plan for a 10 to 11 hour day and finish it. Don't add a fifth day.
Rough sand
Pole sand every square inch except the screws: flats, butts, corner beads and angles. Use 120 grit (100 to 150 depending on the mud). This knocks down high edges and opens up the surface of the mud. Knocking down the high edges keeps the coats from building up in layers.
Skim flats, butts and beads
Skim with a 12" box, keeping the material tight. Load a little heavy on load day so you can skim tight on skim day.
Don't put two thick coats on top of each other unless something dried too much and you have no choice.
Run the angles
Load the corners with either a 7" or 8" corner box, or the compound tube and mechanical flusher, then follow behind with a tin flusher. The mechanical flusher keeps us from loading too much mud into the corners, which saves a lot of sanding. The tin flusher, run end to end, smooths out any takeoffs. If you taped with a 2-1/2" tin flusher, skim with at least a 3-1/2" tin flusher or a mechanical flusher.
Run each angle end to end with no stops, to avoid takeoff lines (the line left when the tool comes off the wall). In a room: over the door and around the perimeter in one run, left three-way to right three-way, then each stand-up from bottom to top, pushing mud into the three-way.
The three-ways will look like they have extra mud at this stage. That's expected.
Tie in the three-ways
A dedicated person ties in the three-ways with a 5" knife, tight to the corner, making a perfect three-way. You loaded them with a 6" knife on day 2, so the 5" finishes inside that. Done right, they only need a sponge afterwards.
With a large crew, swap people between the flusher and the three-ways to move faster.
Screws
Skim over every screw with a 6" knife, last thing in the day.
7. Day 4: Sand
DGS will do everything it can to let tapers fully sand their own units, even under texture. A fully sanded job is the taper's chance to make sure everything is smooth before it's handed over.
Pole sand everything.
Sponge where needed.
Light check every wall and ceiling with a strong light, stronger than anyone else will use to check your work. DeWalt and Milwaukee handheld work lights are excellent for this. Look for takeoff lines, shadows, fish eyes and ridges.
Keep a pan of mud with you and touch up anything you find as you go.
Clean out
At the end of the job, scrape up all mud blobs on the floor, then do a quick rough sweep after sanding.
The job should now be ready for paint.
8. Screws last, every day
Screws are always the last job of the day, every day. When the machines are running, you don't stop them. Doing screws is your daily quality check, when you slow down and look at everything.
While doing screws:
Clean up mud drips and blobs on the walls.
Find blown-out corners. Dig them out, tape them, and load them by hand.
Where the machines didn't put on enough mud, flare it out with a trowel.
Catch any other small mistakes before they dry in.
9. Large jobs, drying and weather
Split big jobs into sections, such as half a floor at a time. Tape and load one section before moving to the next, so the load coat gets an extra day to dry when a lot of mud went on. Run this way, a crew has finished 78,000 SF in eight days.
Plan drying days for the worst. This is Canada: rain, snow and cold all slow drying. Set up the schedule so nobody arrives to find the work too wet to continue. If you show up to work, you should be able to work.
Add people, not hours. It's easier to bring in an apprentice to move faster than to work longer days.
Thermal & Acoustic Insulation SOP
DGS Drywall Ltd. · Issued October 2026
This SOP sets out how DGS insulators batt and vapor-barrier a job, from a clean, checked site to a sealed unit that passes inspection and the blower door test. These are master insulator rules, and every DGS insulation crew is required to follow them.
1. The DGS insulation standard
Touch every square inch. Insulation and poly only seal when they're pushed tight against the framing. If you haven't pressed it in by hand, it isn't sealed.
No gaps in the air and vapor barrier. Every joint, corner and penetration is sealed so the job passes inspection and the blower door test the first time.
Spray foam before batts. Around windows and doors, the foam goes in first and the insulation goes in after.
The lead checks the corners personally. Tight corners are where crews leave insulation out. Don't leave them to the crew.
Plan first, then go fast. A proper plan is how you speed up. We don't cut corners on the work itself.
2. Before you start
Before anything goes in the wall, make sure the site is ready and you have what you need.
Site clean. You need the site as clean as possible to start.
Hazard assessment. Every day when you arrive on site, do a hazard assessment before you start work. Walk your work area and look for open floor edges, stairwells and shafts, unsafe ladders, planks or scaffolding, cords and trip hazards, and other trades working near you. Fix what you can, and report anything you can't to the Site Foreman before you start.
Count your materials. Make sure everything is on site and in order before you start.
Tools on site. Stilts, knives and the rest of your kit.
Walk the corners for backing. Check every corner for solid backing before you start (see section 5). Raise anything missing with the builder now, so you aren't going back to them again and again once you're working.
3. Stage the material and brief the crew
Know the work order
Go over the work order with the builder first: which insulation goes in the exterior walls, which goes in for sound, and where. Then explain the same thing to your crew so everyone knows what goes where.
Spread the material out
Don't leave one big stack in the middle of the building. Have the crew carry each type to the areas that need it (for example R22 to the exterior walls, R12 or R14 where it's called for). That keeps stacks out of other workers' way and stops the crew walking back and forth all day.
4. Order of work
Walls come first. Once the walls are done there's less material on the floor, and you have room to walk the ceilings on stilts.
Batt the walls. Push every batt tight into the stud cavity.
Batt the ceilings.
Vapor barrier the ceilings. Get every ceiling joint done and sealed before you move on.
Vapor barrier the walls.
Attics with limited depth
Where the attic calls for R40 but there isn't enough space to carry the full batt, cut the batt on an angle so it fits. Always leave enough airflow above the insulation so the space doesn't get mold problems later.
5. Corners and backing
Every poly joint needs solid backing behind it, so the joint gets squeezed tight when the drywall goes on. Tape alone on a floating joint isn't good enough.
BC vs Alberta
Alberta: look for solid backing at every corner and joint before you start.
BC (step code): framers often give solid backing on one side of a corner only. Don't cut the poly at the corner. Fold it over on itself a few times so there's extra material, enough to bring it onto both wall sides. Where there's no backing, caulk first, then tape around it, so the air and vapor barrier stays continuous. In BC you can't leave vapor barrier floating without solid wood behind it.
Small spots without backing
For one or two small spots, back the poly with a piece of hard cardboard. Inspectors pass these small spots.
Warm the caulking a little first so it flows nicely.
Press the caulking firmly by hand at every overlap of vapor barrier and every small spot without backing, so there's really good coverage.
Keep corners flat
Don't leave loose extra poly in the corner. Loose poly bunches up into a bulge and the drywall won't sit flat. Fold the extra neatly (as above), trim anything left over clean, and seal it with a small bead of caulking. Close any fold or cut at the corner with a small piece of tape.
6. Windows and doors
Window gaps are the most common callback. In an Alberta winter, a missed gap shows up as foggy windows, and that comes from missing foam or missing insulation.
Spray foam first. Foam every gap between the window and the framing. If you batt first, the foam can't get in, or it pushes out through the holes.
Let it set about 30 minutes. Foam needs time to expand. Doing both at once spoils the seal.
Tight gaps: stuff insulation in after. Only where there isn't much room between the window frame and the window (gaps under about 1/4" that foam can't fill properly). Force insulation into the gap so there's still a thermal break. Where there's enough room, the foam does the job.
Bottom of the window
The sill gap is the one crews miss most, especially with a sill seal on the bottom and adhesive tape on top. Run a double bead of caulking: one on the face of the stud and one on the window frame, so it's sealed to both.
Corners at the window
With the frame double-sealed, close each corner with a small piece of tape.
7. Penetrations, plugs and the blower door test
Small leaks add up on a blower door test. Treat every hole as a leak until it's sealed.
Penetrations: foam around every pipe and wire, then caulking on top, so the seal is solid. They're easy to spot, but crews still miss them.
Exterior plugs and boxes: caulk around the plug boots. Where a boot stops the insulation from filling properly, spray foam around the box and where the wire goes through. Some custom home builders want foam and caulking on every electrical penetration, inside the sealed plug box too, on exterior and interior walls.
Don't just tape and walk away. Tighten each penetration, tape it, then check it. If it isn't sealed, take it off and do it again.
Factory seams in the poly: these sometimes have tiny holes you can't see. Run your hand along the seam to feel for them and tape them.
Staple holes: tape over any heavy staple holes.
What it gets you
On the Chase job, the test needed 1.2 to pass. Running the poly straight across the plugs blew 0.7; the units where the crew cut out around the plugs blew 0.9. Both passed easily.
8. Steel stud framing
Poly is hard to hang on steel studs, especially up high: screws pull through and it won't stay put.
Pin it with a strong magnet to hold the poly in place against the stud.
Screw through a cardboard washer. Put a small piece of cardboard (about 1" x 1") under each framing screw so the screw holds the poly without tearing through.
Caulk the joints as normal.
Poly on steel studs: a framing screw through a small cardboard square holds the poly to the stud without tearing it. The top joint is caulked.
9. Quality check and handover
Before calling a section ready for inspection, clean the site first, so you can actually see the deficiencies. Then check:
Corners: the lead checks the tight corners personally for insulation. On a big crew, these get left open if nobody looks.
Bottom caulking: crews sometimes run a bead on the floor and never press it in, so it doesn't stick to the wall. Every bead gets pushed by hand.
Poly seams: feel the factory seams for small holes and tape them.
Penetrations: foam plus caulking on every one (see section 7).
Every square inch: if the insulation or poly isn't pushed tight against the wall, it won't seal. Go over it by hand.
The lead double-checks every crew member's work at the end of each day.
10. Crew size and production
Run a crew of five, including the lead. A bigger crew is hard to supervise; five lets the lead check every worker's work at the end of the day.
Job type
Output, five-person crew, good day
Custom home
About 6,000 sq ft of living space in a day, batts and vapor barrier
Wood-frame multifamily
About 5 units a day, complete: exterior walls, sound batts on ceilings, party and corridor walls, vapor barrier
Commercial
Lower than residential, because many trades work around you
Planning commercial work
Ask the builder how many units they can give you each week and plan around it. For 10 units in a week: do 5, leave a day for inspection, then do the next 5.
Steel Stud Framing SOP
DGS Drywall Ltd. · Issued October 2026
This SOP sets out how DGS framers lay out and build steel stud walls, door openings, exterior walls, soffits and ceilings on a commercial job, from an empty space to framing that's square, level and ready for board. These are master framer rules, and every DGS framing crew is required to follow them.
1. The DGS steel stud standard
Layout is everything. Get the walls on the floor right, square and checked against what has to be in them, before any steel goes up.
Top track first. Set the laser on the chalk line, not on the bottom track, and hang the top track before the bottom.
Stagger the track joints. Never let a top track joint line up with a bottom track joint.
Give the full deflection. Screw the stud in the slot of the deflection track, never at the very bottom of the slot.
Experienced hands set the lines. The journeyman sets track and elevations; apprentices fill studs in once those are right.
Built to the print, or it isn't done. If it doesn't match the blueprint or the engineered drawings, it isn't finished.
2. Before you start
Before any layout goes down, make sure the space is ready for you.
Hazard assessment. Every day when you arrive on site, do a hazard assessment before you start work. Walk your work area and look for open floor edges, stairwells and shafts, unsafe ladders, scaffolds and lifts, cords and trip hazards, and other trades working near you. Fix what you can, and report anything you can't to the Site Foreman before you start.
Check the ceiling space. Make sure the HVAC and anything else above the ceiling looks complete, and nothing is hanging low that will push down on your ceiling height.
Check the drawings and heights. Know the ceiling heights, the deflection the architect calls for, and which walls are rated or load-bearing before you start.
Door frames on site. Confirm the builder has the door frames on site, so you can set them as you reach each opening.
3. Set up the job
Material and cut station
On a wide-open space like a retail or office TI, put the material in the middle of the space if you can. Set the cut station close to the power, because that's where your saw goes.
Sparks
Keep the saw away from windows. If the power is by a window, run a cord to a better spot.
Find a wall that's safe to blow sparks at.
Sparks burn finished concrete. If the floor is finished concrete, put scrap board or wood underneath the cut station. If flooring is going down over it later, it doesn't matter.
4. Layout
Layout comes first, before any track goes up. A wall that's in the wrong spot costs far more to fix later than to check now.
Lines
Blue or black for layout, red for changes. Use blue or black chalk for all layout. Red chalk is reserved for proposed changes only: a red line is the visual signal that this is a change order request.
Rub out wrong lines. If you have to redo a line on concrete, rub the old one out with a piece of itch (insulation) so nobody builds to it.
Use the laser on long runs. A chalk line is hard to snap 100 feet long. On long walls, set your laser and work off it instead.
Check it's square
Lay out with the laser so you can check the corners are square as you go. Your measurements can be exactly what the print says, but if the corner isn't square, something has to be adjusted.
Check what has to be in the wall
Once the walls are laid out, double-check that everything meant to be inside a wall actually falls inside it: plumbing, conduit, anything coming up through the floor. If something falls outside the line, raise it with the site supervisor right away (for example: do we move the wall over half an inch so the plumbing is in the wall?).
These answers can take half a day, especially where counters or other trades are involved and several people have to sign off. Build time for layout into the schedule before the framing is supposed to start, so these questions get answered before the crew is waiting on them.
Nub walls and closets
Small nub walls and closets are often easier to lay out after the main walls are down. Measure them from the track already in place. Check them off the print so none get missed.
5. Building the walls
Top track first
Set the laser up on the chalk line and hang the top track first. Don't set the bottom track and shoot the laser off it: steel can bend the laser beam, and if the track is bent even a little, your top track ends up out. With no bottom track down yet, you can also run a bench or baker scaffold straight down the centre of the wall without tripping on it.
Stagger the track
If you start the top track with a full 10-foot length, start the bottom track with a cut piece. A joint in the same spot top and bottom makes a weak wall.
Stud layout
Mark your stud layout along the track.
Every 12 feet or so, put your 6-foot level on a stud, re-level it, and restart the layout from there.
Why: every pencil mark adds a little (eight marks can add up to an inch, depending which side of the mark you're on). Resetting every 12 feet keeps the studs where the board edges need to land.
Seat the studs and give the deflection
Seat the studs on the bottom track.
Deflection is usually between 3/4" and 1-1/4", depending on what the architect calls for. Check the drawings.
Screw the stud in the slot of the deflection track, not at the very bottom of the slot. The stud should sit up in the slot so the floor above can move. Rookies miss this, and it gets called back.
If you're short on deflection by about 1/4", lift the stud off the bottom track rather than wasting it. Exception: structural, load-bearing walls must sit fully on the bottom track.
Channel
Slide the bridging channel in as you go, about every 10 feet. Near the end of a wall, double the channel up so you can slide it back into place instead of trying to bend it in.
Clips and bridging
Stand all the studs and get the channel in first, then come back and do all the clips at once. Clips often need a different bit or an angle drill because the gun won't fit, so doing them in one pass saves switching tools all day.
6. Door frames
Setting the frames
Run the track first, starting and stopping it at each opening.
Set the door frames as you reach the openings.
Stud around the frames.
Come back and do the headers after.
Shim with board, not guesswork
Keep scrap drywall on site that matches what the wall calls for. Set the frame on the track, then put pieces of that board between the studs and the frame at the top and bottom corners. For a double 5/8" wall, that's two pieces of 5/8" in each corner. If your track is level, the frame comes out right without levelling it by hand. Shim under the frame where the floor isn't level.
Headers that line up
Where several doors sit close together, set the laser in the middle of them so every header is the same height. Doors only two feet apart can't be off by a quarter inch, or everyone will see it.
Hotel corridors are the worst for this: door after door, and the floor can drop almost 2" down a hallway. Doors 10 feet apart can carry a small difference, so re-adjust about every 10 feet rather than forcing one height down the whole hall.
Heights off the high point
On big commercial jobs where the floor gets levelled (slurried) before flooring goes down, find the high point of the floor and take all your heights from there. Example: if the minimum is 96-1/2", setting at 97" in a low spot is fine, but never go under 96-1/2" anywhere, or the frame ends up short once the floor is levelled. If the floor isn't being levelled, pick a spot and work off it.
7. Exterior walls and soffits
Floaters where walls meet
Where an interior wall meets an exterior wall, leave a floater: don't screw the first (or last) stud. The board runs straight through behind it, then the boarder pushes the stud over, screws it, and it becomes the backing and the corner stud. This beats hard corners like in wood framing, and it's better for fire rating because the board runs continuous into the next room.
Soffits and work from a lift
Build long soffits (for example a 40-foot sloped soffit from a boom lift) in 10-foot sections, the length of a track:
Set the first and last stud of the section.
Brace it and dial it in to the right elevations.
Let the less experienced crew fill in the studs.
Move on to the next 10 feet.
The experienced framer is responsible for getting the elevations perfect. Once those are right, an apprentice can infill.
8. Ceilings
Frame around the lights
Ask the electrician to dot the light locations on the floor before you start.
Work out the framing so your studs miss the lights. Lights usually run in a line, so moving one stud to 14" or one 4-foot strong back to 46" is often enough to clear a whole row.
On a stud ceiling, you can also place a stud so the light can fasten to it (for a 4" box, a stud 2" off centre).
Missing the lights saves the electrician cutting framing out later and saves you adding braces back in.
Strong backs
On a hat track ceiling, any span over about 6 to 7 feet needs a strong back.
Run the numbers when deciding how to build it. Going up a stud size can sometimes eliminate the strong back. For example, a hallway framed with 1-5/8" steel stud can span about 7 feet without one.
Stud and track vs hat track
There's no real speed difference between the two; pick by the space.
Stud and track: good in bathrooms and small rooms, where a 10-foot stud spans the short way with no strong back and the board runs the short way. You do have to screw the top and bottom of every stud.
Hat track: better when the ceiling is tight to the structure above, where it's hard to reach the top of a stud. If you do use studs there, screw the top from underneath with a long bit.
9. Working with the other trades
Walls first, then ceilings
On a job with no pre-boarding or rated walls, get all the walls done first. The electricians and plumbers can then do their plugs and rough-in on the walls while you frame the ceilings. Start your ceilings where they're starting, and sequence room by room behind them.
Penetrations through the track
Ask the trades to leave round sleeves in the floor rather than conduit sticking up. Lay your track over the sleeve, tap it with a hammer to mark the circle, and cut it out.
Faster still: have them drill their holes after the framing is up, so you don't pre-cut anything.
Either way, you aren't working around things that are in the way, and everything ends up inside the wall.
10. Quality check and cleanup
Most common callbacks
Not enough deflection left at the top of the wall.
Studs screwed outside the slot, or at the very bottom of the slot, on deflection track.
Missed nub walls or closets that were left to lay out later and forgotten.
End-of-day check
Scan the walls to make sure everything is done.
Check against the print for anything missed, especially nub walls and closets.
Confirm the deflection and slot screws on the day's walls.
Check the door headers line up.
Done means built to the blueprint or the engineered drawings. If it isn't, it isn't done.
Scrap
Keep all the cuts in one spot at the cut station.
At the end of each day, throw out stud pieces under 2 feet. Keep anything longer until the end of the job; the offcuts get used for bulkheads and ceilings.
Short track offcuts generally get tossed, because bulkheads will need full lengths of track.
11. Crew size and roles
On a normal TI, the most productive crew is two or three people, depending on the size of the job.
Role
Who
What they do
Lead framer
Journeyman
Layout, top track, elevations, door frames
Second framer
Somewhat experienced, not afraid of heights
Bottom track, screws the bottom of studs during infill
Cut person
Apprentice
Runs the cut station, fills in studs once lines are set
If the studs come pre-cut, two people is enough. With a lot of cutting, a dedicated cut person speeds the whole crew up.
Infill: one person stands the stud and screws the top, the other screws the bottom.
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