Scoring depth for cutting drywall

Question

new DIY’er here. I started on my first project to finish the walls of my garage(2 side walls). I hope I can pull this off(half way thru so yay).

Okay so here is my question:

I have got a 4x8 drywall that I need to cut to make 2 4x4 pieces and I took a utility knife and made a score, but when I try to snap it, it doesn’t. This is my first time cutting a drywall. So I am not sure if I am not applying enough pressure, or did not score it deep enough or something else. I watched so many youtube videos on this and no where on one talks about the depth of scoring, so I am assuming I am not doing something right(my position, drywall position, enough pressure etc.)

One last thing I can possible try is put the board face down, put one foot on one side and lift up the other side to snap it, can I do that or will I damage the drywall.

Answer 1

It also helps if you can put a straight edge such as a 2x4 under the drywall along the edge you want to break along. Scoring plus the straight else is usually sufficient to get a nice break without too much force.

Answer 2

Step 1

Draw your line on the paper side - for normal drywall this is the white side.

Step 2

Take utility knife and carefully go over line with a little pressure. After doing this you should see your line easily.

Step 3

Go over same line with a decent amount of pressure. You should probably be getting about 1/8" deep.

Step 4

Drywall sheets come normally in 4' by 8' (the 8' can go to 16') x two sheets taped together. The 4' sides are left without protection, the longer sides are capped. If your line goes through a capped side you want to dig into the line for a good 1/2-1" so you are basically halfway through it. If you don't deeply score the edges, they can break.

Step 5

Bend the drywall toward the paper side at your line. You should not have to apply a lot of pressure and the "white" side should be inside the drywall sammich.

Step 6

While the drywall is bent - I like it right at 90 degrees - score the non-paper side (the brown side) to finish the cut. This should be 100% cut through as trying to tear part of it can pull some gypsum off the good side.