Are these drywall screws driven too deep into the sheet?

Question

I hired a company to hang drywall on my ceiling and then finish all surfaces so I could paint. Included are pics I took of a few of their more excessively-sunken screws. I said to one of the guys, "Not to criticize your work, but aren't you driving the screw too deep?" He said, "The head of the screw can't be flush to the drywall surface. You have to countersink it like this so that you can mud over it."

I agree with that statement, but what I've learned is that you're supposed to dimple the screw in, not drive it through the paper. In these pics, it definitely looks like the heads broke the paper.

Does this require repair to be considered a sound installation?

This is type-x gypsum. I think that brown color you're seeing is from the fibers of the paper being pulled into the hole.

Answer 1

Those screws are not driven properly. The screws need to be driven with a drywall screw gun or a dimpler bit in a regular screw gun. The screws need to be slightly countersunk with an indented dimple around the screw head into the drywall to hold some joint compound. The screws should not break through the paper.

The proper bit indents and stops driving the screw at the right depth automatically. What I see in your pics is badly torn surface paper with shards of paper higher than the rest of the surface. This will be hard to mud and make flush and smooth. Many of these are going to have to be indented with a strike from a hammer to create a void for the mud to go into.

The other problem with driving drywall screws with a regular #2 Phillips bit is that screws driven too deep will not have the holding power and the screws will pull through, leaving the sheet unattached to the studs. This is especially important when hanging rock on ceilings.

These are the proper tools and bits.

On walls I wouldn't worry too much, but to be honest, I'd never let that go on a ceiling. If some seem really deep, it could mean problems. If you're paying, then insist it is done right. It isn't gonna take long to rescrew it properly.