Drywall shims. Ever heard of them? Probably not if you live in Texas. These are pretty commonly used in other parts of the country. Home Depot and Lowes carry them in stock in places like Oregon, Washington and Utah that I am personally familiar with. I have also seen them used in new construction in Florida. But when I have looked for them in Houston, whether it is Home Depot, or a drywall supply no one has ever heard of them. You can find them at Lowes and Home Depot online.
I picked up a pack while vacationing in Utah recently and brought them back with me. I am putting up some new drywall in a bathroom. I could not have screwed the drywall on the walls without using the shims. The studs do not line up resulting in screws that get sucked through the drywall as in the photographs below.
They are thin strips of cardboard (think of a shoe box) that are 45" long, 2 1/2" wide. You simply staple as many to the face of the stud as needed to make the faces level when you hold a straight edge across the studs.
If you get the faces leveled properly you can avoid screw pull through like those below.
