The best tip for hanging ceiling drywall is to persuade someone else to do it. Since that is not always economically possible, learning how to hang ceiling drywall with a minimum of hazard to life and limb would be the next best plan. You need to know a couple of facts about drywall before starting. First, it is large and heavy. Second, it is a little fragile when dropped or held incorrectly. These two facts lead to an obvious conclusion. As an amatuer drywall hanger, you need at least one helper to do this job right.
Ceiling drywall is best installed when using 2 ladders.
Whether you have a helper or not, having a second ladder is an asset when hanging ceiling drywall. By positioning both ladder so that each end of the drywall sheet can be accessed quickly, the job will go much faster. If you can master them, drywall stilts are even a better plan. These adjustable stilts will make you the correct height to work on the drywall without the ladder. Another alternative to the ladder would be a good bench made sturdy enough to work from, long enough to reach the entire length of a piece of drywall and tall enough to access the ceiling.
Make sure that you have wood to fasten the ceiling drywall to above the top of the upper wall plates.
Before lifting the first sheet of drywall, make sure that the framing was done so that drywall can be hung from the ceiling. Survey the tops of the wall and see if boards have been scabbed on to let you screw the drywall to it. These boards should stick out from the top of the upper wall plate a couple of inches. If they are not there, you will need to add them onto the wall plates. You always want to install the ceiling first so that the drywall on the walls can help support the edges.
Start the job in one corner of the room.
With the wood in place to receive the screws to support the drywall, begin installing the first piece at a corner of the room. Make sure that this piece is square with house. Since all of the rest of the ceiling drywall will follow the lead of this first piece, it needs to be right. If you have a helper, just have the person hold up one end of the drywall and begin screwing it to the ceiling while you do the same thing at your end. If you do not have a helper, balance the drywall on the tops of the ladders and climb the one nearest to the corner. Nudge the drywall into place.
You may need to make a “T” out of two 2×4’s to use as a prop on the other end.
Make sure that this prop is the exact length needed to hold one end of the drywall against the ceiling joists. The upright should be about 2 1/4 inches shorter than the distance from the floor to ceiling joists. The cross piece needs to be about 4 feet long. Use the prop to support the opposite end of the drywall while you fasten your end to the ceiling. Then move to the other end and sink some screws into the drywall. Once both ends are secured, you can finish screwing off the piece. Make sure that you countersink the screws a little so they can be adequately concealed when you do the taping and finish work.
Continue the installation sheet by sheet until you do not have room for a whole sheet of drywall.
This will most likely happen at the end of the first run across the room. When cutting drywall, use a sharp knife. A utility knife or a drywall knife will work. A good pocket knife may do the trick, too. Mark a straight line where the drywall needs to be cut. Use the knife and cut through the paper and a little into the gypsum inside. Holding the drywall with the cut on the opposite side from yourself, pull gently back on one end of the drywall while tapping firmly behind the cut. The drywall sheet should bend and snap cleanly along the line. You will need to cut the paper on the backside to complete the cut. You will do the same thing lengthwise on the far wall from where you started.
When all of the drywall is up, it is time to start the walls before you tape.
It is best to complete a whole room or house before starting to tape. That way you can do the one task faster. Hanging the walls works the same as the ceiling, but you start at the floor and work upward to the ceiling.
