Hanging Drywall on Ceilings & Walls

When hanging drywall always work from the top to the bottom. And always run the drywall sheets perpendicular to the framing.

Hang drywall on ceilings before walls, so the sheets on the walls can help support the corners of the ceiling sheets.

Mark joist locations on top plates of the walls so the joists are easier to find when fastening ceiling sheets.

Then mark the stud locations of walls on the ceiling sheets and on the floors so they're easier to find when fastening the wall sheets.

Nails vs. Screws

Building codes have very strict regulations about how many fasteners need to be used to attach drywall.

Nails are the easiest to use for do-it-yourselfers who are not comfortable with a screw gun.

For 1/2" drywall, use 1-1/4" ring shank nails. This type of nail holds better into wood framing and prevents "popping" later on.

Use a drywall hammer to set the nails. It has a rounded head that sets the nails just a little below the surface and leaves a shallow dimple without breaking the paper on the drywall. This dimple then gets filled in with joint compound later.

With nails you usually need one every 7 inches on ceilings and every 8 inches along walls. This may not be enough, depending on the thickness of the drywall and the spacing of the joists or studs.

Using drywall screws can go a lot faster, if you have the right tool. You want to use a special electric drywall screw gun that lets you adjust it to sink the screws a little below the surface.

Screws are stronger than nails. You usually only need to use one screw every 12 inches along the ceilings and every 16 inches on walls.

TIP: Trying to pry out a bent nail may tear up more drywall than it's worth. Just nail it in so it's not sticking out from the surface and then mud over it later.

We've usually found that's it's easiest to use nails along the edges to get the sheets up, then go back and use screws "in the field."

Hanging Drywall on Ceilings

Getting sheets of drywall up to the ceiling can be tricky. And once you get them up, holding them in place while you screw or nail them is another challenge. You'll need the help of a drywall lift or drywalls jacks for this...although some people just use their heads!

Once you get a sheet in place, just nail or screw around the edges of the sheet. Then you can take the lift or jacks away (or give your head a rest if you're using that).

You can wait until all the sheets are up to put the fasteners in the middle. Although, sometimes it's easier to do this right away because you can see better where the joists are.

When fastening around the edges, keep the screw or nail at least 3/8" back from the edge so you don't fracture the drywall.

Start the ceiling using full sheets, and cut them so the edge is centered on a joist.

Stagger the joints between sheets from row to row, this will make your walls stronger.

Hanging Drywall on Walls

The rules for hanging drywall on walls are basically the same as those for hanging ceilings.

It works best to have two people to lift sheets up to the top row.

Start nails across the top of a sheet before lifting it. This leaves both of your hands free to lift the sheet and nail it in place.

Conventional wall framing leaves 8 feet 1-1/8" between the subfloor and the bottom of the trusses or joists. With two rows of drywall, you have about a 1/2" gap left. Normally you should leave this at the bottom of the wall where it'll be covered up by the baseboard.

To hold the bottom row snug up to the top while fastening the sheet, use a little lifter with your foot.

Around window and door openings, you want to avoid creating joints at the corners. This will weaken the wall and will be more likely to crack at those joints.

If you're working around the top of a shower or tub that's got a flange, you want to install the drywall or backerboard over the flange. Before doing this, fur out the studs with strips of masonite so you have a flush surface to attach the drywall or backerboard to.

Getting the Joints Right

A real important thing to remember when hanging any drywall is to line up the joints right.

The "factory edge" of a drywall sheet is the finished, smooth edge made at the factory. The edges are also beveled, so when they butt together you get a nice recess for filling in the joints. This way the joints end up flush with the sheet, rather than having a build-up. So ideally, you always want a factory edge next to a factory edge.

Cut edges should be butted together. They call this a "butt-joint." Before taping and mudding butt-joints, some people will "vee" them out with a utility knife to make a recess. This helps eliminate having a "hump" where the joint is.

Special Hanging Situations

When you have soffits to drywall, hang the bottoms of the soffits with the ceiling and the sides of the soffits with the walls.

Soffits that are open to the floor or ceiling above them, can cause a serious fire hazard. A fire in an open soffit can easily travel up to the ceiling or floor above. You want to drywall inside the soffit so fire will not move up as easily.

If you have framing for a pocket door, be careful not to poke the nails or screws into the area where the door will slide. Use shorter fasteners if necessary.

When drywalling a bathroom you might need to install greenboard or concrete backerboard. These install in much the same way as drywall.

You may have walls taller than eight feet. In this case you will probably have a narrow strip left after two rows of drywall. This thin strip is called a "ripper".

Where you put the ripper depends on a variety of factors. You may want to put the ripper on top instead of on the bottom so you don't have to bend over when taping. Put it on the bottom if you have several things breaking up the wall, like doors or a fireplace, so you don't have as many joints. And if your ripper is only a few inches wide, you may want to put it in the middle of the wall. That way you end up with two joints close together and you can combine them into one wider joint.

Don't be tempted to buy longer sheets and run them vertically. You should always run the sheets perpendicular to the framing.

Installing Corner Bead

Outside corners can get damaged easily so you want to protect them with a metal corner bead. Do this before starting the tape coat.

Wrap the corner bead around the corner and check to be sure it's plumb. Adjust it if it's not. Nail it in about every 8 inches making sure you hit the wood framing.

The corner bead will get covered up in the finishing process.