How to Glue Sheetrock to the Ceiling

Sheetrock hides wiring and gives the ceiling a streamlined appearance.

Wiring, lighting and insulation all fit inside the ceiling cavity in your home. Installing sheetrock on your ceiling covers up loose wiring and insulation -- making a room more aesthetically pleasing. Ceiling sheetrock also serves as a sound barrier. This is particularly important in apartment complexes and condos where the ceiling of one unit does double-duty as the flooring for an above unit. Although you must screw sheetrock into place on the ceiling, you can use construction adhesive to ensure that the sheetrock bonds properly with the ceiling joists and remains in place.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Stepladder
• Construction adhesive
• Drywall lifter
• Power drill
• Screws

Instructions

1. Measure the length of the ceiling joists in the area where you plan to install the sheetrock. Measure the distance between each joist. Mark the location of the joists on a section of sheetrock with a pencil.

2. Place a stepladder underneath the joists. Apply a thin line of construction adhesive along each joist that the piece of sheetrock will cover.

3. Move the stepladder out of the way. Roll a drywall lifter underneath the installation area. Position the sheetrock on the lifter. Turn the crank to lift the sheetrock up to the ceiling and push it into place.

4. Move the stepladder into position beside the drywall lifter. Drill screws into the joists at 12-inch intervals with a drill. Use the pre-marked areas on the drywall as a guide to determine where each ceiling joist or “stud” is located.

5. Turn the crank on the drywall lifter in the opposite direction to retract the machine's arm from the sheetrock. The construction adhesive and screws should hold the sheetrock in place on the ceiling.

Tips & Warnings

• Construction adhesive dries relatively quickly -- within 10 minutes. Work quickly, after applying the glue, to ensure that the adhesive does not dry before you can get the sheetrock into position.

• Do not attempt to hang sheetrock on your ceiling without a sheetrock lifter. A single sheet of sheetrock can weigh over 100 lbs.

References

• This Old House: How to Hang Drywall on a Ceiling
• Easy 2 DIY: Hanging Ceiling Drywall

Resources

• FamilyHandyman: How to Hang Drywall -- Use a Lift
• MetropolitanLumberandHardware: Useful Tips for Working With Sheetrock