How to Drywall a Ceiling

When you drywall a ceiling you transform a it from being an unfinished basement to a viable living space.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ladder
• Drill
• Drywall Screws

1. First you will need to rent a drywall lift. This will run you $25-50 a day. You can also purchase a lift for around $150 if you plan on installing a lot of drywall on many ceilings in the future.

2. Once you have a drywall lift use it to raise the drywall to the ceiling. Line it up so that the short edge of the drywall that extends into the room lines up on the center of a ceiling joist. You may need to cut the drywall to ensure this.

3. Using 1 1/4" drywall screws to attach the drywall to the ceiling. Start about 4" from the edge of the drywall and drive a screw every 8" into the center of each joist.

4. Add additional sheets of drywall on the ceiling end to end until you reach the end of the room. You will most likely need to cut the last panel to make it fit.

5. For the next row of panels you will want to insure that the joint between the drywall on the ceiling don't line up. You will want to stagger them like a cinder block wall. To do this measure from the wall to the center of a joist that is approximately in the middle of the first piece of drywall you installed.

6. The third, fifth, seventh, etc. rows will be the same as the first row, and the second, fourth, sixth, etc. will be the same as the second row of drywall. When you reach the edge of the room you are almost done installing drywall on the ceiling.

7. Most likely you will need to cut the width of each drywall panel of the last row to fit the room properly.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety glasses when you drywall a ceiling.