How to Hang Drywall

Although intimidating. hanging drywall can be a do-it-yourself project. As long as you are prepared and measure three times before cutting, you can do this and save a lot of money on renovations. These directions are for dry rooms- not bathrooms or high humidity rooms.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 4 x 8' drywall sheets (10% more than you measure the room)
• utility knife
• rasp
• drywall saw
• drywall t-square
• keyhole saw
• drywall jack
• drywall screws
• drywall tape
• mud pan
• 6" wide mud knife
• wet sanding pad
• taping compound
• finishing compound, pre-mixed
• vapor barrier

1. 
    

   Take a photo of the studs before starting your drywall project. This will make it easier for you to identify Electrical wiring and plumbing pipes once the walls are up.

2. 
    

   Hang a vapor barrier. This will prevent moisture from condensing inside your walls. In colder climates, the vapor barrier goes on between the insulation and the drywall, in warm climates it goes between the sheathing and the insulation to keep it dry during warm weather.

3. Estimate your Material Needs. To estimate the number of sheets of drywall you'll need, first determine the total square footage of walls and ceilings. Don't subtract for doors and windows. Then add 10% for a waste allowance. Divide the total square footage by 32 if you'll be using 4' x 8' sheets. Round up for the number of sheets you'll need.

4. More Materials:
   For every 1,000 square feet of drywall ordered, buy:
   370 feet of joint tape
   140 pounds of ready-mixed joint compound
   700 screws

5. 
    

   Safety is First. Wear safety glasses and particle masks when appropriate and provide proper ventilation for the work site.

6. 
    

   Start by hanging the sheets vertically. If, for example, the ceiling is 10 feet high, you put up the four by eight; there's still a two-foot section missing, so you add a two-foot piece. On the next wall adjacent, you want to put the two-foot piece on the bottom and then the eight-foot piece on top. In other words, you don't want to have the same line going horizontally around the room; you want it to be staggered.

7. 
    

   Cutting Sheets. Use full sheets of drywall whenever possible. If you must cut, make sure the end of the sheet falls in the center of a joist or stud.
   To cut a sheet for length, first set it upright with the finish side out. Measure out the length with a tape measure. Then using a drywall T-square on that mark as a guide, score the front side with a utility knife.
   Snap the drywall back. It should break apart right at the cut. That doesn't cut the paper on back, though, so to finish the cut run the knife blade down the back side to cut the waste free.

8. 
    

   Start screws across the top of a sheet before lifting. This allows you to keep your hands free to screw the wall in place.

9. 
    

   Rent a drywall jack to help hold the wallboard in place.

10. Know your edges. The "factory edge" of a drywall sheet is the smooth, beveled edge. 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.

11. 
     

    When cutting around light switches, use a rasp. A rasp is a 4-inch block that looks like a cheese grater, that lets you smooth, down edges.

12. 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.

13. 
     

    Taping is a 4- step, 4-day process. The first step is called the "tape coat." This is when you apply joint compound to the seams and embed paper joint tape in it. You can notch out the joints for more space to put joint compound. Be generous with the mud at this point. Spread out more than you need to fill the seam.

14. For the second pass, lay a piece of joint tape over the center of the joint. Press it lightly with your hand--just to make it stick for now. Then go back and flatten the tape into the mud, working from the center of the joint out to the sides. You can be firm with this stroke. You'll end up scraping off some of the excess mud.

15. 
     

    The last step for the tape coat is to spread a very thin layer of mud out on top of the tape. This requires a gentle touch. The layer should be thin enough that the tape is still visible through the mud. Don't worry too much about a few grooves and streaks on the surface for now. There'll be more coats to smooth it out later.

16. Put joint tape on Inside corners. There may or may not be tapered edges here, but it doesn't really matter too much. Slightly uneven walls won't be as visible in the corners as on a flat wall. Lightly coat both sides with joint compound again.

17. Let dry for 24 hours.

18. When walls are dry, you can apply the second coat. Use your taping knife to put more mud on the joint. Then smooth it out with a stroke down each side, then one down the middle. After this coat you should not be able to see the joint tape. Screw and nail heads get covered with another layer of mud at this stage too. The mud from the first coat has probably shrunk a little so you just want to fill them in flush with the surface. Let dry for 24 hours.

19. Before starting the finish coat, scrape a wide knife over all the joints to smooth them out a little. This removes the ridges and tool marks. You want the base to be as smooth as possible for this final coat.

20. For the Finish coat, smooth a thin layer of mud over the wall. Be very sure it is flat and smooth.

21. 
     

    Sand it down. Dust will go everywhere. Make sure you seal off any vents and turn off the ac. Hang a plastic drop cloth at the doorway to seal the room. Use a mask.

Tips & Warnings

• When you are installing the drywall screw, use a tool called a screw guard. On the end of the screw guard is what's called the counter sink; the counter sink will allow you to put the screw about 1 sixteenth to an eighth of an inch inside the drywall.
• Always make sure your utility knives are very sharp because as they get duller they will start to rip the dry wall. A sharp knife blade is actually safer than a dull one because it cuts very cleanly and very smoothly and won't drag.
• Run a taping knife over the drywall. If you hear a "click" you've got a nail or screw that needs to be sunk deeper.
• 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.

[harvard]

on 5/30/2009 All included comprehensive article on everything you ever need to know about hanging drywall. I could start a business after reading this. I'd call it "Hole in Wall Drywall" LOL. Thank you.

[shadyk]

on 5/13/2009 Great article on how to hand drywall!5*

[tamarabostrom]

on 4/29/2009 Great detailed information. Thanks!