Drywall Hanging: How to Hang Drywall

Screw a 2x2 ledger about 52 inches below the ceiling. Place the drywall on the ledger. Make sure the sheet ends on the middle of a stud; if it doesn't, cut it. Mark the stud locations and snap chalk lines. Then push the sheet up tight against the ceiling and fasten it.

Cut the bottom piece about 1 inch narrower than the space below the top sheet. With the uncut edge up, pry the sheet tight to the edge of the upper piece and fasten. When installed later, baseboard will hide the gap and the cut edge.

Use a screw gun with an adjustable clutch or a regular drill with a dimpler attachment. Both the clutch and the dimpler are designed to drive screws so they sink just below the surface without breaking the paper. Space the screws 12 inches apart.

Double-nail to prevent nail pops. Space ringshank drywall nails 12 inches apart, with a second set about 2 inches from the first. Along the edges use single nails 8 inches apart. When a nail is flush to the surface, hit it one more time to create a slight depression, but don't break the paper surface.

Apply a bead of drywall mastic to each stud. Drive nails or screws into the sheet to hold it in place while the adhesive sets. You can space the fasteners 18 to 24 inches apart as long as the drywall is held firmly against the studs.

Make cutouts to fit drywall around electrical boxes and other obstacles in the wall. Start by measuring and carefully laying out the positions of the cutouts on the face of the sheet.

Use a jab saw to make the cutout. To make starting the cut a little easier, drill holes in the corners.

If you need to trim the opening a little bit to make it fit, use a Surform plane. Drywall is hard on edge tools, so make sure to have one plane or rasp for drywall work and another for shaping wood.

If the wall you are covering includes a door or window opening, run the drywall right over the opening and cut it out after the drywall is fastened in place. If the sheet ends over the opening, cut the drywall with a handsaw, guiding the saw against the framing. It doesn't matter if the cuts are ragged or a little uneven because they will be covered by trim or corner bead.

If the drywall runs completely over the top of the doorway, use a handsaw to cut along the jack studs until you reach the bottom of the header on both sides. Snap a chalk line to mark the bottom of the header and cut along the line with your utility knife. Snap back the waste piece and cut the back paper free.

Mark the piece about 1/4 inch smaller than the space it needs to fit. Use a utility knife to cut through the outside face of the drywall and into the gypsum. Make two or three passes to deepen the cut; you do not need to cut through the sheet.

To complete the cut, bump the back of the sheet at the cut line with your knee as you hold the sheet. This will snap the gypsum so you can fold back the sheet. Slice the back paper along the fold line with a utility knife.