Just about every homeowner will have to tackle drywall at some point in their remodel, and it’s everyone’s least favorite part. Drywall is the fastest and probably easiest way to cover studs. It’s easy enough to hang drywall, but a pain in the *** to finish correctly. Today’s post covers just the hanging. The finishing (or “mudding”) is another day’s project.
Rating (decode with the handy-dandy guide here):
- Time
- Money
- Tools
- Experience
- Strength
- Risk
- Suckage
Tools:
- Measuring Tape
- Box cutter
- Chalk line (or a very long straight edge and a pencil)
- Safety glasses
- Drywall screw gun/Cordless Drill/Corded Drill (in preferred order)
- Garden Cart (optional)
- Panel Carrier
Supplies:
- 1 1/4″ drywall screws (for 1/2″ drywall)
- Drywall
- Scrap lumber, ideally slightly thicker than the drywall you’re putting up (like a 1 x ?)
What is drywall?
There are three main types of walls: lathe & plaster, drywall, and backer board. If you own a house built in the 1800s-1930s, there’s a good chance you are dealing with lathe and plaster walls. If you are tearing out tile or working in a wet area, it is possible your walls are “backer board” or cement board. Drywall, also called gypsum board or sheetrock, is what most walls in modern homes are made out of.
Gypsum board is so popular because it is cheap, fast to hang, and fire resistant. Drywall is gypsum pressed between two sheets of paper. The white side is the finish side, and is what should face the room. The brown paper side should be pressed against the studs (and that paper is usually a little thicker than the white paper).
Installing drywall involves two steps: mounting the drywall, and “mudding”. How precise you were mounting the drywall will dictate how much mudding sucks. Unless you’re working in a rough space (like a garage or shop), the mudding step is actually several mudding/sanding steps to get a smooth, flat finish. This is an art. It is also a skill I do not have, and an act that makes me fairly homicidal.
The bad news is is next to impossible to hire someone to do a small drywall project. I got three drywallers to call me back (not counting all those who didn’t). Of those three, two no-showed the appointments to see the project, and the third quoted me $700 to finish 50 sq ft of drywall. I opted to do it myself. You probably have too if you’re on this page. While it is significantly easier to hang drywall with help, it is possible to hang drywall by yourself.
What Kind of Drywall Do I Need?
I’ve created a table as a guide to see what you can physically handle. Given the choice, lightweight drywall is easier to handle than standard drywall and the prices are typically similar. While the sheets aren’t overly heavy, they are incredibly awkward. As you are handling one end of the sheet, gravity will pull the opposite end away from you. As a way to quantify how awkward they are I’ve included a column called “Twist Factor”. This factor is how much more the sheet will twist away from you when carrying one end than holding a 2″x4″ stud from one end. For example, a lightweight sheet will pull three times as hard away from you than a stud will.
| Product | Thickness | Length | Weight | Twist Factor |
| Lightweight | 1/2″ | 8′ | 44 lbs | 3 |
| Greenboard | 1/2″ | 8′ | 53 lbs | 4 |
| Thin Drywall | 3/8″ | 8′ | 45 lbs | 3 |
| Fire Resistant | 5/8″ | 8′ | 72 lbs | 6 |
| Lightweight 12′ | 1/2″ | 12′ | 67 lbs | 8 |
Thin Drywall
Thin drywall (in 1/4″ or 3/8″ thickness) is NOT strong enough to mount on it’s own directly to stud. This drywall is used for fancy work, or hiding an existing, damaged surface. For example, a lot of houses with lathe and plaster have thin drywall installed directly to the plaster. The strength of the wall comes from the existing lathe and plaster, so thinner drywall can be used.
Standard Drywall
1/2″ Drywall is the most commonly used drywall. It is used in rooms where the joists are 16″ on center. Lightweight panels are available that make hanging a LOT easier.
5/8″ Drywall is sometimes called fire resistant drywall. Building codes require thicker drywall in specific areas, typically a wall between a garage and living area and ceilings.
Greenboard or Mold Resistant Drywall
Greenboard is a water resistant sheet of drywall used in damp (but not saturated!) areas. This is good for a basement or bathroom walls. It isn’t as strong as standard drywall, and it doesn’t handle being truly wet well, so I don’t recommend it for around areas that get really wet, like a shower or sink backsplash.
Step 1: Plan Your Room
You’re probably starting to notice that the first step in many of my projects is planning. What I’ve learned from cleaning up after other DIYers mistakes is not everyone has thought through their projects before doing them. Take the afternoon to plan and prepare, and it will make the job SO much easier, faster, and more professional looking.
Drywall comes in several lengths. If you’re shopping at your local big box store (my favorite is Lowes!) they likely have 4’x8′ and 4’x12′ sheets (and maybe even a smaller piece like a 2’x2′ for drywall repair). Remember, mudding is the part of the drywall project that sucks, so try to minimize the number of seams you need to finish. I’m not strong enough to handle 12′ drywall, so unfortunately I had to use 8′.
Drywall Rules of Thumb:
- Drywall has to be supported within 4″ of it’s end
- Hang the upper row of drywall first
- Leave a 1/2″ gap between the floor and the drywall
- Hang taper ends facing each other
- Don’t have a joint at window/door corners
- Leave 1/8″ between corners
- Cut pieces 1/4″ shorter than you measure
Step 2: Unload the Drywall
If you are doing a big project, you might want to have it delivered. If you are picking up the drywall yourself, you’ll need a way to get the drywall into the room you’re working in. Most places conveniently load it for you, but the unloading is all on you.
How did I do it? My goal was to actually carry the panels as little as possible. I discovered the hitch on my truck is perfect for holding the handle of my garden cart. This allowed me to slide the panels from the truck onto the cart, and then drag the cart to the door.
Once I got the panels remotely close to the house, I used a combination of methods from this post, How to Lift Heavy Things, and a Panel Carrier.
Step 3: “Rough” Hang the First Drywall Sheet
Start with the upper, full sheet of drywall. This is the hardest part to do by yourself, so you’ll need to get a little creative. I tried a few methods to help me (and some were more effective than others). I used a cross-brace, jigs, and pulley.
The cross brace and the jigs were VERY useful in getting the sheet up there. I’m not sure I’d recommend using the pulley. It worked, but it was a lot of work to get configured right.
The jigs are scrap lumber a little thicker than the width of the drywall (a one-by worked perfectly) with a longer piece loosely screwed on. The “arm” of the jig needs to be able to rotate 90 degrees, but be a little snug to be effective.
First, I screwed the jigs just outside of where I would hang the drywall. When installing your jigs, make sure the arms of the jigs won’t interfere with the drywall when they are flipped away from the panel.
Next, I mounted a cross brace across the corner about 6″ lower than the panel would go. This gave me something to rest the right side of the panel on while I moved to the left side to get ready to swing the arm down on my jig. I learned through trial and error to swing the jig holding the top of the sheet in first, otherwise the whole sheet would flip down and whack you in the head before crashing to the ground. Once that arm was secured, I flipped the bottom jig arms up to hold the panel close to in place while I grabbed the screws.
Step 4: Screw in the First Sheet
The jigs keep the panel roughly in place, but some sliding around might be needed to get it properly aligned. If you don’t have the strength/coordination to hold the panel in the final place while driving in some screws, you could use some shims to help. To make life easier, use a long straight edge to mark where the studs are on the face of your drywall so you’re not guessing when you’re driving screws. When I hang drywall by myself, I use my forehead to press the sheet against the wall while I drive in a couple screws to hold it in place.
- The first screw should be 3/8″ from the edge of the sheet
- 8″ between screws vertically
- Screw down every stud (every 16″ horizontally)
A drywall screw gun will make your job a LOT easier, as it will stop driving once the proper depth is reached. If you don’t own one, you can rent one for ~$20 and it will be worth it.
Step 5: Repeat Steps 3-4
To hang the rest of the drywall, repeat steps 3-4 for the remaining sheets. Finish the first row and then move down to the bottom row. Depending on your wall height, you might need to cut the panels down to fit, leaving 1/2″ of clearance between the bottom of the panel and the floor.
How to Cut Drywall
Drywall is popular because it is REALLY easy to cut down. All you have to do is “score” it and then snap it. Scoring is done by cutting the paper with a utility knife along the cut line. This does not work for curve edges though! Once you’ve scored the drywall, simply fold the sheet away from the cut and it will “snap”. I usually do this by flipping the panel over (cut side towards the floor), and lifting one edge parallel to the cut line towards me. Once the panel is “snapped”, use your utility knife to cut through the paper on the other side and voila, you’ve easily cut drywall.
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