How to Space Sheetrock on the Seams of a Ceiling

Sheetrock is a brand name for drywall. Drywall, or gypsum wallboard, consists of gypsum plaster compressed flat between two sheets of paper. Wallboard serves as interior sheathing for the frames of walls and ceilings. Proper planning can make the installation of wallboard easier and reduce the chances that you will waste drywall. When determining the layout of a drywall surface, you want to minimize the number of panels used. This reduces the number of seams, which improves the appearance of the ceiling.

Instructions

1. • 1

     Measure the length and width of the ceiling. Draw a sketch of your ceiling and mark the measurements.

   • 2

     Determine what direction you want to install the drywall panels on the ceiling, lengthwise or widthwise. Arrange the drywall so you use as few panels as possible.

   • 3

     Stagger the drywall panels in each row so that the end joints of the drywall panels are not aligned. This strengthens the ceiling and makes the seams harder to spot because they are broken up into short lines.