How to Make a Deadman Brace for Ceilings

Measure from the ceiling to the floor and subtract 2 inches. Author John D. Wagner explains that allowing a 2-inch gap between the top of the deadman brace and the ceiling enables you to keep the drywall pinned against the ceiling without exerting too much pressure on the piece of drywall. Cut a 2-by-4 piece of lumber to that measurement.

Attach a 3-foot two-by-four to the top of the two-by-four you just cut. Use nails or screws to secure it in place. The top two-by-four should not wobble or feel loose at all.

Measure about 2 inches in from the top left of the top two-by-four, then line up another two-by-four from that point to where it meets the vertical two-by-four. Cut the piece at a 45-degree angle on both sides, and attach it between the two marks. The idea is to fit the angled two-by-four between the top two-by-four and the vertical two-by-four. Do the same for the other side. Use nails or screws to attach the pieces.

Nail a 5-foot 2-by-4 support at the top of your wall studs at one end of the planned location of the ceiling drywall sheet. Lift the drywall sheet with your deadman brace so that one end of the sheet lays on top of the 2-by-4 support. Lift the other end of the sheet to the ceiling with the deadman brace.