How to Hang and Finish Sheetrock Per Sheet

Install Sheetrock or drywall on ceilings first, so wall panels will provide support for the edges of the ceiling sheets. Lift panels, typically 4-by-8-feet, with a drywall lifter, two boards fastened in a T shape with angled braces on each side. Hold the panel in place and secure to ceiling joists using drywall screws and a screw gun, placing screws about every foot. Drive them slightly below the surface but not enough to break the paper facing.

Hang drywall on walls horizontally or vertically, whichever pattern will produce the fewest joints between panels. Start at a corner and make sure the end of the panel will be in the middle of a wall stud. Put top sheets on first in a horizontal installation, starting the bottom row with a half sheet so the joints do not align. Fasten panels to studs with drywall screws, starting 6 inches or so from the top and placing a screw every foot down each stud.

Cut panels as needed with a utility knife and 4-foot straight edge. Score the panel by cutting the tape on one side with the knife, then snap the panel against the straight edge to break it. Cut panels with a drywall saw or jig saw as an alternative. Put metal corner strips on outside corners where two walls meet, if desired, to make a stronger corner. Nail these with a hammer into the corner framing under the drywall.

Finish Sheetrock with tape and joint compound. Use either self-adhesive fiberglass tape or conventional paper tape. Run fiberglass tape over the seam and press it firmly into place; make sure it sticks, then cover it with joint compound. Put a thin layer of joint compound over the seam with a 4-inch drywall knife and press paper tape into it, then seal it with a second coat of compound. Feather the edges of the compound to the wall on either side of the seam.

Seal corners by bending tape in half lengthwise and wrapping it into or around the corner joint; paper tape usually works best on corners because it has a fold line in the center, but self-adhesive fiberglass may work best on metal corner strips. Secure either type of corner tape with a layer of joint compound.

Let the joint compound dry, preferably overnight, and add a finish coat with a wider drywall knife, at least 6 inches wide. Smooth this layer and feather it to the outside to make a solid, smooth joint. Sand the finish smooth once it dries.