How a Sectional Drywall Lift Works

Drywall Installation

• To install drywall, you must lift each board to the desired location and install screws through the drywall’s surface into the wood studs of the ceiling or wall’s frame. Assistants are usually necessary to hold the board in place while you install the screws. Few drywallers have the dexterity and upper-arm strength to simultaneously hold the board in place and install screws without help.

Drywall Lift

• The drywall lift can assist the installation process. This helpful piece of machinery typically comes in several sections, allowing for easy transport. Once you are at the project site, connect the frame to the wheelbase, and connect the panel cradle to the frame. When you’re done, you’ll have a mobile, height-adjustable platform that can lift a board of drywall high and hold it in place while you install screws.

Loading

• The bottom section of the lift has wheels, allowing you to load a board on the lift and move it to the proper location. This speeds the installation because you don’t need to carry each board by hand, possibly breaking the fragile edges in the process. Instead, push the lift over to your stock of drywall boards, load a board into the cradle and wheel the lift across the room. The panel cradle has metal hooks to hold the drywall. You can angle the cradle so the drywall will rest perpendicular to the floor or the ceiling, or to accommodate any angle in between. This allows you to install drywall directly overhead or on the upper portions of walls.

Function

• The winch system typically operates via a wheeled hand-crank and pulley system. To lift the drywall, you turn the wheel, vaulting the cradle upward. When the board makes contact with the ceiling, continue cranking until the board rests snugly against the wood studs. Install drywall screws to attach the board to the frame. Turn the wheel in the opposite direction to lower the lift and reload the cradle.