How to Hang Sheetrock on a 12' High Ceiling

Before Sheetrock, carpenters finished ceilings and walls with wooden strips and plaster. Sheetrock takes less time and offers more safety features than wooden strips. Many county building codes require that any Sheetrock installed on a lower-level ceiling be fire-rated. The fire-resistant element in Sheetrock will prevent the lower-level room from heating up past boiling point until all water in the gypsum, an element in Sheetrock, is vaporized.

Measuring tape
Utility knife
Pencil
Drywall lift
Ring shank nails or drywall screws, 1 1/4 inches
Drywall hammer or power hand drill

Instructions

- 1
  Identify the direction of the ceiling joists. The Sheetrock must be attached to the ceiling to match the direction of the joists.
- 2
  Measure the width between your ceiling joists. Use five-eighths-inch Sheetrock for joists that are spaced 12 inches apart, or one-half-inch drywall if your joists are 16 inches apart.
- 3
  Measure the length of the room in the direction of the ceiling joists. Sheetrock panels come 12 feet long by 4 feet wide. Cut the length of the Sheetrock, if necessary, using a utility knife.
- 4
  Measure the center points of any recessed lighting and electrical wiring that will be covered up by the Sheetrock panel. Transfer these measurements to the Sheetrock panel and draw the center points for the lighting and wiring with a pencil.
- 5
  Measure the radius of the lighting from the center point and transfer this measurement to the Sheetrock. For example, if the radius is 2 inches from the center point in every direction, draw a circle on the Sheetrock that is 2 inches from its center in every direction. To accommodate wiring, draw a circle with a 1-to-2-inch diameter.
- 6
  Push all electrical wiring at least one inch back into the boxes in the ceiling so you don't accidentally cut them.
- 7
  Flip down the support hooks on a drywall lift with your hands. Place the face of the Sheetrock against the lift. Then flip the support hooks back up.
- 8
  Turn the wheel on the lift to push up the Sheetrock until it is flat against the ceiling.
- 9
  Nail the Sheetrock into the ceiling joist using 1 1/4-inch ring shank nails and a drywall hammer. Or, with a power hand drill, screw in drywall screws. Put in a nail every 7 inches along the joist, or a screw every 16 inches (since screws are stronger). Keep the nails or screws 12 inches from the all lighting and wiring outlines and three-eighths inch away from the edges of the Sheetrock.
- 10
  Cut into the center of the outline for the recessed lighting or electrical holes with a spiral cutting saw. Move out to the circumference of the circle in a straight line, then cut on the outline of the circle.

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