How to Fix a Dropped Ceiling With Drywall

Measure the space in the ceiling grid where the old tile was located with a tape measure. Measure the actual hole and add a quarter inch to each dimension. The ceiling tile grid is a half inch wide, but an extra quarter inch will provide you with enough of a ledge for the drywall to set in the grid and not fit too tightly.

Mark a piece of drywall with a pencil and using the measurements from the ceiling grid. Mark the length and then the width by measuring in from the edge of the drywall in three locations for each dimension. Connect the marks using a straight edge. Make the marks on the paper side of the drywall.

Cut the drywall using a utility knife along the lines you drew in the previous step. Score the drywall along the lines, and then run the knife along the scored lines several times to cut all the way through the drywall.

Push the piece of drywall up through the ceiling grid vertically and then lay it in the grid horizontally once it is above the grid.