How to Replace Sheetrock

Remove any baseboard or trim attached to the section of sheetrock that you want to replace; use a prybar to pull the material away. Place the tip of the prybar under the baseboard or trim where the installers nailed them into the sheetrock. Apply pressure to the prybar to pull away the board, drawing the nail out along with it. Proceed down the boards at each nailed location repeating the process until you've pulled the boards away completely.

Place dropcloths onto the floor along the base of the panel that you're removing to catch the debris created through the removal process.

Slip the prybar through the gap at the bottom of the sheetrock and pull the sheetrock away from the wall studs, breaking it away at each nailed location.

Break through the sheetrock in a line down the center using the side of a claw hammer. Pull the two broken sides from the wall studs by hand, breaking the sheetrock into pieces if necessary to make them easier to remove. The sheetrock will pull away from the nails, leaving the nails sticking out of the wall studs.

Pull the nails from the wall studs with the claw hammer.

Measure the space cleared by the removal of the sheetrock with a tape measure. Mark the dimensions of the space onto a sheetrock panel with a pencil; then score the face of the panel with a utility knife across the mark. Snap the sheetrock along the scored line to complete the cut. Measure the locations of any cutouts needed due to utility outlets or pipes. Use the same cutting process to cut spaces in the panel; then test the panel placement by slipping the openings over the outlets.

Protect any electrical cables running behind the wall studs by nailing self-gripping steel protection plates onto the studs over the locations of the wires.

Place the panel against the wall in the space, over the wall studs. Nail the panel in place, using ring-shank drywall nails, through the drywall and into the wall studs. Nail the panel in place from the top of the panel down the studs, with a nail placed every 16 inches.

Cover outside corners on the sheetrock by measuring the height of the corners, then cutting metal corner beads to match the measurements with a pair of utility snips. Place the bead onto the corner and nail it into position driving a nail every 12 inches down one side of the bead, then a line of nails down the other side.

Cover inside corners with joint compound. Use a 4-inch drywall knife to spread the compound onto both sides of the corner. Fold a strip of paper drywall tape in half and then run it down the length of the corner, pressing it firmly into the compound. Remove any compound that squeezes out from beneath the tape with an inside corner knife.

Place a thin layer of joint compound along the seams connecting the sheetrock with adjacent panels using the 4-inch drywall knife. Cover the compound with a strip of paper tape, and then wipe off any access compound with the knife. Wait for the compound to dry about 15 minutes; then place a layer over the tape with a 6-inch drywall knife. Wait an additional 15 minutes; then place a second covering coat over the tape, covering an 8-inch strip. Allow this layer to dry about 30 minutes; then sand it with a dual-grit sanding sponge to even the compound out. Use the 6-inch knife to place another layer of compound over the last, extending the compound coverage to 12 inches in width for vertical seams and 24 inches on horizontal seams.