# How to Add Blocking to Rafters for Drywall
Attaching drywall to rafters is more difficult than attaching it to walls. Holding a 4-by-8-foot sheet of drywall up in the air and screwing it into rafters is a challenge at the best of times. You can make the job easier by installing blocking between the rafters before you attach the drywall. This makes the rafters more stable and immobile, and it gives you a larger area into which you can drive drywall screws.
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Chalk line
- 2-by-6 lumber
- Circular saw
- Drill
- 2.5-inch-long screws
Instructions
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1
Measure the length of one of the rafters. Make a pencil mark at the center point of the rafter. Do the same for the rafter at the other end of the room.
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2
Snap a chalk line between the two points so that it leaves a mark at the center points of the bottom faces of all the rafters.
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3
Measure the distance between the first two rafters. Cut a piece of 2-by-6 to this length. Install the 2-by-6 between the rafters so that the 2-inch dimension is flush with the bottom of the rafter and the edge of the 2-by-6 is aligned with the chalk mark. Drive two 2.5-inch-long screws through the rafters and into each end of the 2-by-6.
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4
Place a 2-by-6 between the next two rafters. Stagger it from the first one so that it is on the opposite side of the chalk line. Staggering the blocking allows you to screw each piece in through its ends.
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5
Add blocks down the row of rafters by putting one between each rafter. You will end up with a complete row of blocks from one end of the room to the other.
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