How to Hang Drywall

Hanging drywall is a physically demanding job - you'll be lifting heavy sheets and holding them up for a good amount of time to drive in nails or screws You want to do it right the first time to avoid more work down the road.

Here's how to hang drywall like the professionals:

Before you hang that first sheet, it's important to research your local building codes to find out how many nails or screws are required for hanging drywall and what pattern you must follow. Codes may even vary from room to room, so research is a necessary part of the entire process.
Know how to set nailheads properly. This can be tricky because you can't simply drive the nail in flush. If you do, you won't be able to cover it with joint compound. On the other hand, if you drive it in too deep you'll break the paper on the drywall and the nail won't hold in place. To get it right, try to drive the nail into a slightly dimpled surface. Make sure the nailhead doesn't stick above the drywall's surface.
You can test the nails by running a taping blade along the surface of the wall - if you hear any nailheads click against the blade the nails are not deep enough. Any nails that miss a joist or stud should be removed, at which point you can swat the hole with a hammer to dimple it.

For screws the same method can be used. Basically, you have to set the screw head below the surface without breaking the paper. A dimpler or a drywall screwdriver will prove the best tools for this job, rather than a screwdriver bit. Drive the screws in perpendicular to the sheet, otherwise the heads will break apart the paper.

Always install ceiling sheets first, and then move on to the walls. For a horizontal installation, start with the upper sheets and butt them against the ceiling drywall. All vertical seams need to hit studs. Then butt the lower panels against the upper panels, from tapered edge to tapered edge. Use a wedge or lever to raise up the sheets firmly.

When conducting a vertical installation of the sheets, make sure the tapered edges fall midway across a stud. If this is not the case, you can cut the drywall or fix pieces of lumber to the stud as a way to create a nailing surface for the next piece.

As the work progresses, overlap pieces at the corners and finish off by adding filler pieces - ensure that every piece has a minimum of 2 nailing members for support.

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