You install sheetrock on a ceiling in generally the same way as you do on a wall, except it's more physically demanding because you have to work above your head. The 4-by-8-feet sheets of sheetrock are sized to line up with standard ceiling joists, once you cut the first one in the row. If you don't have someone to help you with this job, you can rent a drywall lift, which will hold the sheetrock in place while you screw it in.
Instructions
1. Measure the ceiling along one wall, across the direction of the . Measure out to 8 feet, then back to the last joist within that span. Take the measurement from the middle of the width of the joist.
2. Mark out the measurement on a sheet of sheetrock. Hold your level on the mark and draw a pencil line across the 4-foot width of the sheet at the measured point. Score deeply along the line with your razor knife. Bend the piece outward at the scored line until it breaks in two.
3. Hold the sheetrock up to the ceiling with the assistance of a helper, with the cut end against the wall and the factory edge landing at the middle joist that you measured to.
4. Shoot galvanized drywall screws every 6 inches along each point where the board crosses joists.
5. Set a full sheet of sheetrock off the end of the first one, unless there's not 8 feet of space left. In that case, measure and cut the drywall to fit in the remaining space. Hang it as before.
6. Repeat the process for each row of sheetrock, running them side by side and covering the whole ceiling. Start each new course at the opposite end to the previous one, ensuring the ends of the sheets don't form four-way intersections anywhere on the ceiling.
7. Press mesh drywall tape along the seams of the sheets. Cover the tape with joint compound, using a six-inch drywall knife. Make the lines of compound just wide enough to cover the tape (three or four inches). Dab compound over the screw holes as well. Get it smooth and flat. Let it set for six to eight hours.
8. Spread on a second coat of compound over the tape, letting the line of compound spread out an inch or two wider than before. Let it set. Spread on a third and final layer, using a 12-inch drywall knife and making the seam about 10 inches wide.
9. Let it dry for 12 hours then sand it flat with a drywall sanding pad. The ceiling is ready for painting.
Tags: ceiling joists, compound over, drywall knife, line with,