Hanging Drywall by yourself - tips ?

[beepbeep]

I knew a man who hung drywall
He hung it mighty quick
A trip or two to the blue room
Would help him do the trick
His foreman would pat him on the back
Whenever he would come around
'Cause these dammed blue-collar tweekers
Are beloved in this here town

[Mark Henry]

horizontal dry walling you use 12' sheets.

In the OP's case with drywall/wood panel already on I'd consider the extra cost of something like this plastic panel.
1/16 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Plastic Panel-63003 - The Home Depot

My shop is done with steel siding from above ground pools. I got it from a pool manufacturer they were factory 2nds that I got cheap. Painted and fireproof, but the con was it's a bit hard to cut.

[creaturecat]

the professionals make it look easy.
it isn't.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Mark Henry

Vertical dry walling you use 12' sheets......

??? Not if the ceiling is 8' OP stated low ceiling.

Horizontal you might want to use longer boards(less butt joints), depending on length of wall.

[Crowbob]

Hanging is easy. So is taping. Sanding not so much. The less sanding needed the easier the job. Take care in muddyng the tape and gaps. 1/2 hour of extra care in taping and muddling equals an hour of sanding. You can cut your time in half by the tape job.

A wet sponge after taping reduces the sanding even further.

In the end, any imperfections, especially in a garage, will be unnoticeable behind all the crap hanging on the walls.

[billybek]

The trouble with hanging vertically is that the edges don't always match up with the studs. If the studs are out of square adds another problem with the vertical install.

Buy a decent drywall square. I did my garage first and then the main floor renos and then the basement developement. The horizontal hang is much easier.
Ceilings are a pain but they are do able on your own even without a lift. I used a lift in the garage and the main floor of the house. In the basement I made some wall cleats to support the drywall on the edges then made a prop to hold the other end up. Worked pretty well if you are not in a hurry.

I measured and pre cut all the boxes. This is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I had learned from a drywall taper friend of mine and he would tease me that the one board I took 5-10 minutes to measure and cut prior to hanging would have earned me a buck fifty working in that field. While I would always hang the board, I would always pay cash to have one of his tapers come in to mud and sand. In my mind, well worth the money and the result is a professional finish. Not a big deal in the garage though...

[GWN7]

Why not use steel panels? If you use galvanised they throw lots of light back. No finishing or painting required. No worries about water damage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp4Zo2_Fexg

Short video from a manufacture.

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by dad911

??? Not if the ceiling is 8' OP stated low ceiling.

Horizontal you might want to use longer boards(less butt joints), depending on length of wall.

Sorry brain fart...I ment horizontal...doh.

[908/930]

Nice 2002, I need to get another one of those.

What is holding the wood on? easy to remove? I think drywall at 1/4 thick will look wavy quite easily if the wall is not straight.

Dura-bond or something similar that sets to fill the joints, make sure it is below sheet level you don't want to sand, and then tape over that, two or three thin skim coats and that should be good, do not try to fill in one coat, can water down the filler for the last skim coat, work reasonably quick because it will soften below.

And beer.

[DanielDudley]

You might be surprised at how nice those walls would look if you just caulked, spackled and painted them.

[javadog]

Lots of incorrect advice here...

Hang them vertically. Add studs if needed to correct the spacing. Buy whatever length is appropriate for you ceiling height. They come in more lengths than just 8' and 12' Hang another layer over the existing on that one wall. No need to use thinner sheetrock on that wall. Re-trim all your electrical boxes before hanging the second layer. Keep the bottom of each sheet clear of the floor.

JR

[dad911]

Originally Posted by javadog

Lots of incorrect advice here...

Hang them vertically. Add studs if needed to correct the spacing. Buy whatever length is appropriate for you ceiling height. They come in more lengths than just 8' and 12' Hang another layer over the existing on that one wall. No need to use thinner sheetrock on that wall. Re-trim all your electrical boxes before hanging the second layer. Keep the bottom of each sheet clear of the floor.

JR

Yup. Upon further thought I would consider using 5/8 fire (type X) on the house wall. Why? Current code, and it's a good idea.

[javadog]

Often, DIY Joe limits himself to what he sees on the shelf at a big box store. As a contractor, I buy nothing there. If I want sheetrock, I'll get it from a drywall supply company. They are everywhere. If I want lumber, I'll buy it from a lumber yard. Plenty of those, too.

Etc.

The big box stores carry a limited sampling of what's available in the market and they usually sell the cheaper grades of materials. No thanks.

JR

[Charles Freeborn]

Vertical. The reason you go tight to the ceiling or joists is it's easier to cover an inconsistent gap at the bottom with baseboard. There's a lift tool that you step on to lever it up while you shoot a screw. Also, as said keep it off the floor or it will wick moisture.

[stevej37]

These things are great for ceiling and wall panels. Just roll it around and crank it up. I bought it new and sold it when done for about the same price. After insulating the walls, instead of drywall, I used chipboard for the walls and painted it white. Turned out good.

[DanielDudley]

I'd watch a video, rent a lift, and get a teenager to help me.

There are lots of ways to skin this cat, but a video will actually teach you some things that you will never hear here.

[ckelly78z]

I decided not to drywall my unheated garage. I did mount 4x8 sheets of celotex insulation board to get a somewhat finished look....so much easier than mudding and sanding. The upside is, that when the garge is heated for a project, the R-10 value of the celotex helps hold the heat, and helps insulate one wall that is attached to the house (bathroom on other side).

[wdfifteen]

I've hung a lot of drywall by myself. For vertical panels I use one of these Wonder Bars on the floor. Slip it under the bottom edge of the board and step on the end of the bar to lift the board up off the floor. Hanging horizontal is very hard to do alone. I've screwed the board to 1x4s on the floor and then set them up against the wall. Even so, hanging is the easy part. I HATE finishing drywall.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

You might be surprised at how nice those walls would look if you just caulked, spackled and painted them.

I would be very surprised.... It's basically a ****ty 30 y old drywall job with the board backwards (or in any case paper facing me), ugly spackling with peeling tape, and wood paneling covering 30% of it... I don't see how that could be painted, over paper... If you meant over wood, not enough of it and it makes it hard to hang stuff anyway...

I don't see how that could look nice in any way shape or form, trust me I am lazy and if there was an easier way I'd pick it ;-)

Sounds like drywalling OVER the old drywall (I'll wank the wood) will save me a ton of work though. I'll go vertical then - thanks guys !

I'd like to stick with 1/4 to save weight, the walls look reasonably straight !

[javadog]

You'll end up with a better job if you use 1/2". What looks straight now probably isn't as straight as it looks. All the butt joints will have a nice little hump.

Your house, though, so it's up to you.