Tools and Terminology

• Before you start, gather your tools. You will need a hammer and some drywall nails, or a screw gun or drywall screws, depending on what you would prefer to work with; a couple of sawhorses will help but are optional; and a lot of light as well.
  
  To help along these instructions, the beginner should know a few terms. Joints are the edges where two pieces of drywall meet; the wall stud is a part of the structure of the wall where items like drywall are usually attached.
  
  

Two Ways to Hang Drywall

• The two ways of hanging drywall wall are horizontally and vertically. The whole point is to hang the pieces in the direction that creates the fewest joints. This will be based on the height of your ceiling for the most part, but also if only one person is completing the task or more than one.
  
  Generally, contractors like to use bigger pieces between 12 and 16 feet long to make fewer joints. However, a person working alone would normally use pieces 8 feet long and 4 feet wide.
  
  

Hanging the Drywall

• After choosing the direction, when using non-adhesive drywall, the nails should be placed 6 inches away from each other, and screws 16 inches apart, both along the studs. Don't drive them in too far or it will risk damaging the outside paper. Put each piece as close to the other as possible. If the floor is made of concrete, leave 1/8 inch between the drywall and the floor so it doesn't soak up the moisture.
  
  If you are putting in two layers, the edge of the second layer must finish about 10 inches before the under layer. To make the edges even for either layer, use a razor edge and aim away from your body.