# installing drywall to 10 ft vertical walls



## markt59 (Jan 16, 2008)

What is the best method to install drywall to 10 ft, vertical walls?


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

markt59 said:


> What is the best method to install drywall to 10 ft, vertical walls?


2 foot piece up top, then two full sheets.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

A.) Vertically:
You can stand them up with 10'-0" sheets. Cut edges are always placed into corners, so that all edges that meet are factory seams of the sheets.

OR

B.) Horizontally:
Professionally, we install them this way;

FULL SHEET
2' STRIP (23½ ")
FULL SHEET

- One full sheet up top (4'). One full sheet on bottom (4'). 2' strip in the middle. Because it is much easier and faster to reach and coat the seams at waist height.
However, that placement requires better taping skills since it involves properly coating the non-factory edge of one side of the 2' strip. That could test a DIYer's taping skill level.
So the advice of installing the strip at the top is more appropriate, since you can put the cut edge into the ceiling and the factory edge to the factory edge of the full sheet below it. You would install that arrangement by starting at the ceiling and working your way down the wall, carefully staggering the butt edge seams.

Now, if you do it that way, *and* you have exactly 10'-0" wall heights, then you would cut your 2' strip to about *1'-11 ½"* or *1'-11"*(accounts for irregular floors),...then when you add your other 4' + 4' sheets, you don't have to muscle it into a "tight fit". Baseboard covers any gaps at the floor level.

You might want to consider using one or two "kickers" or "lifts" that fit under the sheets. By using your foot, you can step on these (like a car gas-pedal) and raise the sheet, to butt it tightly to the upper sheet's edge.

Examples: http://www.all-wall.com/acatalog/Drywall_Lifters.php

Example of another helpful drywall tool, is a rasp - to smooth your roughly-cut sheetrock edges "flat and straight": http://www.all-wall.com/acatalog/Drywall_Rasps.php


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## perpetual98 (Nov 2, 2007)

Another great post by Atlantic. Too bad this forum doesn't have a rating system. 

Eric


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

Like Atlantic said, it's always better to keep two tapered edges together rather than have a cut end against a tapered. Plus, we always try to keeps seems away from eye level when doing a wall. Also, as he pointed out, cut the top sheet a half inch short so you are not fighting the bottom sheet when you put it up.


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

Ok, what's the deal with hanging horizontal or vertical? 

I "heard" for walls over 8 feet, hang vertical with longer pieces of rock to minimize joints + it yields factory tapered joints and no butt joints. My framer comes by and says, "oooo, should hang the rock horizontal." I asked why and he said, "....uh, because that's the way you do it". He went further to explain that for the 8' plus wall, put the additional section at waist level for easier taping access. That makes sense, but you still have staggered vertical butt joints. 

I have some 9 foot walls. What would be the best way to hang *and why?*:
Option #1: 9' pieces of rock hung vertical, cut side to the wall corners, factory tapered seams elsewhere.

Option #2: 54" wide rock hung horizontal (staggered), gives me factory tapered horizontal joint waist high, but a 54" vertical butt joint every 4 feet (staggered high and low). A 54" width works well for a 9' ceiling. 

Option #3: other? 

Is there some other benefit to hanging horizontal that makes up for the additional butt joints, even on a 10' wall?


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## kgphoto (Dec 2, 2007)

You hang them horizontally because they are stronger and you get less seams to tape. Better shear and you have shorter seams to tape that are on the stud edges, where there is often a problem. If you really want the best job, use a butt splicing product, like the Butt-taper and break your butts between studs.

For a 10 foot wall, I would put a two foot rip on the bottom, cut edge down and then two four foot runs tapered edge to tapered edge. This allows you to let the lower sheets support the uppers, and puts the two tapered joints at a convenient height to finish with the lower one behind furniture, etc.

For a 9 foot wall, I would order 54 inch wide boards and run them horizontally.


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