7 Tips for Hanging Drywall Like a Pro

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Mark the Framing

It’s frustrating to have to guess where framing members are after they’re covered with drywall. Avoid this hassle by marking all the framing members before you start hanging the drywall. Mark the center of each ceiling framing member on the top plate of the walls. After you hang the ceiling drywall, mark the wall stud centers on the ceiling drywall and on the floor. Use a pencil when marking on drywall. Ink from markers and pens will bleed through the paint.

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Remove Screws That Missed the Framing

Even with careful preparation, you’ll occasionally miss a stud, drive a screw too deep or have trouble driving a screw deep enough. The screws don’t usually back out easily. The photo above shows one method of removing screws with your screw gun. If this doesn’t work, slide a putty knife blade under the head and press it against the threads while you back out the screw with your screw gun, cordless drill or Phillips screwdriver.

If you overdrive a screw and break through the paper, add another screw a few inches away and then remove the overdriven screw. Locate underdriven screws by sliding your taping knife over each line of screws and listening for clicks that indicate protruding screws. Use a screwdriver to twist them in a few turns, or remove them and drive a new screw alongside with the screw gun.