Hanging drywall sheets in a way that they fit on the wall perfectly is essential for a flat as well as even drywall surface. Drywall sheets are heavy and large so it becomes a challenging task to hang them safely and correctly on walls especially when the walls are quite high. In this article, I’ve talked about how to hang drywall on 10-foot walls correctly so stick to this article till the end.
To hang drywall on 10-foot walls, place one full drywall (4 feet wide 8 feet long) sheet horizontally on the top of the wall and then drive screws through it. Then place one sheet of the same size on the bottom the same way. Now, place a 2-foot long drywall sheet strip in the middle to fill the gap.
The rest of the article is all about hanging drywall on 10-foot walls and other related things. So keep reading this article to learn about them in detail.
How Do You Hang Drywall On 10-Foot Walls (step-by-step)
Installing drywall on a high wall securely requires effort especially when you’re doing it alone because a drywall sheet is susceptible to break or damage when you’re lifting it.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can complete this task securely-
Take measurement
Using a measuring tape, measure the height and width of the walls and then note them down on a piece of paper. It’s an important step to take before you start hanging a drywall sheet on the wall.
The width of your wall can be anything but in most cases, the 10-foot high walls are 8-foot wide, 10-foot wide, or 12-foot wide. Once you’ve known the exact width and height of each wall, move to the next step.
Choose the Drywall Sheet
The length and width of a drywall sheet are in multiples of 4 such as 4 ft. by 8 ft., 4 ft. by 12 ft., and 4 ft. by 16 ft. The drywall sheet size that is used the most is 4 ft. by 8 ft. (4’×8′) because it’s very compatible with walls and ceilings and is also highly recommended for 10-foot walls.
If your wall is exactly 10 ft. high and 8 ft. wide, then you’ll need 2 drywall sheets of 4’×8′ and 1 sheet strip of 2’×8′. But if the height of your wall is 10 ft. and the width is more or less than 8 ft., then you’ll need some more drywall sheet pieces to fill the gaps.
Hang the first Drywall Sheet
As you’ve collected the drywall sheets to be used, it’s time to hang them on the wall. Assuming your wall is 10 ft. high and 8 ft. wide, here, you have to pick one full drywall sheet and install it up top of the wall.
If you’re 2 people, then there won’t be any challenge in completing the task because one of you can hold the sheet while the other one can drive the pins through it. But if you’re doing it all alone, you’ll need to be very careful because the average weight of a 4’×8′ drywall sheet is 25 lbs., requiring effort and expertise to hang it alone perfectly on the wall.
You’ll need to use a drywall jack to hang the sheet properly on the wall. A drywall jack makes it a lot easier to hang the drywall sheet on a wall because it holds the sheet in a straight position and allows you to adjust its size according to the height of the wall. This tool helps hang drywall quickly, easily, and securely without needing someone’s help and many drywall installers make use of it.
Hang the second Drywall Sheet
Once you’ve hung the drywall sheet up the top of the wall, it’s time to hang the second sheet on the bottom of the wall. Now hanging the sheet on the bottom won’t be as challenging as hanging it on top because here, you don’t need to lift it up and you can easily drive the screws through it with a drywall screw gun.
You might’ve come up with a question like why hanging the drywall sheet up top first? Why not hang the sheet on the bottom first?
The reason behind it is that if you hang the sheet first on the bottom and then go for the top, you may cause damage to the bottom sheet through the ladder or whatever prop you’re using to reach the top. If you’re willing to be very careful, you can hang the bottom first and then the top but there will be no risk of any damage if you do it the way I’ve mentioned.
Hang the Sheet strip
As you’ve covered 80% (or 8 ft. area) of the wall with drywall sheets, it’s time to fill the middle gap with the 2’×8′ drywall sheet strip. This is the easiest part to do during this whole process because the strip fits the gap easily and you don’t require to keep pressing it against the wall to put screws in it.
The reason to hang the 2′ strip in the middle and not on the top or the bottom is because, during the finishing, it’s a lot easier to finish the middle area than the up or bottom area.
If you put this piece on the bottom, you’ll need to bend to finish it, and if you put it on the top, you’ll need a ladder to do it. In both cases, you’ll not be able to finish the joint area as properly and quickly as you can do it if it’s in the middle.
So this was the whole process of hanging drywall on a 10’×8′ wall. Apply the same process on all of the walls with the same area.
I’ve already mentioned that the width of your wall can be more or less than 8′ and if that’s the case, you’ll need more drywall sheet pieces or different size drywall sheets (depending upon the width) to hang on the wall.
Now once you’ve done hanging the drywall on your 10 ft. walls, go for the further steps such as taping and mudding.
How Long Does It Take To Install Drywall On 10 Foot Walls?
The amount of time that goes into installing drywall is not certain because it depends upon your skills and expertise. If you’ve been a pro drywall installer, then you’ll get the job done way quicker than a newbie.
According to the data collected from authentic sources, it’s known that a pro can install (from hanging to mudding) drywall on a 10-foot high wall in about 20 minutes.
If you’ve never installed a drywall before and you’re going to do it for the first time, you shouldn’t take more than 1 hour for one wall since that’s a lot of time.
Can I Hang A Drywall Vertically On A Wall?
If the wall is 10 ft. high and you have drywall sheets of 4’×10′, you can hang them vertically as there won’t be any issue. But if the wall is 10′ high and you have drywall sheets of 4’×8′, then you shouldn’t hang them vertically as I’ve mentioned earlier in this article with reason.
Usually, the drywall sheets are hung vertically for commercial buildings for many reasons and one of the reasons is that they can be easily lifted to expose them for inspection purposes. In the case of residential buildings, there isn’t much need for any inspection, and hanging them horizontally on the wall increases wall shear strength.
Does It Matter If You Drywall The Ceiling Or Walls First?
According to the professionals, the following are the reasons why you should drywall the ceiling first and then the walls-
- Hanging drywall on the ceiling is the hardest as it requires you to be extremely careful and attentive while hanging it.
- If you drywall the walls first and then go for the ceiling, you’ll need to be very careful while working on the edges of the ceiling to avoid causing any scratches or damage to the drywall hung on the wall. Meanwhile, if you hang the ceiling first and you happen to cause a scratch on the wall during the process, there won’t be any issue as the wall will be further covered with drywall.
- If you drywall the ceiling after walls and it gets misaligned or doesn’t fit with the walls drywall, you’ll be required to put a lot of effort into getting it aligned and symmetrical whereas if you do the ceiling first, you’ll be able to realign it with less effort.
Conclusion
Hanging drywall on 10-foot walls surely isn’t an easy task to execute especially when you’re doing it all alone. Drywall sheets are quite heavy and one requires being careful with that. With the right process and equipment, one can hang drywall on 10-foot or higher walls without needing someone’s help.
So this was all about how to hang drywall on 10-foot walls and I hope you’ve found this article helpful. Good luck!