Sheetrocking a ceiling solo possible?

[maxspeed96ct]

Im just trying to think ahead and see what I can do myself as I plan my build, I've done small sheet rock missions around the house before. Have never done a ceiling though..

Is it possible to do this solo? is there some type of lift i can rent ? or is there something I can rigg up?

What are my options ?

Height would be 9ft I can get a rolling baker from a freind that will help me reach , but im not sure if its a good idea to try this solo..

 

[mayday0017]

Yes it can be done solo, though I wouldn't do it....

To be honest drywall is something I would pay someone to do, the savings isn't much doing it yourself and a skilled crew can throw up a whole house in a couple days vs a couple months for a guy and his friend. Also the quality of work they do will dominate work of someone who doesn't know what corners they can cut and where to add extra support and how to run their seams....

But with all that said I know people who have done their own and still believe it was the best idea.

 

[MrMark]

You can do it yourself if you are very strong and make temporary McGiver type supports.

 

[fiveohpatrol]

For what it's worth, I borrowed a drywall lift and hung 3' x 20' metal ceiling panels 12' in the air in my 40x40 by myself. Not too terrible of a job, just time consuming

 

[happy2rv]

I just put 4x8 sheets of 7/16 OSB on the ceiling of my 26'x32' detached garage by myself. I bought a drywall hoist off Amazon.com, something similar to This one.

You can usually rent them, but they typically rent for about half that per day. I needed to lift 12' which most rental companies don't offer. The standard lifts will raise to 11' for flat ceilings.

These work well for flat ceilings. If you can get the sheets of drywall up onto the lift without breaking them, this will allow you to work solo, but I'm not sure I could do it with drywall. I didn't have to worry about the OSB breaking...

 

[hopethisnameisnttaken]

Im just trying to think ahead and see what I can do myself as I plan my build, I've done small sheet rock missions around the house before. Have never done a ceiling though..

Is it possible to do this solo? is there some type of lift i can rent ? or is there something I can rigg up?

What are my options ?

Height would be 9ft I can get a rolling baker from a freind that will help me reach , but im not sure if its a good idea to try this solo..

I rocked an entire house with 10 foot ceiling solo.

It's doable, but not fun at all.

I made "helpers" out of 2x4.

The helper was 2 upright pieces of 2x4 cut down with a piece of 2x4 horizontally across them at the top so the finished height was 9'10" (so that when they were upright they were only 2 inches from the ceiling). The base for the helper was 2 pieces of plywood cut down to roughly 2'x2' with bracing running up to keep the vertical 2x4 upright.

Since I had an unfinished floor, I simply screwed the base into the subfloor (tacked it, it didn't have to be screwed in hard, just enough to not move).

I have also used the same setup, on finished floors, by placing a lot of weight on the base and having the base be larger.

Anyhow,
The way it worked for me, is I'd position the helper in place, tack it down, and then scoot the sheetrock up onto it.

The sheetrock is now only 2 inches from the ceiling at one end.

I'd hoist up the other end, and put a helper (another brace) under it that was cut to 9'11".

I'd then go to the 2" away end and press it up against the ceiling and screw it in, working my way back to the end that is only 1/2" away from the ceiling.


This method worked great for me, but it was very laborious.

I'd advise inviting a couple friends over and treating them to beers and pizza after they help you hang your sheetrock (or, if you're like me and your buddies are nice guys, but are completely useless for this kind of help, you just make lots of jigs out of 2x4s anytime you need an extra set of "hands").

 

[WWIIjeep]

I just put 4x8 sheets of 7/16 OSB on the ceiling of my 26'x32' detached garage by myself. I bought a drywall hoist off Amazon.com, something similar to This one.

You can usually rent them, but they typically rent for about half that per day. I needed to lift 12' which most rental companies don't offer. The standard lifts will raise to 11' for flat ceilings.

These work well for flat ceilings. If you can get the sheets of drywall up onto the lift without breaking them, this will allow you to work solo, but I'm not sure I could do it with drywall. I didn't have to worry about the OSB breaking...

+1 on buying or renting a drywall lift.

Some drywall lifts can also do angled ceilings. Most of them tilt at the low position to make it easier to load the drywall onto the lift. If you're using 1/2" rock, it's easy to load by yourself. 5/8" x 12' panels are a bit hard for one person to load, and hard to raise the lift too.

If you buy a lift from Amazon or wherever, when you're done you can sell it and get back a good portion of the cost, and it will be cheaper than renting one.

All that said, it's far easier, and not really expensive, to just have a drywall crew come in and do the hanging, taping and joint finishing. A few hours and they're done, while you'd probably still be hanging the first few sheets in the same amount of time.

 

[camarotoolman]

i've hung it for a living for 2-3 years. If you are using trusses on 24" centers, you will need to use 5/8" so it is quite heavy. Even if you use a lift, are you strong enough to wrestle the sheets on to the lift? I would try to buy a used lift then sell it when done. Also you will need a screw gun. then after you hang it you will have to tape it, mud it 2-3 times and sand it 2-3 times. Prime and paint it. Also this is not fun work. I would use sheet metal or vinyl soffit, much easier to put up, and no painting. Or hire a Dw crew and be done with it.

 

[e-tek]

^^^^^ Why in hell you'd use any kind of T-support or "helper" when they make drywall lifts is beyond me - unless there was some reason the lift wouldn't fit??

I did my ceiling myself* with a drywall lift. But like happy2rv said, youmay as well buy one since they rent for half the cost of new for 4 hours! I'd bet they go on sale in the US for $99.

* I put an asterisk there because I did need help loading the 12' pieces of rock on the lift. What I did was text Mrs E-tek about every 20 minutes - she would come out, help me load a piece and then I'd lift it, position it and screw it in. She popped out about every 20 minutes, sometimes with drinks and snacks!

As far as doing mudding and taping tho - I'd just a soon pay a pro to do that part of it now - which I did on my last few renovatons.

 

[GGB]

3 Options-

1) Hire it done. You might be surprised and find it's not that much more than doing it yourself, as the pros often get materials discounts that you won't have. As previously suggested, the pros also know how to run the rock on ceilings and walls that will use the least amount of material, which most of us don't know about. And the good ones will know how to mud and tape. Ask around, but get references, and check them out.

2) Friends (or as I call it, soon to be former friends). Depending on how big a project, that may soon determine how soon they are former friends! Unless they know really know how to run the sheetrock correctly to minimize materials and can run a screwdrill the right way and know how to mud and tape, this may create more work than not when it comes to mudding and taping. Most of us amatuers dont. and the results will show it. See 1).

3) Buy a sheetrock lift. Check on Craigslist-frequently these show up because someone bought one for just the one job like you are doing. Should be less expensive than renting, and you can always sell it when you're done.

Good luck!

GGB

 

[hopethisnameisnttaken]

^^^^^ Why in hell you'd use any kind of T-support or "helper" when they make drywall lifts is beyond me - unless there was some reason the lift wouldn't fit??

Some of us like to make things ourselves I suppose.

Plus, the scrap lumber and fasteners used to for a makeshift SR lift means that there's more money in the beer and pizza fund.

SR lifts do make the job really easy, and are probably well worth the money.

 

[Highbeam]

I've done a few garages at the over 10' height. Easy peasy. You can use regular 4x8 sheets and a lift to jack up the sheets, reposition from a ladder, and then screw it down. Remove the lift and add the bazillion required screws. Then move to the next sheet.

You can use a regular drill with a drywall screw bit. You'll get good at it after awhile.

No reason at all to try and rig something up. Rent, borrow, or buy the proper lift which will be marvelous for the ceiling and walls. Really, you don't want another person in the way. There's no room for two men doing this.

 

[Falcon67]

I did my OSB without a lift. I did that because I'd already popped for a scaffold. If I every do it again, I will buy a lift and resell when I'm done. Damn that was hard work. And 5/8" sheetrock weighs more than 7/16" OSB.

 

[scott3257]

Having absolutely zero drywall experience, I decided to do my ceiling with 5/8 Firerock. At nearly 74 lbs a sheet it sucked to do it solo, but I managed. Slid the sheets from the back of my truck on to the lift. From the lift to the ceiling. Worst part by far is the mudding and sanding. I would pay soemone else to do it next time.

 

[east_tn_emc]

I did my shop (10' ceiling) mostly by myself. I had a drywall lift and my wife would help me flip a sheet onto the lift. I would then, by myself, measure and cut out any openings for ceiling outlet boxes (for lights) and whatnot. I would raise it up on the lift and screw it down. Wife would then help me lift the next sheet onto the lift. I was not in a hurry but it was certainly do-able by myself.

The biggest helpful tool for working on the drywall was one of the scaffold sets you can get a harbor-freight/northern/tractor supply. It was money well-spent for finishing the drywall!

 

[PCO6]

I drywalled my walls but didn't want to tackle the ceiling. I opted for aluminum soffitt panels for the ceiling for several reasons. They were light and easy to install by myself. I also figured I would pretty much have to clear out the garage to do the ceiling with drywall. I didn't take anything out. I just moved things around as I needed to. There was no taping, mudding, painting or MESS. Plus I like the look.

See post #12 ...
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142328&highlight=aluminum+ceiling&showall=1

 

[9GUY9]

I hung 12' sheets of 5/8 in my whole garage. I borrowed a lift and was able to do 90% of it solo. I started out with the wife helping, but honestly I found it easier to do it my self. 2 people lifting a 12' sheet of rock onto a lift is harder than 1 person. With 2 people we were lifting the ends, and the sheet would bend so much I was worried about it breaking in half, when I did it solo I would pick it up in the center and place it on the lift. Once the sheet is on the lift life is easy.

That said, I did have a couple trips to the chiropractor for shoulder issues shortly after that project

 

[trainer]

get a lift even if you have help. I've done several ceilings myself and it's no more work than doing walls

 

[509frank]

I rented a drywall lift for 25 bucks a day. I put up 32 sheets of 7/16 osb over 2 evenings 8-9 hours total by myself. Help would of been nice but not nessesary.

Frank

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Thanks for your input everyone, sounds like getting some price qoutes wont be a bad idea.
But im glad it can be a one person job if need be.
Im also going to check my local home depot today to see how much the lift rental costs. I just cant justify buying one just cause i wont have any where to store it and ill just end up trying to sell it .

One more questions, after insulating . Why do some recomend a vapor barrier and say people says it increases the chance for moisture .
Any pros wants to give me thier input ?
The garage will be heated and id like to keep it efficient .

 

[camarotoolman]

The vapor barrier keeps moisture out of the insulation. For what its costs, I would use it. You should use 12' boards to keep the number of but joints to down.

 

[Lugnut64052]

Yes it can be done solo, though I wouldn't do it....

To be honest drywall is something I would pay someone to do, the savings isn't much doing it yourself and a skilled crew can throw up a whole house in a couple days vs a couple months for a guy and his friend. Also the quality of work they do will dominate work of someone who doesn't know what corners they can cut and where to add extra support and how to run their seams....

But with all that said I know people who have done their own and still believe it was the best idea.

^^^
This.

I agree with this whole post, especially the part I bolded.
I hung rock professionally for 12 years, and finished for a few years after that. Mayday0017 is exactly right.

 

[dirttracker18]

I hung 7/16 osb on my ceiling at 12 to 15' in the air solo. A drywall lift is the only way to go. At that height, even with help I would have used the lift.

 

[ddawg16]

^^^^^ Why in hell you'd use any kind of T-support or "helper" when they make drywall lifts is beyond me - unless there was some reason the lift wouldn't fit??

I did my ceiling myself* with a drywall lift. But like happy2rv said, youmay as well buy one since they rent for half the cost of new for 4 hours! I'd bet they go on sale in the US for $99.

* I put an asterisk there because I did need help loading the 12' pieces of rock on the lift. What I did was text Mrs E-tek about every 20 minutes - she would come out, help me load a piece and then I'd lift it, position it and screw it in. She popped out about every 20 minutes, sometimes with drinks and snacks!

As far as doing mudding and taping tho - I'd just a soon pay a pro to do that part of it now - which I did on my last few renovatons.

There are advantages to involving the other half...

Actually....I'll be using my boys a lot....they will be great for turning the crank while I guide the sheet up.

I picked up a HV drywall lift off CL for $125....I'm still about a month away from doing drywall....but it came in handy lifting some of the beams on my house.

Some of us like to make things ourselves I suppose.

Plus, the scrap lumber and fasteners used to for a makeshift SR lift means that there's more money in the beer and pizza fund.

SR lifts do make the job really easy, and are probably well worth the money.

I did it that way on my garage....just not worth the hassel....

Besides....I figure I can sell the drywall lift on CL for about the same price that I paid for it when I'm done.

 

[Steves32]

I was going to do my garage myself but part of my lid is 15 ft up & all 5/8!
Drywall install bid including taped & textured was about $300 more than my HD material price alone. No brainer & I don't give a **** that I didn't hang it myself.

These 2 guys hung my 420 sq ft garage in 3 hours- including the ceiling. The one guy is using one of those rotozip tools to cut out the window. They did the same for all the electrical boxes. Didn't measure 1 box. It was pretty amazing to watch them work.

 

[csp]

I just cant justify buying one just cause i wont have any where to store it and ill just end up trying to sell it.

Huh? That's the whole idea. Buy one from someone in the same situation for cheap and sell it when you're done. They also are made up of several pieces for storage and transportation reasons. They don't take up that much space when broken down.

I bought my lift at an auction for $40. It was missing two casters. Two casters were $30 with shipping and I was in business with a lift that would have cost over $350 new and most definitely over $70 to rent. I wasn't rushed to hang the drywall either by not renting. Luckily I have storage space as it will be used when my basement is finished.

 

[jimindm]

Outside walls and ceiling with a plastic vapor barrier needs to be screwed. Interior walls are screwed (very few) around the edge, and construction adhesive onto the framing. Less screws, just tape. Measure and cut the ends, and roto-zip all off the cutouts. After a few sheets you get the hang of it. Drywall lifts are on CL all of the time. Buy one and resell it when done. I have owned a couple over the years. Its yours, you work on your schedule, and no rush to get it back to a rental. Sell it when you are done. The only person I had to satisfy was me and my better half. I do not live in the taj-majal, nor the slums, but it looks ok when finished.

As I said, I have done my share of drywall, but in todays economy I could not afford to do it on my own. There are to many installers out there, cutting each others throat. I would certainly get a price. Some will let you provide material, some will not. You are not asking about a closet or bathroom where you measure and chop every peice untill it fits. A team of drywallers will have it hung, and first coat of tape and mud on it, before you finish your pitcher of ice tea.

I know that there is some satisfaction of doing something for your self. If you got the time, go for it. I like hearing people say I can do this or that myself. I had and old guy tell me once, I have fixed many of my tires, dismounting them, patching, and mounting them back-up in my back yard. Now I pay $12 to the tire shop on the corner, and drink my diet pepsi.

 

[maxspeed96ct]

thanks guys, I found a new sheet rock lift on amazon for around $160 , couldnt find any used on craigslist. And frankly craigslist has really grown to be a pain in the *** in my area (at least for me the past few deals ive done).

Thansk for everyones opion, Sounds like hiring it out isnt as bad idea as much as I initialy wanted to do it myself.

I thought of metal, but somthing about it doesnt look as good to me. I realy want the drywall .

 

[hopethisnameisnttaken]

The one guy is using one of those rotozip tools to cut out the window. They did the same for all the electrical boxes. Didn't measure 1 box. It was pretty amazing to watch them work.

I use a roto zip for boxes etc now, and it's really easy once you get the feel for it.

Prior to that, I alway used a trick I saw on "hometime" many years ago (it was a PBS show):

They'd take some lipstick and apply it to the rim of the box(s) that were in the area the sheet would cover.

They'd then press the sheet against the wall/boxes and the boxes would transfer the lipstick to the 'rock, which would show where to cut.

Over the years, it's always been funny to explain why I have bright red lipstick in one of my tool boxes...

I went rotozip after getting in a little trouble for ruining what was apparently "really nice lipstick" for the last time.

 

[camarotoolman]

Alot of finishers will not work on dry wall hung by ameteurs. They screw up the hunging and it can't be finisher right either, so they would do it at all. Metal roofing, vinyl or al. soffit is the way to go in a garage or porch. Lite and easy to put up, no painting, just wipe to down to clean.

 

[jkeyser14]

Alot of finishers will not work on dry wall hung by ameteurs. They screw up the hunging and it can't be finisher right either, so they would do it at all. Metal roofing, vinyl or al. soffit is the way to go in a garage or porch. Lite and easy to put up, no painting, just wipe to down to clean.

I've never heard of that. Between myself, parents, and friends, we've all hung our own drywall and paid people to come finish it. You'd have to do a pretty bad job for them to turn the work down.

 

[fredybender]

I had 0 experience in hanging drywall:
10' 6" cathedral ceilings with 22-1/2 deg. angles...
rented (not bought) a good lift to hang my 4X12 x 1/2" sheets:
No problems, just take your time. Hired a professionnal for mudding & joints; then again, no problems...

 

[maxspeed96ct]

I had 0 experience in hanging drywall:
10' 6" cathedral ceilings with 22-1/2 deg. angles...
rented (not bought) a good lift to hang my 4X12 x 1/2" sheets:
No problems, just take your time. Hired a professionnal for mudding & joints; then again, no problems...

wow nice place !

 

[NUTTSGT]

When I hung (by myself)the OSB on my ceiling, I used some osb brackets and a T bar, you can it if you search my refurb thread. I wouldn't do it with drywall as it's heavier and will break under it's own weight. At minimum, doing it by yourself you'll need a lift.