Woodworking related

Many sheetrockers put the sheets vertical because butt joints are harder to tape and hide.

I also liked doing it horizontal, because I always thought taping one joint in the middle was easier than reaching to the ceiling every 4’, and if you split the but joints, they could be hid well.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

Back when I was around a lot of houses being built, I saw a lot of drywall work being done. Most of the time they seemed to use 4×12 sheets instead of 4×8. Of course, this meant they usually put them horizontal.

I should have added, most professional sheetrockers will put them horizontal, like Lifesaver2000 said.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

I’ve always gone horizontally its just easier to do..and if you’re doing 12 footers then there is no question i suppose unless you have 12 foot ceilings

-- It's made of wood. Real sturdy.--Chubbs Peterson

I must be tired because I cannot see any difference between putting the top sheet on before the bottom except to wear yourself out. Did I miss something?

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

If you mess up on the cutting and leave a small gap you don’t have to plaster it, the trim makes it go away with no additional effort. Have the gap at the top and there is lots more patching to make sure the hole never shows up. Even if you go vertical you still lift the sheet to the ceiling and leave the gap at the bottom.

-- --Rev. Russ in NY-- A posse ad esse

Depending upon where in the room you are in relation to the run of the ceiling joists, it is recommended that no screws or nails be used in the ceiling drywall within something like 12 or 16 inches of the wall. Then the top piece of wall drywall is pushed up to the ceiling drywall to hold it in place. This allows for the ceiling piece to flex slightly if there is any seasonal movement that causes the ceiling joists to move in relation to the wall, preventing a visible gap.

This type of movement happens a lot, depending upon temperature and humidity swings, vapor barriers, insulation and a bunch of other stuff.

The sheetrockers I have seen then put the bottom sheet down and use something to pry the sheet up tight against the top sheet. There is a tool made just for this lifting, but some just use a small prybar.

It is kind of amazing how fast someone who does this all the time can hang that stuff. They would be done before I got my first sheet lined up.

you can either use that tool or you could just put down a 2×4 and put the bottom piece on that like we have been doing for years. Then you have the bottom piece to rest the top piece on while you screw it in.
Do ceilings first, then lower wall then upper wall.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

Having been a drywaller for the last 40+ years Always ceiling first then top board then bottom Gaps are a tapers worst nightmare In a perfect world everything is square

rockrunner is right on the money.
russellap; ceiling first, then the upper sheet then the bottom sheet.always.
studs are framed verticle,sheet rock is hung horizontal; this for SHEAR FACTOR, for construction.
i’ve been a builder and a taper,too short to be a hanger.
rockrunner; hows your rotatercuff’s? can you raise your arms up past the horizontal plane?
i’ve got family members with that problem after years of hanging.

Well, I’ve hung a lot of rock in my day and no one I have ever known puts the top panel on first at least around here. I tried it once and had people come down on me for working too hard. I see your point though, pushing that lower panel into place makes a better seam, and I guess if you’re making a living at it that saves time in the long run, but I don’t do more than a room now and then, so the trade off between lifting a panel and holding it while I fasten it and stacking them from the bottom up is better. I work by myself so that’s why. If I had a helper I’d do it the other way.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

The top sheet really needs to be placed first because it has to be pressed up against the ceiling for support. If you place the bottom sheet first, you will end up with a large gap half way up the wall. The gap left at the floor will be covered by molding. If you use crown molding, there will be less chance of gaps between the molding and the sheet rock. But off course if the studs are not very straight, you will get gaps.

Another way I would tackle the problem of uneven walls would be to apply a 1/2”x3/4” pine strip to retain the ceiling sheet rock and shim the strip at studs to ensure a straight line at the top; then install the wall sheet rock, starting at the top and working down. Shimming a strip at the ceiling level is a lot easier than trimming/notching crown molding. Large, or even small gaps between crown molding ant the wall attracts the eye as soon as you enter the room. I know because I’ve done it the conventional way and crown molding ends up looking like crap.