Drywalling a ceiling is not complicated, but poses a physical challenge because you have to hold each 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of drywall up against the ceiling long enough to mount it with drywall screws. Drywall jacks (also called drywall lifts'') simplify ceiling drywall installation by bracing the drywall against the ceiling while you secure it with screws. You can rent a steel jack with clamps and hydraulic lifting power, but when installing just a few sheets of drywall consider making your own jack. It is far less costly than renting one and it is relatively easy to make.
Determine the Height
Measure from the floor to the surface on which you will be hanging the drywall (for instance bare ceiling joists or an existing plaster ceiling). Subtract 1-1/2 inches from that measurement to account for the thickness of a standard 2x6 board, which becomes the brace. Next, subtract the thickness of your drywall. For example, if your measurement shows the height of the ceiling is 9 feet, and you are hanging 1/2-inch drywall, your measurement will be 8 feet 10 inches (9 feet minus 1-1/2 inches, minus 1/2 inch).
Build the Jack
Cut a 2x6 to the height you've determined (in our example, 8 feet 10 inches). Cut a second 2x6 three feet long. Lay the longer piece on its narrow edge, and lay the short piece perpendicular to it, also on its narrow edge, so it forms a T. Drive three or four three-inch wood screws through the wide side of the short piece to attach it to the end of the long piece.
Using the Jack
Stand the piece of drywall on end and press the top brace of the lift to the surface of it. Drive four 1-3/4-inch drywall screws through the 2x6 and into the drywall. The screws should not come through the other side of the drywall. Lift the sheet of drywall toward the ceiling. Once you have it lifted partway up, take hold of the long piece of the jack and use it to raise the drywall the rest of the way to the ceiling. Press the drywall into place and wedge the jack between the ceiling and the floor. With the jack holding the sheet in place, pull your stepladder over, attach the sheet to the ceiling with drywall screws, then remove the screws from the jack and pull it away from the drywall. Continue the process until your ceiling is complete.
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