Putting up walls in your relationships is generally considered to be counterproductive — but putting up walls in your house could work wonders for those same relationships. Plus, if you elect to do the drywall work yourself, you’ll further endear yourself to your fellow housemates as a guy or gal who can get things done while saving a cool $1 to $3 per square foot on professional installation for a job you can do relatively easily yourself.

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Assuming you’ve already selected the type of drywall you’ll need for your project, priced everything out, measured your room, and tallied up the drywall sheets, tape, joint compound, drywall screws and other things you’ll need, you’re ready to start hanging. Follow our seven-step guide below.

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

Most of these implements can be purchased at your local home improvement store for a manageable price. They include:

• A drywall T-square
• A drywall knife in 12-inch, 6-inch and 4-inch sizes
• A utility knife
• A cordless drill
• Drywall screws
• A jab saw

Step 2: Measure and Cut Drywall for the Ceiling

• Start in a corner and measure out.
• Make sure your pieces end in the center of a joist.
• Mark your drywall piece, using a utility knife score the paper.
• Stand the piece up and snap the waste part away.

Step 3: Cover the Ceiling

• Have an assistant hold the drywall piece up while you attach the board using screws.
• Make sure you use at least five screws on each side and screws are placed a half-inch from the edge.
• Your screws should be lined around the edges and the width and length of drywall.

Step 4: Use Rotary Tool

• Use a rotary tool to cut out for light fixtures.
• Make sure you measure where the hole should be.

Step 5: Cover the Wall

• Starting at where the ceiling and corner meet, use a tape measure to ensure the piece will end on a stud and, if not, make sure you cut the drywall pieces down.
• Hold the piece against the ceiling panel and wall, and attach it with screws.
• Hang pieces along the top of the wall over windows and doorways.

Step 6: Trim Around Doors and Windows

• Install the next row of drywall like you did in Step 4, making sure to butt the edges tightly.
• Make sure you cut out switch and outlet boxes with the same procedure as you did in Step 3.
• With a cutout tool, trim any ends and edges into the window and doorway flush with the opening.

Step 7: Make Inside and Outside Corners

• On inside corners, simply butt the end of the drywall against the other one.
• For outside corners, you’ll need to overlap one piece and top with a metal corner bead.
• Repeat steps as needed.

Now that you’re done hanging, you’re ready to finish your drywall. Check out our step-by-step guide to drywall finishing here.

Since we’re all home now more than ever, being prepared for unexpected home repairs with a plan from HomeServe is important. Having a plan in place gives you the peace of mind knowing that you can simply call our 24/7 repair hotline for covered breakdowns. See what plans are available in your neighborhood.