While I won't get into the reasons why, I ended up drywalling my walls in a small sitting room in my basement before doing the ceiling. The walls have since been painted. What are my options for installing drywall in the ceiling and what types of roadblocks may I encounter when doing so?
Wall studs in a new home are 16 on center. Studs in an older home were arbitrary. Since the studs in 1900 were a full 2 by 4 and made with Douglas Fir or Southern Yellow Pine which was more abundant and harder than the new whitewoods, in less expensive homes the spacing was as much as 24 apart. But in the more expensive homes the spacing could be as close as 12. It all depended on how much you were willing to spend. To find the studs in a wet plaster wall you need to buy the more expensive stud finder that penetrates deeper. Metal lathe can really complicate things too. I've had to go as far as driving a finish nail in every 1 till I ran across it.
Did you leave a half inch space at the top of the walls so that the ceiling board can sit on it? If so good . If not it depends alot on the spacing of the ceiling joists. 24 span or greater you may want to put in 2x2or 2x4 spacers nailed inbetween the rafters. This is so because you can fasten the drywall to the rafters, but what do you do about the space in between which is most noticable at the wall/ceiling corner. By adding that spacer you have a spot to screw to. ((That is why the ceiling is put up first and the walls jammed up to the ceiling-to hold up the drywall. You want so that you don't see any flex when you push on it on the edges. If it don't move you did good. Do screw the ceiling. Alot. That is what mud is for.
With no offense, OOPS. In any case it isn't a capital offense crime. After installing thousands of sq. ft. of drywall I offer that the process will be much the same as if the walls were still just studs. Certainly a helper or two would be nice, but the job can be tackled by a single, with some effort. If you have two like sized step ladders they can help. You can make braces from 2 x 4's to hold up a sheet, once you manage to get it up. The braces can also be used to boost: the sheet to the ceiling then wedge/hold it in place. Once screwed to the rafters/ joists all you need do is tape, mud, sand, and eventually paint. If you happen to NEED it white you can mask off your walls at the meeting points. I've also applied thousands of gallons of paint and have a suggestion. Assume your walls are a color. It is a trick of the eye perhaps, but glaringly noticeable to anyone if the painter didn't have a steady hand, and happened to get color up onto the ceiling. The better process for a DIY especially, is to cut the ceiling down onto the walls, and then paint the wall color to within 1/16th inch of the ceiling in a masked, straight line. Odd how it works, but it does. Steven Wolf
If you remembered to drop the wallboard down 5/8, all you have to do is slide it over it. If you did not, I would recommend cutting it so you can. I like to let the edges float so the corner seams don't crack later. You could also consider a suspended or dropped ceiling which is installed after the walls are up. Just run J channel around the walls and suspend the grid. Then drop in panels.
