How to Hang Drywall on Stair Walls

Hanging drywall on the walls of a staircase follows the same basic principles. Hanging your own drywall will take some effort but you can achieve the same results as any professional.

1. Set up multi-level ladders or scaffolding on the stairs, ensuring that they are stable and locked in place. Make sure the ladders or scaffolding are set up to be high enough for the person using them to be able to reach the ceiling.

2. Measure the width of the wall with the measuring tape. Use a pencil and the drywall square to mark that measurement on a sheet of drywall. If the measurement is more than 12 feet, measure to a wall stud which is less than 12 feet from the corner of the wall. Use a drywall saw to cut the sheet to size. The reason for the 12 foot measurement is that 12 feet is the longest sheet of drywall available. When hanging drywall, you want to have the fewest possible joints on the surface area in order to give you a better finished product. Most drywall is sold in 8-foot sheets and you may have to use this.

3. With the help of an additional person lift the first sheet of drywall which has been cut to size up against the wall horizontally until the top edge of the sheet is snuggly against the ceiling and use a drill with a screw driver attachment to secure the sheet to the wall studs. Use a minimum of five screws evenly spaced on the sheet for each stud.

4. Steps two and three should be repeated for each piece of drywall to completely fill the wall surface. Vertical joints for drywall sheets should not be placed directly above or below each other. To cut the drywall wall sheets for the stair runner, measure down from the existing sheet of drywall to the highest point on the stairs which will correspond to the sheet you are cutting. Measure the distance and drop for each stair and mark those on the drywall sheet. Mark lines for each of the distance marks, and cut the drywall with a drywall saw. Hang those pieces in the manner described in steps two and three.