Drywall installation on the ceiling without help

Question

I bought a piece of drywall(48x26 inches) and ready to install it. Please see the images.

The height of the ceiling is about 11.35 foot. I tried to hold it with my hand, but it is heavy. I can't find a helper because the ladder only supports 250 lbs.

Please recommend tricks and tips.

Also I bought Black$Decker 5.2 amp 3/8 drill/driver. I am not sure whether I got the right tool and how to use it for mounting the drywall.

Should I use it drill holes on the drywall before installation?

The old screw likes below.

And do I have to drill holes on the wood with this tool?

Answer 1

Get a 12' 2x4 and a 3' to 4' 1x4. Screw the 1x4 at right angles to the 2x4 near one end. The 1x4 should be centered lengthwise on the 2x4 and overhang the end about 1/2". See sketch below. In the sketch I showed screwing the Tee board on the edge of the 2x4 but you may want to screw it to the flat of the 2x4 to get a better screwing to make the 1x4 fairly solid. Use 4 or 5 screws for this.

Cut the total length of the 2x4 to be about 3 to 4 inches longer than the floor to ceiling height. Now you climb the ladder and hold the drywall in place and have another helper hoist the 2x4 up with the cross piece coming up under the piece of drywall. The helper should be able to wedge the 2x4 in place to hold up the drywall until it can be screwed into place. If the wedge wants to kick out on the bottom then it may be necessary to shorten the 2x4 a slight amount.

The power drill you can purchased can be used for installing drywall screws but it can take practice to avoid sinking the screws too far or even all the way through the drywall. I would recommend instead using a hand screwdriver for this small job. Make sure to use proper drywall screws. A common size for this will be 1 5/8" length screws. When installing drywall screws you do not pre-drill the drywall itself. The screws are also very sharp and will not need any pre-drilling into the framing members either. When setting the screws use care to tighten them down just enough so that they dimple the paper and recess a small amount. You do not want to tighten so far that the outer paper layer tears.

Answer 2

Since you do not have a helper, but you do have a wall to lean the 2x4x12 with 1x4 cross piece (described by Michael Karas) against, you can lean the unit against the wall with the top edge of the 1x4 right below where the drywall goes, climb the ladder with the drywall, set it on the 1x4, and screw it in place. Set rough drawing below.

Of course, if you don't mind repairing the drywall wall below the hole, you could just temporarily nail the 1x4 to it at a height to support the repair piece. carry the repair piece up. set it on the 1x4, and screw in the other side.

And last, and least functional is to use a rope temporarily nailed/or screwed to the ceiling joists on either side of the opening. Drive the nails (one on each side) into the joists leaving about 2", then twist them with pliers into a hanger for the rope. Make sure the rope is taut or it won't support the repair piece adequately while you screw in the other side.