- 1). Lift a ceiling tile up, off the grid. Tilt it so it fits through the grid opening. Repeat with the remaining ceiling tiles.
- 2). Pull the cross tees out of the slots in the main runners. You may need to cut some cross tees, with tin snips, if you cannot pull them out. Cut all the hanger wire holding the main runners in place, using the tin snips. Cut the runners into manageable lengths and lower them from the ceiling.
- 3). Grasp the eye hooks with pliers and unscrew them from the ceiling joists. Insert a pry bar between the wall and perimeter molding. Use the pry bar to pull the perimeter molding forward, off the wall.
- 4). Lay a piece of drywall on the floor. Measure across the drywall, placing a mark every 16 inches. These marks will tell you the approximate placement of the ceiling joists, so you can attach the drywall.
- 5). Put the drywall on a drywall lift. Position it on the lift so the paper backing points up toward the ceiling. Crank the lift's handle to raise the drywall all the way to the ceiling joists.
- 6). Drive drywall screws through the drywall and into the ceiling joists. Sink the screws' heads slightly below the drywall's surface so you can hide them with drywall mud. Use four drywall screws per ceiling joist, spaced equally apart and approximately 1 inch from the drywall sheet's edges.
- 7). Make the 16-inch marks on a second sheet of drywall and place it on the lift. Crank it up to the ceiling and place its edge tight against the edge of the first piece. Secure it with drywall screws. Continue these steps to work your way across the ceiling.
- 8). To cut drywall to fit in smaller spaces, which often occur as you near the edge of a ceiling, measure the space's dimensions and transfer them to a piece of drywall. Hold a straightedge on the drywall's surface, along the dimension marks, and trace along it with a utility knife. Hit the back of the drywall with the heel of your hand to break the drywall at that scored line. Cut through the drywall's paper backing with the utility knife. Lift the cut piece into place and screw it onto joists.
- 9). Apply adhesive drywall tape along all the seams where drywall pieces meet and where the drywall pieces meet the walls. Smooth a thin layer of drywall mud over the adhesive tape, using a 6-inch putty knife. Smooth drywall mud over all the screw heads. Allow this coat to dry.
- 10
Smooth a second layer of drywall mud over the first layer, using a 10-inch putty knife. Allow this layer to dry. Apply a third and final layer of mud, using a 10-inch putty knife. The final pass should be about 12 inches wide and feathered at the edges to blend it into the drywall. Allow this layer to dry. - 11
Sand the drywall mud smooth with a sanding sponge. Apply a coat of primer to the drywall and drywall mud. Allow the primer to dry. Paint over the primer with a color of your choosing.
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