How to hang plasterboard: layout, fixing and joints

A smooth wall finish starts long before the stopper arrives. Badly hung sheets mean more joints, more filling, more sanding and more cracks later. This guide covers how to hang plasterboard so it is quick to stop and looks good under paint.

Check the framing first

Plasterboard can only be as straight as the frame behind it.

• Run a straight edge along the studs and joists, and plane or pack any that stick out or sit back
• Make sure the framing is dry. Wet timber shrinks and pops fixings later
• Add dwangs, nogs or backing where the sheets need support and where heavy items like cabinets, handrails or TVs will hang
• Check that all wiring, plumbing and insulation is finished and inspected

Plan the sheet layout

Good layout means fewer joints and fewer weak spots.

• Use the longest sheets you can handle, to cut down on end joints
• On walls, sheets are often laid horizontally, which can mean less joint length. Follow the system you are using
• Stagger the end joints, so they don’t line up from one row to the next
• Avoid joints that line up with the edges of doors and windows. Run a sheet around the corner of the opening instead, with an L-shaped cut. Joints at the corners of openings are where cracks start
• Do the ceiling first, then the walls, so the wall sheets help support the ceiling edges

Cutting the sheets

• Measure twice and mark the face of the sheet
• Score the face paper with a sharp knife against a straight edge, snap the sheet, then cut the back paper
• Cut holes for power points and lights with a jab saw, measured from the edges of the sheet
• Rasp rough edges smooth, so the joints sit tight
• Change knife blades often. A blunt blade tears the paper

Fixing the sheets

Every plasterboard system has its own fixing pattern, which sets how far apart the screws or nails go and whether adhesive is used. Follow the manufacturer’s fixing guide for the system you are installing, especially for bracing walls and fire or wet-area linings.

General good practice:

• Hold the sheet firmly against the framing while you fix it
• Drive screws just below the surface without breaking the face paper. A screwgun with a depth setting helps a lot
• Keep fixings the right distance from the sheet edges
• Don’t fix through the joint where two sheets meet on the same piece of timber unless the system says so

Joints and corners

• Butt sheet edges together lightly. Don’t force them tight, and don’t leave big gaps
• Fit the recessed edges together where you can, as they are much easier to stop than cut ends
• Use the right corner beads or tape on external corners
• Leave the right gap at the floor, so the sheet isn’t sitting in any moisture

Common mistakes

• Joints lining up with door and window corners
• Screws driven too deep, tearing the paper
• Sheets hung on wet or crooked framing
• Too many short offcuts used to save sheets
• No backing behind heavy fixtures

Each of these turns into extra stopping time or a crack that shows up after the painter has finished.

A simple example

You are lining a 4 metre long bedroom wall with a window in the middle. Instead of butting two sheets at the window edge, you cut an L-shaped sheet that wraps around the top corner of the window, so the joint lands away from the corner. You stagger the end joints between the top and bottom rows and add a dwang where the client wants a heavy mirror. The stopper finds tight, even joints and no torn paper.

When the sheets are up, see gib stopping basics for the next step.

Quick checklist

• Framing straight, dry and inspected
• Backing in place for heavy fixtures
• Longest sheets possible, end joints staggered
• No joints at the corners of openings
• Ceiling first, then walls
• Fixings to the manufacturer’s pattern, not through the paper
• Clean cuts and tight, even joints