Drywall Time Saver for 9 Foot Ceiling Heights
Written by Todd Fratzel. 
54 Inch Drywall Sheets Save Time
Are you preparing to install drywall in a building or home with nine foot ceilings? Today most building supply warehouses carry drywall sheets in 54 inch widths. 54 inch widths allow you to stack two sheets and create 108 inches or 9 feet!
Fewer Joints
Standard drywall comes in 48 inch widths along with 8′, 10′ and 12′ lengths. Now you can also purchase 54 inch widths in 8′, 10′ and 12′ lengths.
Obviously the benefit comes from eliminating an additional joint. Traditional 48 inch drywall would require three pieces, two 48 inch pieces and a 12 inch “rip”. To make matters worse that also means one edge doesn’t have a mud taper which makes it even harder to get a nice smooth joint.
You can also mix and match 48 inch and 54 inch sheets to create 8′-6″ wall heights. This is typically done more on commercial projects that require the drywall to be installed slightly above the finished ceiling height when suspended ceilings are specified.
The other nice benefit of 54 inch drywall sheets is using them on really wide open ceilings. If your house or home has a very open floor plan it’s quite possible that the ceiling may be continuous over 25 to 40 feet. Over a 40 foot long ceiling area you could eliminate an entire joint which results in a nicer, smoother looking ceiling.
Time and Labor Saver
Probably the biggest savings comes from reduced labor which results in a nice money savings. On an average 2,000 sq. ft. home with 9 foot ceilings it’s likely to save a drywall crew as much as 40 man hours or as much as $1,600!
Whether you’re going to hang the drywall yourself or hire a sub-contractor make sure to ask about 54 inch drywall. If your drywall subcontractor hasn’t heard of it before insist that they look into it. Trust me when I tell you he/she will be glad you did.
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