A lot of people think that hanging drywall is easy, that it's no different from hanging a sheet of plywood. Most "home-improvement" shows on TV will tell you to take a 4' x 8' sheet of drywall and stand it on its end. The only time that this is desirable is when there's a wall that's less than four feet wide. If you hang the drywall vertically, the long upright seams tend to show up a lot easier. This is especially apparent on a long span. If you were to look down the wall, it will look like it has a "ripple" effect, or "waves." 

    Professionals prefer to use 4' x 12' sheets instead of eight-footers, because there's less to hang, and there's fewer joints to tape. Drywall should be hung horizontally, not vertically. Ceilings need to be hung first. Get help holding it up, or use a "panel-lift" machine to make the job easier (see below). Hang the top wall sheet first (get some help holding it up while you set the first few nails), then use a special "kicker" tool to lift the bottom sheet up so that the joint is tight. Avoid hanging the top and bottom sheets on the same studs so that the end (butt) joints run together, ceiling to floor (railroading). Butt joints require more floating to smooth out, and they need to be minimized as much as possible. See the illustrations below.

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