Every drywall guide says "hang ceilings first" and most beginners assume it is about reach or tradition. It is structural: ceiling board rests on the top edge of wall board — the wall sheets literally support the ceiling's edges and hide its tolerance. Reverse the order and you build a crack into every corner of the room.
The structural reason
Wall board hung after the ceiling butts up underneath it, carrying the ceiling sheet's perimeter and closing the hairline gap where they meet. Ceiling-first also means ceiling screws bite into framing without wall board in the way, and the ceiling's weight never hangs on the wall sheets' face paper.
The joint discipline
Two rules decide how the finished wall ages:
- Stagger vertical joints — start adjacent walls' sheets from opposite corners so seams never line up across the framing. A continuous seam is a crack waiting for the first seasonal movement.
- Keep board off the floor — a ½-inch gap stops wicking (concrete slabs) and lets the board "float" with the house instead of fighting it.
- Horizontal wall joints (taller-than-board walls) land at 48–60 inches — out of eye line, where finish flaws vanish.
The screw pattern
| Location | Spacing | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Walls — field | 16–24 in o.c. | GA-216: 16 in typical for ½-in |
| Walls — edges | 8–12 in o.c. | Edges need the grip |
| Ceilings — field | 12 in o.c. | Gravity is the client |
| Ceilings — edges | 8–12 in o.c. | And perpendicular to joists, always |
Screw depth is its own skill: dimple the paper without breaking it — a broken face paper is a screw with no holding power and a spot that will shadow through paint.
The practical order for a room
- Measure and order with the sheet calculator.
- Hang ceilings perpendicular to joists.
- Hang top wall rows, then bottom, staggering joints between rows.
- Tape and coat per the mud schedule — thin coats, drying nights, raking-light sanding.
The order is the finish. Rooms hung in sequence finish flat; rooms hung backwards spend their maintenance budget on corners that were cracks from day one.