Well this is a very different post. Most people will just want to move on... tfurrows mentioned that he will soon be installing some drywall, so I thought I'd share my tips on tools, materials, and techniques. I'm sure I have forgotten things in the tools and materials lists. I'll likely update this post if I recognize any omissions. There are a couple of product links below, which seems so contrary to the spirit of gopher. My apologies, but they were the easiest way to go. Tools: * get a carrier like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-Panel-Carry-Orange-93-300K/202262083 For less than $10, your back will thank you forever. It's great for carrying plywood sheets too. * if you're doing a ceiling, consider buying or renting a lift, like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Troy-Professional-Drywall-and-Panel-Hoist-DPH11/203900041 I've done the ceilings in most of my house over the years and the lift is so much more civilized than wrestling panels to the ceiling and jamming those 2x4 T's up under them. If you're working alone doing ceilings, the lift is an absolute necessity. * a utility knife, a drywall saw and a drywall square for cutting panels. * a drywall dimpler bit for your drill -- and the screws. Choose a screw length that will prevent you from hitting anything electrical. I hesitate to make a recommendation on the screw length, because I don't know the electrical code where you live. * you'll need at least a four inch and a ten or twelve inch taping knife. For holding the mud, a hawk is better than a drywall pan, but you'll have to figure out how much you want to spend. If you can borrow any of this stuff from friends and neighbours, all the better. * a foot-long sanding block and some metal screen 'sandpaper' for sanding across joints. * foam sanding blocks are great for finishing and doing the inside of corners. You don't need many of them and they seem to cut down drywall much better than anything else. * vacuum bags for a shop vac, if you have one. * a five gallon bucket is always good to have around. Materials: * buy the lighter drywall panels. I generally look for "feather lite" or something like that. I don't even know why they make the original kind any more. * the pre-mixed mud in the boxes that the contractors use is the best. I use the joint compound for the first fill and the finish compound afterward. The lite stuff sands easily (it almost comes off the wall like icing sugar). It also dents easily, but it hardens up once you prime it. * drywall tape and corner pieces. Techniques: * if you're drywalling rooms with walls less than 10 feet long, hang the panels horizontally across the studs on your walls. Doing so minimizes any 'waviness' in the studs. Anywhere that it's possible, buy panels that stretch the full length of the walls. Panels are usually available in at least 8, 9, and 10 foot lengths. That leaves you with only a single center seam (and the corners) to mud later. * nail or screw in a couple of pieces of wood just a little over 48" down the studs from the ceiling to rest the top panels on when you're putting them in. Then remove the temporary rests and put in the bottom panel. * if the walls are longer than a single panel length, you'll probably want to hang the panels vertically. * measure twice, cut once. I don't know how many times I have marked out a cut improperly and caught it by re-measuring. * I tend to use paper tape on the flat joints and inside corners. The metal/paper outside corner pieces are great. You put a layer of mud on the corner, press a metal corner into it, squeeze the mud out from behind as much as possible by running your knife over it, and then mud over it. * for me, the inside corner pieces just seemed to create more work, but I'm sure some people swear by them. * use the stick-on mesh tape on ceiling joints. You can use it elsewhwere too instead of the paper tape, but on the ceiling it's great because it allows you to focus on putting the mud up without having to hold the tape in place. * avoid butt joints (where you are joining two of the non-indented ends of panels) if you can. Sometimes it's unavoidable though. * think long term when you're sanding and mudding. It's going to take several days. Unless you're more talented than I am, or manage to make one of those inside corner knives work, you can only do one side of a corner at a time. Everything needs to dry between coats. So realize that (even though you're going to get dirty on multiple occasions), it's best to plan to mud for a few hours and then walk away until the next day, when you'll sand and mud again. * bring the shop vac with you when you sand. Some sanding blocks have a vacuum attachment that sucks air through the sanding screen. I find that the screen plugs a lot. So I just hold the vacuum below whatever I'm sanding. It keeps the dust down a fair bit. If you do this, wear hearing protection. Of course, you'll need a dust mask too. I prefer the rubber respirators. Good luck finding decent N95 paper masks that actually conform to your face these days. * watch a few different youtube videos. You'll absorb different things from each person. There's a guy named Shannon with a channel called HouseImprovements who explains things very well. I also remember watching a channel called Vancouver Carpenter when I was learning to do butt joints. * if you're pulling down any old drywall, it may contain asbestos. Protect yourself, your family, and the people who work at the landfill by following the local requirements for removal -- or hire a professional to do the demolition work.