shah.ben•2mo agoProlific Poster

Question about the weight of a full sheet of 5/8 drywall

I was reading through an old trade manual from the 90s at my local library, the one on Elm Street. I found a chart that listed the weight of a standard 4x8 sheet of 5/8 inch drywall. It said it was about 70 pounds. For some reason, I always thought it was closer to 60. I've been carrying these things up stairs for twenty years, and that extra 10 pounds per sheet really adds up over a day. It made me think about all the wear on my back and knees. I guess I never stopped to actually look it up. Do you guys have any good methods for moving full sheets by yourself on a tricky job, especially in tight spaces? I'm always looking for a safer way to handle them.

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron_webb2mo ago

I saw a video where a guy used a simple rope harness to walk sheets up stairs by himself. Looked way easier than bear hugging them lol.

ray_mitchell2mo ago

Wish I had seen that video before I moved last year, @cameron_webb. I tried the bear hug method with a queen mattress and basically just fell over sideways at the landing (it was not a good look). A rope harness sounds like a total game changer for anyone without a helper. I can picture it working way better, letting you use your legs instead of your arms. Next time I'm definitely searching for that trick instead of assuming I can wrestle a flat rectangle up a flight of stairs.