How to hang drywall — run sheets horizontal and stagger the butt joints

Hang sheets horizontally so the tapered factory edges meet at the long seam (an easy-to-fill recess), and stagger the butt joints — the untapered cut ends — brick-fashion instead of stacking them. Longer sheets mean fewer butt seams to finish.

What this diagram shows

A wall elevation showing the standard way to hang drywall. Sheets run horizontally, with the long factory-tapered edges meeting at the horizontal seam where they form a shallow recess that is easy to tape and mud. The short cut ends form butt joints, which have no taper and are harder to finish; these are staggered brick-fashion from course to course instead of stacked in one continuous line, so no long weak seam runs up the wall. Using longer sheets (4×12 or 4×14) means fewer butt joints to finish.