A number of years ago a good friend and hanging partner of mine held a strangely shaped piece of drywall in his hands. “It’s a tripizoid!” he said. That’s the perfect name for those pieces that are vaguely trapezoidal and somewhat trippy to measure.
Just recently our crew was working on a house for a local contractor and there was a tripizoidal skylight in the bathroom (photo #1). Not only was the shape slightly tricky, but the skylight trim was slotted to allow the drywall to slide snugly behind it.
Here’s how I hung it:
In photo #1, three sides of the skylight are visible, and the fourth one is identical to the one we’re facing. I almost always start something like this with the more difficult pieces first. The rectangular pieces of drywall that will go on the right and left side of the skylight in the photo are easy to cut, but if we hang them first the tripizoid will have to “tight-fit” between them. I cut the harder pieces first to have a little wiggle room.
First, I took my adjustable square and drew a line perpendicular to the ceiling and intersecting the highest point of the skylight. Then I took the measurements shown in the diagram. I took horizontal measurements from A to B and A to E; then a vertical measurement from B to D and a little sideways angular thing from E to F. Also, I took a horizontal measurement from that first perpendicular line (line C) to point F.
I then transferred those measurements to a sheet of drywall, saving the “angular thingey’s” measurement for last. For my C-to-F measurement, I drew a line perpendicular to the bottom of the sheet. Next, I notched a little chunk of drywall at point E and hooked the end of my tape there. Then I used the tape as a compass to find the point where line E-F intersects that perpendicular line at point F (photo #2).
With the points plotted, I then snapped chalk lines between D and F, D and A, and F and E (photo #3). Then I front cut, back cut, buffed and hung the piece (photo #4).
Here’s a question for you: What if lines A-D and E-F were parallel, and perpendicular to D-F? How many measurements would then be needed to cut this piece of drywall?
Well, that’s how I did it, but tell me if you have a better way!
About the Author
Pat Carrasco is a drywall hanger, trainer and writer who lives in Montana.
