Turning Scrap Wood into DIY Drywall Lift [4 Simple Steps]

Drywall lifts are used for hanging drywall at a certain height where it has to be fixed.

This machine assists man to carry the drywall so that it can be fixed with convenience.

Drywall lift decreases the labor cost for fixing the drywall and also enables the single person to fix it individually. But due to its high cost, it is not recommended domestically.

But, this issue of high cost can easily be solved with the manufacturing of DIY drywall lift at home.

This DIY drywall lift is more like a trolley in its structure. The shape of its structure is composed of a horizontal rectangular shape base.

Two vertical structures are assembled on the base to support the table at a certain height. The base supports all the structures.

This homemade drywall lift is also movable as it has also been furnished with wheels under the base of it.

The structure and composition of this lift stand this machine prominent among all other typical T-type lifts. As it is a homemade machine, it is manually operated but it is a very cheap and easily operated machine. 

The drywall lift machine available in the market is expensive, so, this idea of making a machine at home is being shared in the following paragraphs step-by-step for better understanding.

If you are not a professional and want to work at your home for domestic use then the homemade drywall lift machine idea is the best one. We recommend watching this video to better understand the process-

Equipment Required for the DIY Drywall Lift

1. Gloves
2. Face Mask
3. Glasses
4. Hammer or nail gun for fixing nails
5. Nails 
6. Lumber wood (Scrap wood)
7. Bolts for making moveable joints
8. Measuring tape 
9. A rope for the prop
10. Carpenter or masonry leveler
11. Saw for cutting the wood 
12. Drill machine
13. Wheels for the drywall lift

After acquiring the necessary equipment, we will start the making of a DIY drywall lift. We will divide the process of making the lift into parts so that you can easily learn to make one for you.

Step 1- Taking Measurements

With the help of measuring tape, we will measure the distance between the required height of the ceiling and the ground. According to this measurement, the height of the DIY drywall lift is adjusted.

After getting the measurement, we will measure the lumber wood and will mark the wood according to the requirement of the drywall lift. For this purpose, marking will be applied separately for each part of the lift.

Step 2- Cutting of Lumber wood:

As we have marked the lumber wood according to our requirement, now the wood will be cut into pieces according to marks on the wood. 

For the base, two types of pieces will be made one is 60 inches in length and the other type will be 28 inches. Two lumbers of 60 inches and two of 28 inches will be cut. Additionally, four lumbers of 34 inches long will be cut. 

For the stand of the lift, two lumbers of 93 inches will be cut and two lumbers of 32 inches and one 28 inches piece will be cut. 

For the prop of the machine, two lumbers of 90 inches long will be cut down and two lumbers of 28 inches will be cut down. 

For the table of lift two lumbers will be cut of 84 inches and five lumbers will be of 28 inches length. Two small lumbers of 30 inches each in length will be cut. Those small lumbers will be used to provide angular support to the stand of the DIY drywall lift. Four rectangular shape blocks will also be made which will be assembled vertically on the four corners of the base.

Step3: Assembling of lumber wood pieces:

First of all, the base of lift will be prepared. For this purpose, two 60 inches pieces will be assembled with two other 28 inches pieces with the help of steel nails. These will be assembled in such a way that those make a rectangular shape. On the four corners of the base, the rectangular block will be fixed vertically. 

In the next step, the stand will be assembled in such a way that the two lengths of 93 inches will assemble with the one lumber of 28 inches making a rectangular shape with one side empty. Two lengths of 34 inches are assembled in mid of the two 93 inches lumbers. These two 34 inches long will be connected across each other to provide strength to the stand.

For the assembling of prop two lengths of 90 inches and two lengths of 28 inches are joined in such a way that these make a rectangular shape. Two lengths of 34 inches fixed across each other in between the 90 inches length of prop provide maximum strength to the prop.

In the end, the table will be prepared which provides a surface for placement of drywall. Two lumbers of 84 inches and two lumbers of 28 inches will be assembled in a rectangular shape. The other two remaining 28 inches lengths will be set between the 84 inches lengths so that it may come just above the width of the prop when the prop is at a right angle to the base. Another 28 inches long will be assembled between the 84 inches length parallel to the other two 28 inches lengths but apart from these two small lengths. This will maintain the strength of the table.

You may find our spackle buying guide useful. Plus, check out drywall primer, joint compound, and drywall stilts buying guide as well. These will help you choose the perfect products for DIY home improvement jobs.

Step 4: Assembling the components to turn them into a DIY drywall lift:

First of all, wheels will be assembled on the four corners of the base just opposite to the wooden blocks. Then on one side of the base width, a stand will be assembled with steel-nails to make the joint immovable. The empty side of the stand will remain upward. The stand will be assembled at the right angle to the base. To provide the joint strength, two angular supports with the help of 30 inches lengths of lumber wood will be jointed. Now the lift has taken an L-shape.

Along the other width side of the base rectangular, the prop will be joined with a movable joint or hinge joint, so that the prop can move up and down to adjust its position. To make the joint moveable, it will be fixed with the help of bolts. A rope will be tied with the prop to control its move up and down, manually. Now, the lift has taken the U-shape with unequal lengths of sides.

In the next move, the table will assemble on the open side of the stand with a moveable joint between them with the help of bolts. It will be joined so that the pair of small lumbers joined between the lengths of the table must come over the prop when the prop is at the right angle to the base.

Finally, the DIY drywall lift is ready to use. This lift has two moveable parts i.e. table and prop which can move up and down. To adjust the height of the table or to move it down to put drywall over it, manually a stick will be used for the movement of the table due to its high height.

All the measurements given are somewhat supposed values, these values may vary according to the requirement of the user. The material especially wood used in the making of lift is scrap wood. So, the cost of this lift is very low as compared to the cost of a typical T-shape drywall lift available in the market.