Why I still count my boards even after 12 years in this trade

Last week I was hanging board on a ceiling in Denver and hit 500 sheets for the year. Didnt even know I was close until I added it up on my phone during lunch. That number surprised me because it means I been lifting around 30,000 pounds of drywall since January. My back feels it too. Any of you guys track how much you hang in a season?

3 comments

3 Comments

colethomas5d ago

You ever get that feeling where your left arm is stronger than your right from carrying boards on one shoulder? I swear I look like a gorilla in the mirror after a month of ceilings. 30,000 pounds sounds about right though. That's like lifting a small pickup truck one sheet at a time. My chiropractor sends me Christmas cards.

troychen5d ago

That left arm thing is real man. I've noticed it with all kinds of labor, not just drywall. My uncle was a mailman for twenty years and his right shoulder is way lower than his left from carrying that bag. @colethomas same thing probably happens with landscapers and their right arms from running a trimmer all day. Your body just adapts to the weird load you put on it every day, no way around it. It's like walking with a limp for your arms.

stella224d ago

Read a study a while back about repetitive strain in construction workers. Claimed most guys have a measurable difference in shoulder height and arm strength after 5 years in the field. Made sense when I saw the numbers, like 45% of drywallers end up with one arm noticeably bigger.