Simplify ceiling-strapping installation

We were preparing to hang a drywall ceiling from rough, unplaned joists. The chalklines for the strapping were virtually illegible. Our alternative method for laying out strapping worked so well that we now use it for any ceiling joists. We made a pair of T-shaped supports with notches to position the 1x4 strapping. We marked the supports for the starter course on the wall. After a few boards were up, we flipped the supports and went to the opposite wall. We checked lines at 4 ft. and 8 ft. on center to ensure good backing at the drywall seams.

David Epstein, West Hartford, CT