Can I safely add a ceiling?

[drejanet]

Hello there! I'm a lady DIY-er, working solo, retrofitting the garage of a 1956 ranch.

I'm working on a single-car garage, which is about 11'6" wide by 26' long. There are 2 x 4 joists on 24" centers spanning the 11'6" width.

My question is. . .are these joists adequate for adding 1/2" sheetrock, or 1/2" plywood panels (for a planked look)?

There is a 2 x 8 center "beam" running perpendicular to the joists. It appears to rest on top of them, and is attached to the rafter running parallel to it. It's as iff that one rafter has a huge, low collar tie attached to it.

I appreciate your thoughts!

 

[cdestuck]

2x4s are going to be too light for drywall. You would only need 3/8" drywall but you'll not be able to use that because of 24" centers. Look into sistering 2x6s along side the 2x4s and you'll be ok

 

[p_mori7]

photos would be most helpful.

 

[rburke65]

I'm not an expert here, but I think the 2x4"s will be "taxed" with you adding drywall !

 

[drejanet]

I'm thinking 2 x 4's are on the light side, especially for drywall. I did wonder about laying in plywood on the topside of the joists, leaving the joists exposed on the bottom side. Plywood isn't quite as heavy as drywall, could I swing 15/32 CDX?
One factor that might help is. . . the house is old and the wood is HARD--makes me wonder if it isn't yellow pine, because it's so hard.

 

[RVDan]

Are they joists or is it the bottom chord of a roof truss?

 

[Wanna Ride]

Just curious... why drywall instead of OSB? So much easier to install, they're lighter and much more durable than drywall in a garage area.

I sheathed my entire shop interior in OSB, and it's held up very well in twenty years. No mudding/cracking to deal with and I never have to worry about dinging it and breaking through the paper. I painted it about eight years ago... two coats of primer and one coat of semi-gloss. Still looks great.

But I think you'll still have to reinforce the structure for the weight. My trusses are set at 24", but they're engineered for the load and span.

 

[ddawg16]

Back when your house was built....that span was the norm....and it was typically 1" of sheetrock and plaster.

By today's standards, 24" OC limits your span to 9' 10". With 16" OC, you're at 11' 3"

What is the intended use of the garage? Personally, I prefer drywall (sheetrock) over OSB due to better light reflection and better fire resistance.

To be honest, you could put up 1/2" drywall, and as long as you don't use the attic as storage, it will be fine. Might sag a little....but it's just a garage. It's not going to fall down.

Or, you could install more 2x4's in between. This would give you 12" OC spacing with plenty of strength. And, it would be a lot easier putting up the drywall or OSB. I'm willing to bet good money, your existing joists are not 'exactly' 24" OC. If one is off, you will have to cut your drywall.

BTW.....be sure you install the drywall or OSB perpendicular to your joists.

Good luck....and stick around.

 

[RVDan]

Well my roof trusses are made of 2x4 and they're 24" on center and hold drywall. I would suggest you could just add a couple stringers up to the rafters to add the support you need.

 

[MushCreek]

You could always put up metal roofing. It's very light, especially 'liner metal'. Comes pre-painted, so no finishing work required.

 

[BillK]

Well my roof trusses are made of 2x4 and they're 24" on center and hold drywall. I would suggest you could just add a couple stringers up to the rafters to add the support you need.

There is a huge difference between trusses and joists. Trusses are designed for the load. Joists might not be.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Janet, I would have to assume the garage roof is 'conventionally stacked', meaning the framers cut the rafters onsite, rather than using trusses, which were not really very popular in 1956.

The 2x4's are most likely 'wall ties' and run parallel with, and nailed to the rafters to form a rigid triangle which keeps the walls from bowing outward.
In this case the 2x4's are designed to be in tension, in which their size is sufficient for the task, and were not designed to carry a vertical load.

I'm guessing that the 2x8 above runs parallel with the ridge? If so, it is most likely used to nail the bottom of diagonal bracing from the ridge and / or to carry the lower end of purlin posts.

I would suggest, if you have sufficient headroom, nail a 2x6 ledger on both walls, holding it tight to the bottom of the 2x4's, then install 2x6 ceiling joist at 16" O/C between the ledgers. Rather than using joist hangers, you can just cut 2x6 'freeze' blocks at 14-1/2" long, nail them into the ledger on your layout, then nail the C/J into the freeze blocks with three 16's and two 16's, toe-nailed into the ledger. Note that each freeze block will have two C/J nailed into it, one on each side, that being said, every other bay will have a freeze block. No need to place a freeze block in the open bays.

Hopefully, the above scenario is correct, but without photo's, I'm doing a lot of assuming.

 

[Ben7203]

Working solo on a ceiling will be tough. I put up siding and Sheetrock on my basement walls by myself. It was hard work and very tiring. I would not do it again, having on buddy would have made it allot easier, having two would have been perfect. Even with help, if you do a ceiling get one of those SR lifts. Plan on a solid weekend. If you decide to get some helpers, just stand back and watch. Your back and legs will thank you. Plus you'll be in good shape to paint the ceiling. Painting a ceiling is allot harder than walls.

 

[RVDan]

A drywall hoist makes it a lot easier

 

[drejanet]

Good morning!

Thank you to all who've replied. These 2 x 4's run parallel to the roof ridge, and perpendicular to the rafters. They rest on the outer wall on one side, and on the wall between the garage and the house on the other. These are NOT trusses, just your everyday 2 x 4 not quite 12' long, on 24-inch centers.

I hadn't thought of OSB, simply because of its texture--but I will look into that. My current plan is to lay the 4 x 8 sheets on top of these 2 x 4's, as I can maneuver them into place solo, and I like the look of the exposed 2 x 4's underneath. I think sheetrock is going to be: too heavy, too difficult for me to manage, and require taping, where as laying-in from above will let me pre-paint the panels, and install them without assistance.

Sounds like I need to move to lighter-weight, like 1/4" or thereabouts, and it should be okay.

Please feel free to shoot holes in my argument.

 

[kbs2244]

Can you find someone that does the typically 2 x 4 foot dropped ceilings?
They are light and look good.
It does take some skill to get the hanger grid level in all directions.

 

[MushCreek]

Can you find someone that does the typically 2 x 4 foot dropped ceilings?
They are light and look good.
It does take some skill to get the hanger grid level in all directions.

I'm getting ready to do that in my basement. The system I'm using connects directly to the joists, so only 1" loss of ceiling height.

http://www.ceilinglink.com/