Drywall Screws-Fine or Course Thread?

[neblinc]

Well, just about got my wiring done on the shop, drywall will be delivered today. Was looking at the screws and they sell both fine and course thread, which ones do I use? My ceiling and walls will be 4 x 8 sheets of 5/8 drywall. And which length do I get?

Randy

 

[MXtras]

Coarse thread, 1 5/8" long and use the longest sheets you care to handle - creates fewer seams.

Scott

 

[sharpshooter]

just remember when you screwing them in not to cinch the screw all the way thru the sheetrock, make sure your below the surface of the drywall but not to far

 

[boiler7904]

Fine thread into light gage metal framing - coarse thread into wood framing.

 

[neblinc]

Thanks guy's! Never would have thought about the fine thread being for metal.

Randy

 

[Kevin54]

Fine threads, self tapping, for metal studs. Course threads for wood.

 

[Rothaus]

I agree with the thread and sheet rock size. However, I would use liquid nail to glue them on to the studs, the screws are only to hold the sheets and push them against the stud.

You can get these bits with an collar on the tip that helps not to put in the screw to deep.

Good luck !

Cheers

 

[cc_rider]

There's a Liquid Nails product made for that purpose now. I think it allows you to use fewer screws; the packaging has the specifics. I believe it differs from plain Liquid Nails in its drying/setup time; you put a bead of it on all the studs then slap the drywall up RIGHT AWAY.
I like using LN-type products on sheet goods (drywall, subfloors, et al), since they create continuous bonds and provide some sealing. Walls with glued and screwed drywall should theoretically be a tad bit quieter also; the glued seams would tend to reduce vibration of the drywall, or at least increase the resonant frequency. We're talking theoretically here, but you get the idea.

c.

 

[89vert]

Another good tip is to put in two screws about an inch apart where ever you are fastening the Sheet Rock.

This way you get double the holding power and still only have one spot to mud .

 

[thefairlaneman]

speaking of screws ,I put 90% of my garage together with galvanised decking screws .including the vinal siding.....Reason was It was easier than swingin a hammer and I didnt have an air nailer and my neighbors didnt want to hear alot of pounding.

 

[VvvJRvvV]

If you are going to be hanging that much drywall, do yourself a favor. Go buy a drywall screwgun. They can be had for $90 for a good one at Lowes. The bits that supposedly let you set the screw depth are junk. This is one of those cases where using the right tool will save you alot of time and headaches later when you go to finish it.

 

[D-Cal]

Screw length should be 1" + thickness of drywall and any other offsets out from stud face. You don't want too long a screw or you might pierce something.

 

[z28toz06]

Screw length should be 1" + thickness of drywall and any other offsets out from stud face. You don't want too long a screw or you might pierce something.

plus they have a tendency to snap off a lot.

 

[neblinc]

This is such a great forum!! I would have never thought to glue the drywall and I did buy a Maakita screw gun on sale at Menard's. Got about 10 sheets up on my 12 foot ceiling using the cheap drywall jack I got on ebay, it works ok for my use but just have to be carefull since it tends to sway a bit after they are lifted up.
Hopefully I can get the drywall knocked out on the ceiling so I can install the radiant tube heater when it arrives in a couple of weeks.
Been darn cold here in Nebraska.

Randy

 

[Kevin54]

I would have never thought to glue the drywall

About the only place really beneficial for gluing drywall is the ceiling. It is pretty much a waste on the walls and as far as for sound deadening, you might notice a slight difference but not enough to justify. Gluing the drywall to the ceiling joist though will help to keep the screws from pulling through over a long period of time. But on any ceiling you need to look at the specifications for screwing the drywall up. The screws are closer together than on a wall, and if you go with thicker drywall the amount of screws increases along with the spacing decreasing. Getting the heads set at the proper depth is the main thing that needs to be done. Too deep and they pull through. Not deep enough and they will not hold or cover properly.

Kevin

 

[MattW]

How does gluing drywall over vapour barrier help anything?? Matt

 

[boiler7904]

How does gluing drywall over vapour barrier help anything?? Matt

It won't. It'll just create a mess.

You would have to glue the drywall directly to the wood studs for the glue to do anything.

 

[Flathead Youngin']

i'm not a drywall expert but something to keep in mind too, is that coarse thread screws are used in soft wood (pine) and fine are used in hard woods (oak- still want to predrill too unless it's thick)......i'm sure you'll be using a softwood....

i never new what the fine drywall screws in the drywall screw section were for......see, you can always learn something new....i always wondered...

 

[PAToyota]

You'd be using oak for studs?

As has been stated - coarse for wood studs, fine for metal studs.

 

[Tatts709]

I am attaching 5/8" drywall to resilient channel and the fine thread screws will not set in and they strip out the holes. I've tried corse thread and they work perfect. Can anyone explain this?

 

[OGJordan]

Fine drywall screw work well for MDF so it doesn't split, if you're doing an MDF based project. Of course there would be no drywall involved, but that's a good use for them.

 

[Oggy]

I am attaching 5/8" drywall to resilient channel and the fine thread screws will not set in and they strip out the holes. I've tried corse thread and they work perfect. Can anyone explain this?

Cheap metal. We had this problem when I worked for the big-box stores, the studs were made of too thin a gauge metal (don't remember for sure it was 7 years ago), the screws would strip the metal. you can use the coarse thread, but I'd go a with more screws, as the hold won't be as good as if you were using a fine thread screw into a thicker gauge.

 

[tcianci]

The fine / coarse thing doesn't always hold true depending on the gauge of the metal in the stud or channel, the speed of the screwgun and sometimes the phase of the moon!

To the guy who assembled his garage with decking screws, and everyone else who builds stuff with screws...decking screws are NOT intended for any application where there will be shear forces or anything more than moderate tensile stress on the joint. Decking screws are designed for holding down decking, a task that is accomplished mainly by gravity anyway. Many styles of decking screws have small heads making them less capable to draw things together, making them a less than ideal choice for installing vinyl siding. The nails typically used in vinyl siding installation have heads about 3/8 to 7/16 in diameter, much larger than a decking screw.

As far as using fine thread drywall screws to assemblle MDF projects...wrong again. Take a look at screws DESIGNED for MDF and particleboard assemblies. They are typicallly very COARSE thread with an undersized root diameter to minimize splitting.

Screw technology and design is pretty well advanced and there are screws for nearly any application. They should be chosen carefully especially for use in engineered materials. Check out the McFeelys screw catalog at www.mcfeelys.com

 

[jumbo61]

There are specific screws for structural uses.
http://www.grkfasteners.com/en/RSS_1_2_information.htm

 

[OGJordan]

As far as using fine thread drywall screws to assemblle MDF projects...wrong again. Take a look at screws DESIGNED for MDF and particleboard assemblies. They are typicallly very COARSE thread with an undersized root diameter to minimize splitting.

You internet tough guys kill me. Wrong huh? I've been building speaker boxes for cars since the 80s. I guess I'll call my thousands of customers and tell them their enclosures are gonna fail now. Coarse thread drywall screws split the hell out of 3/4 MDF. Particleboard and MDF are two different animals, please have some experience before you try to make an ignorant blanket statement like saying I'm "wrong".

 

[Dog]

I wouldn't bother gluing the sheetrock in a shop as there is no need for it. That cheap jack you purchased will allow you to hang the lid by yourself, I usually just use my cordless drill. Screwing wood can be funny and you might be a lot better off just setting that screwgun aside and using your cordless drill (you will get the feel for the proper depth)...screwguns work a whole lot better on steel studs. Have fun and good luck.

 

[Dog]

Guys (like me ) who make a living with this stuff use what works well and passes inspection.
When it comes to sheetrock fine thread for metal studs and coarse thread for wood works just fine. I have also used fine thread screws for MDF especially when clammed and glued things hold very well. I usually try to avoid putting screws less then 2" from the corners. I also like SPAX screws for MDF which are available at Home Depot.

 

[50cal]

Which type of screw is best for a concrete house? Fine or coarse. The foam forms with plastic tyes poured full of cement.
50cal

 

[Tatts709]

As for the speed of the screwgun I used a screwgun, an impact driver, cordless drill and then a screwdriver all with the same result of the screw not setting into the drywall and stripping out the hole. Oddly enough after trying again on the next day the screws worked perfectly! I don't understand it so it must have been the MOON!

 

[VWandDodge]

As for the speed of the screwgun I used a screwgun, an impact driver, cordless drill and then a screwdriver all with the same result of the screw not setting into the drywall and stripping out the hole. Oddly enough after trying again on the next day the screws worked perfectly! I don't understand it so it must have been the MOON!

More like you were holding your tongue "just right" when installing the screws!

 

[tcianci]

You internet tough guys kill me. Wrong huh? I've been building speaker boxes for cars since the 80s. I guess I'll call my thousands of customers and tell them their enclosures are gonna fail now. Coarse thread drywall screws split the hell out of 3/4 MDF. Particleboard and MDF are two different animals, please have some experience before you try to make an ignorant blanket statement like saying I'm "wrong".

Are you going to hide behind your keboard or get educated?
First of all, I never said that anything you built was going to fail. I have used drywall screws plenty of times both fine and coarse for assembling MDF projects. For your application they worked. For my application they worked. All I was alluding to is that the material has characteristics that make it prone to splitting and although we all have developed techniques to mitigate that problem, the proper engineered screws for the product are much better for the application.

I should have explained myself a little better when bringing particle board into the mix. Of course they are 2 different materials but they exhibit the exact same challenges when being assembled with screws 1: splitting and 2, which we havent mentioned...pullout. Both of these materials hold drywall screws slightly better than if you were trying to screw into whipped cream. The properly engineered screws resist pullout far better than drywall screws.

Since this is a forum where follks come to learn, it's important to convey proper information and your recommendation of fine thread drywall screws for fastening MDF is actually the least split resistant / pull out resistant choice for the material.
So ask yourself... do you want guys to do stuff your way or do you want them to learn what's available in the form of solutions and why they work.