Drywall thickness

[Pantone032]

First post here, did a quick search and no results came back on the first page. This may be a question asked many times but here goes.

I am looking to hang drywall in our 3-car garage.

In the next few weeks, I will be cleaning out all the old junk we have in it (mostly old paperwork, VHS tapes, old dishes, ect).

I've done a few google searches and found mixed answers.

Should I use 5/8 Type X drywall or 1/2? I will be doing one "garage" at a time over a period of 3-4 weeks.

Thanks and sorry if this is a common question!

 

[Westernhunter]

Use 5/8 on common walls. Walls used by both living space and garage. 1/2 everywhere else.
5/8 is fire resistant.

 

[pattenp]

Is garage attached or detached? If attached fire code requires 5/8 on ceiling and common walls to house. May vary based on local code.

 

[Wingnut65]

+2. Go with 5/8"! It is more durable than 1/2". Yes, that 1/8" does make a difference.

Type 'X' would be a bonus. It adds a little fire rating to the shop that standard GWB doesn't. Good Luck with your project.

BTW, Welcome to GJ, Pantone! Start a thread in 'Garage Gallery' and let us join in the fun you are having!

 

[Pantone032]

The garage is attached.

Thanks!

Do you have any tips for someone who will be hanging drywall for the first time (with the help of a friend who knows how to drywall).

 

[Pantone032]

+2. Go with 5/8"! It is more durable than 1/2". Yes, that 1/8" does make a difference.

Type 'X' would be a bonus. It adds a little fire rating to the shop that standard GWB doesn't. Good Luck with your project.

BTW, Welcome to GJ, Pantone! Start a thread in 'Garage Gallery' and let us join in the fun you are having!

Thanks. I plan on it! I will have lots of questions!

 

[Chuck]

The garage is attached.

Thanks!

Do you have any tips for someone who will be hanging drywall for the first time (with the help of a friend who knows how to drywall).

#1 tip: Renting a jack is worth it for the ceiling.

Even on a detached garage, the 5/8 is pretty much mandatory if your ceiling joists are at 24". Ceiling for a detached with joists at 16" is usually okay at 1/2. 1/2 will sag at greater than 16". Ask the original owner of my place how I know, haha.

 

[WILD-BILL]

Having done drywall in my garage 2 yr ago I have found on more then 1 ocasion that I wis I had used plywood instead.

The ability to screw anything anywhere as opposed to having to find a stud and hope things fit/clear each other would be better IHMO.

Not to mention the few spots where I have dinged the walls with a floor jack or some other peice of equipment.

If you work out there a lot like I do in mine, give it some serious thought.

 

[Nowater]

If you don't rent a jack, at least look up how to make a "dead man" to hold one end of the drywall sheet.

 

[Daedalus]

I read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BWQ54K/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Still up to you to develop the "knack", but all the technical info is there. Also lots of stuff on youtube.

 

[Pantone032]

Having done drywall in my garage 2 yr ago I have found on more then 1 ocasion that I wis I had used plywood instead.

The ability to screw anything anywhere as opposed to having to find a stud and hope things fit/clear each other would be better IHMO.

Not to mention the few spots where I have dinged the walls with a floor jack or some other peice of equipment.

If you work out there a lot like I do in mine, give it some serious thought.

The wall I want to start on first has plywood walls that I want to replace with Drywall.

It would be nice to be able to hammer in hooks anywhere but for me, nailing them into studs are not an issue.


Our garage has an open ceiling and we plan on leaving it as is as we use the space for storage. Maybe in the future when we start throwing out old ****, we may want to drywall it and have recessed lighting installed.

 

[KariFS]

Do you have any tips for someone who will be hanging drywall for the first time (with the help of a friend who knows how to drywall).

My tip: Listen to your friend and do what he/she says

 

[Pantone032]

My tip: Listen to your friend and do what he/she says

I guess what I was implying is that there are more ways to do something and I'd like to hear what others with experience have to say.

 

[KariFS]

I guess what I was implying is that there are more ways to do something and I'd like to hear what others with experience have to say.

Yeah I know. My "tip" was a lame attempt in the art of humorous answers. Sorry, won't happen again

I am by no means an experienced drywall installer, I have hung maybe 30 sheets total. Still need to do the garage and a couple of new walls in the house, but after those I'll try to avoid it. There isn't much to it, but compared to plywood or particle board the stuff is heavy and it breaks rather easily. Try to avoid lifting a sheet near the corners, and when you get the sheet up and if it doesn't sit properly, don't hit the sheet with your fist to seat it, it'll most likely break.

When you put in the screws, push the sheet firmly against the stud because if you try to use the screw to "pull" the sheet against the stud, it'll break the paper surface. Also when you screw the screw, avoid breaking the paper under the head of the screw. If the paper is broken, the sheet will be loose at that spot. Easy to fix, just add more screws 1 or 2" from the broken spot.

So, hanging the sheets is quite straightforward. You might want to mark the stud positions or write them down so that you know where the studs are when you need to hang something.

In my opinion, mudding is the hard part. Totally doable even for a first-timer (there's the first time for everything) but can be frustrating and laborous til you get the hang of it. Just remember not to overfill as sanding is a lot more laborous than waiting for 1 or 2 thin extra layers to dry. The mud will shrink as it dries so it takes a LOT of skill to fill the seams at one go without having to sand excessively. Your results may vary, you may have some better mud available in your area.

Hope this helps

 

[JoeFin]

The garage is attached.

Thanks!

Do you have any tips for someone who will be hanging drywall for the first time (with the help of a friend who knows how to drywall).

Yep -

Rent the Dry Wall jack from the local rental shop when you do your ceilings

So much easier

 

[dlcwent]

Hire someone else to do it. Drywall hanging is okay but the sanding *****. I used to do all my own drywall, but since I hired a pro to do a couple of ceilings in my house, I'll never do it again. At least on a ceiling.

 

[csp]

I would hope that on an existing attached garage that it already has been drywalled as necessary to meet code.

The exception would be a home under construction or one that pre-dates the requirement for type X between the living spaces and garage.

 

[J.A.Varela]

My old man was a drywall contractor. He said : If it wasn't 5/8 green board it was useless.

 

[BFBOB]

In some areas, double 5/8 fire code and fire rated doors are required between attached garage and living areas. (with nail/screw in$pection required for both layers). Actually, not a bad idea with certain vehicles that can set themselves on fire even with the key off and out of the car.
Add a heat detector or two interconnected with your home smoke detectors for early warning. Smoke detectors in garages are a PITA for false alarms; heats are better.

 

[Joe Reed]

The wall I want to start on first has plywood walls that I want to replace with Drywall.

It would be nice to be able to hammer in hooks anywhere but for me, nailing them into studs are not an issue.


Our garage has an open ceiling and we plan on leaving it as is as we use the space for storage. Maybe in the future when we start throwing out old ****, we may want to drywall it and have recessed lighting installed.

How about putting the drywall over the plywood? Since the plywood is already there, you won't add any expense - and you'll still be able to attach stuff to the wall anywhere you want?

 

[BillK]

The garage is attached.

Thanks!

Do you have any tips for someone who will be hanging drywall for the first time (with the help of a friend who knows how to drywall).

Yes,
Pay somebody else to do it If nothing else, absolutely pay someone to finish it. I have done just about everything possible that one can do on a house or a car and the one thing I hate is drywall, can you tell

 

[Zeke]

Run any electrical first, but you knew that. Hang your sheets with a couple of nails and run 3-4 screws to secure on walls. Come back and screw or nail it off later. You'll get more done while the helper is there. Lastly, if there is stucco on the other side of a wall, use only screws, don't bang on it. Oh, and take your wife's plates and pictures down on the inside. They love to fall when you're banging on the wall.

 

[LennyTheLizard]

Read www.drywallschool.com (twice).

Hang the ceiling first (always use 5/8" on ceiling)
Use screws / not nails
If you can get another helper, use 12' long sheets (less joints easier to tape)
Measure carefully, but don't make your cuts too tight (tape / mud will cover small mistakes, so will electrical plates)
Measure at both ends of sheet (most houses aren't as square as you would hope).

 

[Pantone032]

Do people normally put insulation in the garage?

Probably don't need it at our place but it would be good to know if there are any benefits

 

[Wylaco]

There is a " beveled" edge on drywall so tape and mud will fit in flush. 5/8" has a mesh weaver in both directions to give it the fire rating. Screw it 6 and 12. Every 6" on the seem and 12" in the field.

 

[MScott]

Do people normally put insulation in the garage?

Probably don't need it at our place but it would be good to know if there are any benefits

Insulation is a benefit anywhere. It will be easier to keep warm in the winter and, in your case, easier to cool in the hot weather. I just finished insulating the garage I'm building and the difference when finished was amazing. Even without garage doors, the garage was comfortable with temperatures in the 30's C (high 80-90'sF) It certainly wasn't before insulating.

 

[Crushtang]

Do people normally put insulation in the garage?

Probably don't need it at our place but it would be good to know if there are any benefits

I would recommend going with insulation, better to do it now than wish you had done it later. If you do decide not to insulate, I would at least do the shared wall with the house to cut down on noise in the house when your working in the garage.

 

[dewalt378g]

Everyone is mentioning good things here, but I would like to add a few.

Your local code has an answer to your question and will be the final determination of what you do. Always check your local. 5/8 X is common (I wouldn't do half anywhere) and in some areas they want double 5/8 on ceilings.

This is usually forgotten space or not required, but if you have attic space above your garage, then I would install at least half inch on the shared wall/gable in the attic above.

Before you sheetrock anything get yourself a tube of intumescent caulk and fill every wire/pipe hole penetration on the shared wall and every hole in the top plate all around.

If you have a passage from the house to the garage make sure you have a fire door. This is not simply replacing a once exterior door with a steel door. Fire doors are rated and the rating is dictated by local code. Buy what you need to buy, better yet, buy the best one you can afford. Also remember to account for the thickness of your sheetrock when you set the jamb. If not using a preformed steel jamb (wood or split frame), then insulate the door frame with fire rated spray foam.

Absolutely insulate your shared wall. If not insulating the entire garage, then at least put 6" of roxul at the top of each stud bay all around.



All of this might sound like overkill (in some cases it might be), but these things buy you time in case of a fire and each one only gets you a few minutes. Buy as much time as you can.

 

[devlinboy]

I use 5/8 everywhere in my house/garage. I like the fire resistant aspect of it and it does deaden sound pretty well also. I havent dinged a wall yet, which in my old place with 1/2 the littlest things would put a dent in the wall. I live in an older house and was worried about the walls looking wavy with the 1/2. With a good tape job, the 5/8 walls look super smooth.

 

[Big_Al650]

I have hung and finished all of my drywall in two houses and my previous 24x24 garage. Recently I paid to have our (new to us house) ceilings scraped of the textured spray and refinished and painted. Said that to say that if you can afford to have it professionally finished, ask them to quote hanging it also. I know two drywall guys who will charge the same to hang and finish as to finish your hang. This is because if they hang it they know what is involved in finishing it. One of these guys told me a story of being called to a house for a quote on finishing and the homeowner bragged about saving money by piecing the drywall and having hardly no waste. He refused to finish it.
I know the spirt around here seems to be DIY but if you don't do it for a living or once did, it will be time consuming to get professional results. My .02.....Al

 

[Morrison]

Lol! I would have taken a picture of that, I bet he saved a lot money using drywall scrap!