drywall with trusses

[sharage71]

Gentlemen,
This has probably been discussed before but the search function does not work very well...

What is everyone's experience in putting up .5" drywall on 2 x 4 trusses at 24" centers? I have heard about sagging in the past but new drywall doesn't do that anymore. I would like to drywall with .5" instead of 5/8". My span is 24'. I don't want to overload the bottom chord. Whatcha'll think?

Holla

 

[douglas96]

That is how my current garage was finished by the builder. So far I havent noticed any sagging, but the house is only 5 years old and the attic of the garage was not insulated until last December. If I were doing it myself I would prefer the 5/8 drywall, but I didnt see any reason to bust out what was already there.

 

[saabman]

I did not build my garage, but attached to the bottom of the trusses (running at right angle to them) is 1x3 slatting. The slatting has 16 inch centers. The drywall screws to the slats. Until looking top side I was confused at the irregular screw spacing on the ceiling drywall (did not conform to the 24 inch centers of the trusses). Garage was built in 1991 and there is no sagging in 1/2 drywall with this method.

Chris

 

[sharage71]

thanks gentlemen. I might do some slatting. Good Idea !!

 

[StingRay]

The typical bottom chord dead load is 7 psf. 5/8 fire rated and R52 of blown insulation shouldn't exceed that. If you use 0.5" then use ceiling material otherwise use 5/8 fire rated.

 

[chevelle67]

wouldnt be easier to hang the 5/8" rather than put up the slats and the 1/2"? Not trying to be a wise *** just wondering if I missed anything when I just finished my drywall in the garage which is 5/8".

 

[Kevin54]

It won't sag if you run it longways. By that I mean an 8' sheet should span 5 trusses. If you run it short way along the truss and only span 3 trusses, it will sag in between. And by short way I mean running the length of the drywall with the length of the truss

 

[swgray]

Using furring strips would make for a better job in the end. Using 5/8 or 1/2. It will smooth out the minor elevation changes on each truss, making for a smoother, flatter ceiling appearance.

Of course, this is my opinion and you all can do what you want to your own stuff.

 

[StingRay]

I think I would try the strips if I was going to do it again. It would make it alot easier to hit the joint with the panel edge. It doesn't take much to end up at a truss and only have only a 1/4" to screw into. You can also get your spacing down to 16" for the 1/2" drywall.

 

[tcianci]

1x3 strapping on 16" centers is the way to go. It will take the curse off of any mis-alignment of the bottom chords (shim it if needed) and you can lay it out accurately in case your trusses are not exactly on 24" centers. You also get the benefit of having a little space to run your romex for lighting and such between the strapping and the bottom chord of the trusses, but that isn't such a big deal in a trussed roof anyway but its great for a stick framed job. If you are not required to use 5/8 drywall for meeting a fire code, you will have no problem with 1/2 inch on 16" centers with the strapping.

 

[sharage71]

My spacing is 24". I only have so many trusses. I planned on running 90 degrees to the trusses anyway. I was mainly curious of the weight on the 24" centers with drywall and insulation and one dropdown stair unit. I won't put drywall until the final inspection is done. thx guys

 

[mdoolittle]

Code is 5/8 for ceiling here. May want to check your local building codes.

 

[rwhite692]

Why go through all the trouble of slatting/strapping/furring strips for an entire ceiling, etc, when you can just use 5/8" sheetrock?

The extra cost 5/8" vs. 1/2" is negligible.

The only reason to do this would be if (as SWgray noted) there is a lot of variation in the trusses that you wanted to correct....

 

[IHI]

Assuming detached structure since 5/8' is required for firewall and is used in most ceiling apps. BUT they do make a high strength/no sag 1/2" drywall that can be used on ceilings but do a price check in isle 3 before deciding if the no sag 1/2" is worth the extra money vs just using 5/8" LOL!!

Also, for the typical DIY'er, spend the $20-30 on renting a lift, you neck, shoulder, buddies will thank you for it, also get the longest panels you can, 4x12x5/8 is standard product for ceilings and helps cut down on butts you have to finish.

Also, FWIW, do a detailed price break down on steel vs drywall. I know everybody has a "look" they're going after and sometime steel is'nt a look they want, but when you break it all down price wise and labor wise doing steel is VERY enticing:

Steel- looks to be higher inital cost, but they make a thinner panel for interior purposes which is cheaper.
Also look to purchase "Blems" we use "blems/damaged panels" ALOT when finishing off interiors and to date have yet to find the actual reason these panels were put in the ugly duckling pile
When your installing steel-you touch the area ONE TIME and it's done

Drywall-
inital cost at face value is cheaper
now factor in the tape, mud to make it look nice
now factor in the fact your working and going over the ceiling at a minimum of twice, but usually 3 times to get a flaw free ceiling all taped, mudded, and textured
now factor in primer and going over the ceiling yet again
now factor in the paint which breaks down to-
a. paying premium price for a good quality paint from a commercial paint vendor and not that watered down stuff they sell at home centers so you get a smooth 1 coat application
b. buying the cheap home center paint and going back over the ceiling twice to get a nice even coverage so all the work you've done prior is not in vein

drywall you have alot of other materials being purchased to finish it off and typically going over the ceiling, working over your head a minimum of 5 times for a nice looking ceiling...if your standards are much lower and you can live with half azzed work then obviously it's going to cut down on amount of time spent working on it.

Just like trying to compare pole building vs stick built when considering finishing off the interior...the prices even back out and one requires more work then the other.

 

[krooser]

Assuming detached structure since 5/8' is required for firewall and is used in most ceiling apps. BUT they do make a high strength/no sag 1/2" drywall that can be used on ceilings but do a price check in isle 3 before deciding if the no sag 1/2" is worth the extra money vs just using 5/8" LOL!!

Also, for the typical DIY'er, spend the $20-30 on renting a lift, you neck, shoulder, buddies will thank you for it, also get the longest panels you can, 4x12x5/8 is standard product for ceilings and helps cut down on butts you have to finish.

Also, FWIW, do a detailed price break down on steel vs drywall. I know everybody has a "look" they're going after and sometime steel is'nt a look they want, but when you break it all down price wise and labor wise doing steel is VERY enticing:

Steel- looks to be higher inital cost, but they make a thinner panel for interior purposes which is cheaper.
Also look to purchase "Blems" we use "blems/damaged panels" ALOT when finishing off interiors and to date have yet to find the actual reason these panels were put in the ugly duckling pile
When your installing steel-you touch the area ONE TIME and it's done

Drywall-
inital cost at face value is cheaper
now factor in the tape, mud to make it look nice
now factor in the fact your working and going over the ceiling at a minimum of twice, but usually 3 times to get a flaw free ceiling all taped, mudded, and textured
now factor in primer and going over the ceiling yet again
now factor in the paint which breaks down to-
a. paying premium price for a good quality paint from a commercial paint vendor and not that watered down stuff they sell at home centers so you get a smooth 1 coat application
b. buying the cheap home center paint and going back over the ceiling twice to get a nice even coverage so all the work you've done prior is not in vein

drywall you have alot of other materials being purchased to finish it off and typically going over the ceiling, working over your head a minimum of 5 times for a nice looking ceiling...if your standards are much lower and you can live with half azzed work then obviously it's going to cut down on amount of time spent working on it.

Just like trying to compare pole building vs stick built when considering finishing off the interior...the prices even back out and one requires more work then the other.

Not to get off topic but a "flush" built pole building is as easy and cheap to finish as a stick built building.

As far as drywall I'd use furring strips... while a HD drywall will not sag the furring strips will keep a better looking ceiling longer...IMHO.

 

[Kevin54]

My spacing is 24". I only have so many trusses. I planned on running 90 degrees to the trusses anyway. I was mainly curious of the weight on the 24" centers with drywall and insulation and one dropdown stair unit. I won't put drywall until the final inspection is done. thx guys

To answer your question. YES. You can do it and not worry about the weight. It is done everyday on houses and garages. Trusses on a house are 24" standard span with 1/2" drywall.