getting the ceiling buttoned up

[Mainiac Mat]

Pushed hard to finish the HotDawg install done before the dead of winter.... partially insulated, strapped and rocked the one corner so I could install heater.
Final LPG hookup was done the week before Christmas.



Then got serious about insulating the ceiling so I could work in garage without heater running non-stop.



After much hemming and hawing, I decided to strap the ceiling. This was a PITA to do by myself, but I had a boat load of 1x6 ripped in half for use as batons for board and baton siding on my barn, so the material cost was nil.



This past Friday I picked up 16 4'x12'sheets of 5/8" fire rated sheet rock (dry wall for you mid-westerners) and rented a panel lift from Home Depot. Saturday, I had my helper on site and we organized the garage, unloaded the rock and put up 12 of the sheets.



I can already see a HUGE difference with the heat retention and it's very easy to quickly heat up the shop to 55-60 degrees and the heater cycles a lot less often.

We stacked the remaining sheets on edge against the back wall and am able to get both cars in there again. Going to have to catch my breath and take it easy for a week before I can get charged up to finish up the rock.

 

[ddawg16]

Looks good

What is the spacing on your ceiling joists? I would have anchored straight to the joists.

Just wait until you get the walls done....HUGE difference.

And.....a huge difference in dust control

 

[landlord30]

Looks good

What is the spacing on your ceiling joists? I would have anchored straight to the joists.

Looks like 24".

 

[The Cobbler]

is that metal pan over your heater just precautionary?

 

[rburke65]

I don’t...didnt...think it was metal. I thought it was a mounting board for the heater. Maybe metal clad....

 

[The Cobbler]

my 30k hotdawg just mounted to the ceiling, 1" clearance . I was curious. tks

 

[cruzer75]

Nice. I got my heater up a few weeks ago. Working on finishing the insulation now. Hopefully makes it nicer to putter around in when its chilly out!

 

[ddawg16]

Pushed hard to finish the HotDawg install done before the dead of winter.... partially insulated, strapped and rocked the one corner so I could install heater.
Final LPG hookup was done the week before Christmas.

Mainiac.....if you haven't thought about it....plans to install a CO detector?

Better yet, a combo unit? CO/Smoke

 

[Mainiac Mat]

Sorry for delinquent replies... got COVID, recovered, and then my wife got it and I played nurse. I'll try to hit each question....

 

[Mainiac Mat]

Looks good
What is the spacing on your ceiling joists? I would have anchored straight to the joists.

10-12 room-in-roof attic trusses spaced 24" o.c. Strapping is 16" o.c.

I went back and forth on the strapping.... seems to be "the great debate"

In New England, it is almost unheard of for a framer to not strap any ceiling that will be finished. My trusses have 2x8 bottom cords and are dead flat, so strapping wasn't needed to shim to level. But I was advised by two people I respect that with 5/8" rock, 16" o.c. was the way to go and as noted in the first post, I already had the material stacked up in my barn loft (attracting carpenter ants) so I strapped the ceiling.

 

[Mainiac Mat]

is that metal pan over your heater just precautionary?

I was advised that the easiest way to put up the HotDawg (especially when mounted at an angle) was to put up a plywood plate and attach the heater to it with the factory brackets... which have a 1" gap as you noted.

I've had a sheet of mild steel sheet metal kicking around from an old project and figured that it would be extra insurance to clad the plywood with it.

I put it on with spray contact adhesive and screwed the corners. The bracket screws go all the way through the metal and plywood and into either strapping or the truss bottom cord (or both). It's not going anywhere.

I had half a rattle can of gray spray paint and hit the metal with that to prevent rust. I'll trim the edges of the plywood with pine strips after the ceiling is finished.

 

[Mainiac Mat]

Mainiac.....if you haven't thought about it....plans to install a CO detector?

Better yet, a combo unit? CO/Smoke

This is an excellent idea and I'm ticked off that I didn't think of it and put a hard wired box in the ceiling.

Fortunately, I think I can still tap into one of the garage door opener boxes and pull power to a hard wired fire alarm.

I may just put a plug in CO detector into a wall outlet, as CO is heavier than air and it will trip a low detector before it gets up to the ceiling one.

 

[ddawg16]

This is an excellent idea and I'm ticked off that I didn't think of it and put a hard wired box in the ceiling.

Fortunately, I think I can still tap into one of the garage door opener boxes and pull power to a hard wired fire alarm.

I may just put a plug in CO detector into a wall outlet, as CO is heavier than air and it will trip a low detector before it gets up to the ceiling one.

Not really....

https://www.covesmart.com/blog/is-co-heavier-than-air

The expert is NutSgt....hopefully he chimes in

 

[Mainiac Mat]

I was able to get my helper Saturday and we put up some more sheet rock...

finished the ceiling...



And two walls...



I was up at 6 am for a dump run and to get set up for the day. Helper on site at 7:45 and then we were hard at it until 5:30 pm. I was totally wiped out and in pain for the next 12 hours. My 56 year old body wants to have a serious conversation with my 20 year old mind.

 

[yeldogt]

Strapping a ceiling will result in a flatter ceiling -- especially with 24" and 1/2 drywall.

There is a great tradition of blue board and full skim coats in New England. Even in middle class housing it was common ... strapping makes the board flatter and the finish job easier.

That's why it's commonly done

 

[nadogail]

May you enjoy your warm shop for many years, while in good health.

 

[Mainiac Mat]

There is a great tradition of blue board and full skim coats in New England. Even in middle class housing it was common ... strapping makes the board flatter and the finish job easier.

That's why it's commonly done

I can confirm this is true, as a friend built their house this exact way (dad was a mason and did all the plaster work, so I'm sure they got a deal).

I buy my rock at a commercial distributor with a retail sales counter (prices far better than big box stores... and they load your truck) and their lobby has tools and accessories on display... several are specifically for use with plaster.

 

[Andrej]

I may just put a plug in CO detector into a wall outlet, as CO is heavier than air and it will trip a low detector before it gets up to the ceiling one.

CO detectors generally can be mounted on the ceiling or wall.

Natural gas (methane) is lighter than air, so detectors typically should be mounted higher.
Liquefied gas (butane, propane) is heavier than air, so detector should be mounted lower on the wall.

In any case, it's always good check detectors manual for specific gas.