Hanging drywall on ceiling with 24 OC

[go4donuts]

I'm getting ready to hang drywall on the ceiling of my garage. It's a 24x24 building, 8 foot ceiling, 2x4 trusses with 24" spacing. I've searched this forum and found the answer to some other concerns about potential sagging - I've decided to use 5/8 board.

Question: The post I read also said to run the drywall perpendicular to the joists. Why is this?

The reason often given for running any sheeting material across the studs in a wall application is strength. But is strength a concern here? If a building is fit to stand without any interior sheeting, additional strength offered by interior sheeting should not be a major concern.

It seems to me that it will be easier to run the drywall along the joists because there will be fewer (or no) screws close to the **** joints. I.e. any screws at the **** joints can be set back along the joist to avoid breakout at the edge.

 

[gm54210]

Question: The post I read also said to run the drywall perpendicular to the joists. Why is this?

Perpendicular makes for a stronger installation especially if the joints are staggered. The finished installation should be better visually by going perpendicular because any crown or bow in the joists is "feathered" 2 feet on either side. Also the issue of tolerances comes to bear - if the joist bows or they are nor perfectly square/parallel, your 8' or 10' seam can run off the joist. It doesn't take much to be off. Running perpendicular, even if your **** seam hits an off joist, it is typically easier to accommodate the 4' **** joint than the 8' taper.

Your choice of 5/8" is wise. Less chance of the ceiling pillowing and if you get type X you've got the fire time design in your favor as well.

Food for thought.

 

[jack stand]

You could also install "strapping" as they call it around here. It's simply cheap 1x3's or 1x4's nailed (opposing direction) to the bottom of your truss's at 16" o.c. Not a bad idea in a garage subject to more moisture than a house.

 

[Morrison]

+1 to what jack says, it's fairly cheap and won't take long to install.

 

[rlitman]

You could also install "strapping" as they call it around here. It's simply cheap 1x3's or 1x4's nailed (opposing direction) to the bottom of your truss's at 16" o.c. Not a bad idea in a garage subject to more moisture than a house.

I would do that, and then use 3/8" board. Thinner board = less weight to sag.

 

[SteveCh]

I used strapping as above and 3/8 drywall. I had to order in the 3/8, the big box places around here don't carry it. I used it because I was working solo and the difference in weight made my life much, much easier. In 20 yr., I have had no noticeable sag or other problems with the thinner drywall. I had no jacks or whatever they are called to raise the drywall, I was doing in on ladders all by myself. It was a bear, don't know whether I coulda done it with heavier sheets of drywall, would have had to cut them in half probably and had tons more taping and etc. to do.

Edit 5/8: To my surprise yesterday at a nearby Home Depot, I saw stacks of both 3/8 and 1/4 inch 8' drywall. I'd never seen quarter inch and hadn't seen 3/8 in some years. I would imagine the quarter inch is for curving walls, perhaps? Anyhow, it's there and the 3/8 is so much easier for one person with no equipment doing ceilings.

 

[Architorture]

5/8" is typically only required if there are habitable rooms above....in nearly any other condition garage ceilings need not be rated in any way.

1/2" is typically also rated for horizontal installation up to 24" OC spacing, the lite weight stuff performs slightly better. It does have to be installed perpendicular to achieve this rating because the board is stronger when the short ends are fully supported.

3/8" is typically not recommended on ceilings unless installed in 2 layers

 

[Ray-CA]

We hung 1/2" last week across the joists (perpendicular.) If any of the sheets ran long (they didn't) it was easier to trim the 4-ft edge back to line up then it would have been to trim the 8-ft length. Staggered the joints and it's plenty strong.

Ray

 

[brownbagg]

for strength i would use plywood

 

[JoeFin]

3/8" will warp under its own weight - that is why it is not rated for ceilings

Depending on your local code you may or may not need a Fire Rated sheet rock.

 

[FORMUD]

Just go done 1600 sf, 14' high with 24" centers by myself (Used a jack) Use 5/8", not that much more in cost...But peace of mind is worth it. I ran the screws at 16" just to be sure. A little more work mudding and sanding....But I not want to ever do it again.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Even if it's not required because it's not attached to the house, I think I'd still use 5/8"...if there was a fire, that extra thickness may help save the garage from complete ruin.

 

[lotsoftools]

I used to swear by 5/8", then they came out with the lightweight 1/2" that is rated for ceilings. It's so much easier to hang when you're working alone.

 

[38Chevy454]

I used 1/2 on 24 centers. Drywall on the ceiling is hard work, it should only be attempted by those under 30 years old. My (at the time) 47 year old body was plenty sore. I also had 12 ft ceiling height which made it more work for the finishing. I ran mine perpendicular to the joists. 12 ft long sheets made for less joints, but more akward to hold up into position.

 

[go4donuts]

OP here. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I'm slowly creeping towards actually buying the drywall. I was out there today organizing things and doing some prep work.

 

[sands35]

Rent a lift. HUGE help.

Code typically requires perpendicular for 24" OC (buidling codes are a good thing - they support a minimum level of quality and safety).

You get more screws per sheet in the field and the weakest part on a drywall install is the edges. When you run 4x8 sheets parallel, you have a lot of screws on the edge and only one row in the field.

If you are feeling ambitious and want a class 5 finish, you could do this:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-tapered-drywall-****-joint-28350.html

or

http://www.thisisdrywall.com/?p=362

paper drywall tape works great in two layers to make the tapered ply sheet.

4x8 5/8 sheets are around 70 lbs each. I did it alone, but then I'm 6'3", 200lbs and do triathlons.

I would have done 10' or 12' sheets, but they didn't have them at the big box when I purchased them.

 

[go4donuts]

I've been doing some more research (Youtube videos) on this topic and I think I'm going to use **** boards. I really hate trying to screw the **** joints on a single skinny stud. I just recently learned about this technique, so for those of you who don't know, it involves joining the **** ends between the studs by putting a plywood backer strip behind the joint. They can be MacGiver'ed at home with strips of plywood, and there are also commercially prepared versions that have a recess that makes the drywall bend inward to create a tapered joint.

 

[JakeKohl]

Also consider the extra weight if you are going to insulate ontop of the sheet rock. I used 5/8" on my ceilings (24"OC)and it's been fine.

 

[readhead]

Just a note to go along with this. I am hearing a lot of people that seem to assume that 5/8" drywall is fire rated. 5/8" comes in two flavors, regular and x-rated ( no jokes please). If you need the fire rating you need to buy 5/8"-X board. It will be stamped on the face of the sheet for the inspector.

 

[diggler306]

Hello from Saskatoon. I'm at the insulation stage and will soon be wrapping it up in poly and getting drywall on the ceiling. My joists are 24o.c. and I'm going with 5/8" perpendicular. Mostly for strength and because the guy who framed the garage did a terrible job.
One tip I read to avoid breakout at the edge is NOT to screw the edge until you have the next sheet butted up against it. Screw the field, put up your next sheet, then do the **** edges so that they have some backing to support them.