How come in commercial construction, sheetrock is placed vertical and in home construction, sheetrock is placed horizontal? I can see how placing the sheetrock vertically would be easier to tape, so why don’t they do that in residential construction?
Thanks
Hacker454
Upgrading the footings and columns that support a girder beam is an opportunity to level out the floor above.
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Replies
maybe cause of the ceiling height always better to have less joints, most books i have read say to insall horz for home installation for example if you have an 8' wall you only have the one joint to finish if you can span the wall with just one sheet for example wall 8 feet long. A horz joint seem to be eaiser to finish than a vert joint. ps not an expert just reading alot i have a basement to do
Dan
forgot to tell you can do it which ever way you want, i did my garage vert cause i was bascially working alone and it was easier to handle smaller sheets
Most commercial work has drop ceiling, not drywall ceiling, in them. You therefore do not have a DW joint at the ceiling to contend with. With ceiling at 9 or 10 foot you can run 10 or 12 foot board vertical and be high enough that the wall molding for the grid is below the top of the board. You also have zero butt joints to finish and only room corners, no ceiling to wall corners. There is also the fact that most commercial work is build with non load bearing metal stud walls. In residential wood construction the dry wall acts some what like the exterior sheating in that it adds another membrane to stiffen the walls. The more studs you span with fewer joints the beter membrain you establish. I have heard this last point argued as an insignificant factor, so take it with a grain of salt. The biggest single reason is to have the tapered edges of the board meet at the ceiling/ wall corner. Finishing gets a lot easier.
Dave
Right, drywall doesn't do much for you on shear strength. If you need it, use half inch (15/32") Struct #1 plywood under the rock. Nail with 8d commons, 6" on the edges, 12" in the field. Well worth the cost in earthquake country.
-- J.S.
An 8' tall (vertical) joint is easier to spot and harder to tape than when run horizantally. Commercial jobs usually finish with a wall covering that will be more forgiving so the faster installation of hanging the rock vertically wins out. Metal studs don`t shrink, swell, twist, settle, etc. When the aforementioned occur with residentially framed wood structures only a 4' vertical joint will be affected and damage is minimal.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
well said
Not sure why commercial as opposed to residential, but did you know that sheetrock has a grain just like plywood. It is much stronger when laid perpendicular to the studs. To see the difference take two pieces, one cut length wise from a full sheet, and one cut off the end. Lay them between two cinder blocks and place a brick in the middle of the span. I was suprised to see the difference. You learn something new everyday! D.