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When did drywall become structural?

nater | Posted in General Discussion on May 18, 2007 04:20am

Found this article online about modular green building

What got me curious was these lines: Modular houses are stronger than traditional ones, said Don Diamond, an electrician with St. Louis-based Diamond Electric, partly because the drywall is attached much better.

“In a modular home, the drywall is glued and screwed. Once you do that, you can pick the house up from one end with a crane, and the entire structure will come up in one piece,” Diamond said. “In plastered homes, stuff moves around and settles in pieces. It is not as well integrated.” http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/C416076B5B3E8C1F862572DD000C601B?OpenDocument

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  1. User avater
    JDRHI | May 18, 2007 04:38pm | #1

    He's an electrician.....whadya expect?

    If it were up to them and plumbers, we'd do away with those pesky framing members altogether.

    J. D. Reynolds
    Home Improvements

     

     


    1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | May 18, 2007 07:30pm | #5

      <<He's an electrician.....whadya expect?

      If it were up to them and plumbers, we'd do away with those pesky framing members altogether.>>

      LOL.  Yep, if it up to them, they'd go in first and we'd frame around their stuff, later. 

      1. User avater
        JDRHI | May 18, 2007 07:39pm | #6

        I've actually had plumbers suggest that.

        Not always a bad idea after you see what some of them do with a Sawzall.

        J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements

         

         

        1. DanH | May 18, 2007 07:46pm | #7

          Yeah, and then the framers could cut out the pipes that are in the way.
          So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

        2. Hudson Valley Carpenter | May 18, 2007 08:20pm | #10

          Not always a bad idea after you see what some of them do with a Sawzall.

          Boy, ain't that the truth!  In the end, it would be better for all if their floor drains...showers, tubs and toilets...were always indicated on the framer's print. 

          Edited 5/19/2007 8:33 am ET by Hudson Valley Carpenter

      2. mike_maines | May 19, 2007 12:06am | #11

        LOL.  Yep, if it up to them, they'd go in first and we'd frame around their stuff, later. 

        You might be on to something there....

    2. Shacko | May 18, 2007 08:00pm | #9

      Being a plumber, I resemble that remark >sic

  2. User avater
    BossHog | May 18, 2007 04:39pm | #2

    Drywall does have a small amount of shear value if fastened well.

    But I doubt that has anything to do with the strength of modular homes...

    The California state bird is the middle finger. [Jay Leno]

  3. User avater
    Huck | May 18, 2007 04:57pm | #3

    Its been a long time, but I've seen the dryall nailing schedule spec'd for shear value.  Its usually like a double-nailing pattern, with the nails about 1" apart.  I thought it was a typo, but the archie assured me that it was legit.  Never understood how anyone could figure drywall for shear.  Maybe an engineer will jump in and explain it.

    "I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun."

    Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe

    1. DanH | May 18, 2007 05:30pm | #4

      Well certainly drywall has shear strength. A bare stud wall can be easily racked, but it would take hundreds if not thousands of pounds of pressure to rack a drywall-sheathed wall, say, 10 feet long. Probably drywall is about equivalent to 1/4" plywood in this regard.Drywall has an advantage of not being especially brittle (less brittle than that 1/4" plywood, eg), so it can add considerably to the strength of a structure in "shock" conditions. However, it is subject to fatigue, and would not provide much strength in a structure subject to frequent flexing.So probably better stuff to have in a tornado vs a hurricane.
      So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin

  4. User avater
    CapnMac | May 18, 2007 07:46pm | #8

    Well, at first blush, the sparky is making an apples and asparagas comparison.

    There's no comparision between drywall and plaster-on-lath; that's two completely different things.

    However, the amount of plasterwork on lath rather than blueboard cannot be that high anymore--which makes it an absurd comparison.

    Now, if our illuminating pontificator would like to demonstrate how 2x3-framed modular competes structurally with 2x6 & 2x4 framing, that might be more interesting.

    But, if the goal were merely strength, galvanized framing with gypsum wall board both sides would be the rule (with a w/p and/or paperless on the exterior surface).

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
  5. fingersandtoes | May 20, 2007 06:05am | #12

    Drywall became structural when builders stopped providing blocking in closets and began hanging their shelves and bars from it. Drives me nuts.

  6. ruffmike | May 20, 2007 07:12am | #13

    I once had to nail a whole sheetrock wall off 2" on center in Santa Cruz Ca. back in the '70's, for a shearwall to please the inspector. True story!

    Here is a product we use a lot now that is stuctural sheetrock.

    http://www.sureboard.com

    Not fun to hang, and the layout better be good. ; ^ )

                                Mike

        Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.

    1. dovetail97128 | May 20, 2007 08:34am | #14

      Sheetrock has been used structurally as bracing on the bottom chords of trusses ever since the two were used together. Every residential truss lay out sheet and engineering sheet I have looked at in 35 yrs. calls for rigid ceiling or bracing.

      "Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca

      1. MisterT | May 20, 2007 08:57pm | #15

        Wall paper is structural...
        not very, but some...
        if you had an intrument sensitve enuf you could measure the strength of paint...I don't Know what I am doing

        But

        I am VERY good at it!!

  7. bobbys | May 20, 2007 10:22pm | #16

    my boys friend was building a house, They showed me the wall where the taller ceiling meets the room with no high ceiling, They said the BI made them double nail it for sheer, i had never heard of this before, seems the more nails would even tear the paper more??? maybe if this is the case i can use it when i rip off a roof, Instead of putting down plywood over the skip sheathing i can use SR;)

    1. User avater
      Huck | May 20, 2007 10:59pm | #17

      Surprisingly, it is not uncommon to see drywall used as an exterior paneling under dryvit-type finishes, on commercial metal-stud framed projects.  It is a specialized product made for that application - but I don't think I've ever seen it used in an application where it might get walked on!"I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun."

      Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe

      1. ruffmike | May 21, 2007 01:19am | #18

        We see a lot of Densdeck on commercial roofs.

        http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=4664

        But I guess I wouldn't want it on my backyard deck. ; ^ )

        Don't be surprised though, with gypsum the most common element on earth and one of the cheapest they will try to use it anywhere possible.                            Mike

            Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.

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