basement drywall..... horizontal or vertical and why?

 

Horizontal, for lots of reasons.

(1) Drywall has a strength axis and is is slightly stronger when installed horizontally.

(2) If your taping job is less than perfect, horizontal joints are much less noticieable to the eye.

(3) All the tapered joints are at an easy height to work with -- no bending over.

(4) Light switches will land right at the joint between the two sheets, making them easier to cut out.

(5) Whether or not a stud is exactly four feet from the last stud is immaterial when hanging horizontally. This makes it easier to accommodate less than perfect stud spacing.

(6) Butt joints, with a little practice and patience, aren't really that hard, and you can greatly minimize them by putting them over and under windows and doors. Besides, you need to learn to do a great butt joint for the ceiling anyway, where it will be very noticeable if you don't do a good job. Furthermore, by planning well, and buying the right number of 8-foot, 9-foot, 10-foot, and 12-foot sheets (from a drywall supply house), you can eliminate butt joints on all but walls longer than 12 feet.

(7) Since you've already rented the drywall lift for doing the ceiling, it can push that top horizonal wall row firmly against the ceiling too.

Now ask, paper tape or fiberglass mesh?