finally a drywall ceiling
after careful thorough investigation I am puting up drywall ceiling
I have to fur down the joists to clear a couple of pipes. just checking my methods

furring strips perpendicular to ceiling joists
drywall ceiling before walls
greenboard ceiling in bathroom
1/2in thick drywall all around

any othe basic tips tricks and suggestions

what's the code in in MI

 

Definite "yes" to drywalling the ceiling before the walls.

Greenboard is not normally used on any ceilings, except if you have joists no farther than 12" on center (which is not typical). The reason is that greenboard does not have sufficient sag resistance for ceilings. Just use regular drywall on all ceilings. Save the greenboard for the walls (but not a tiled shower or tub wall -- use cement board there).

1/2" drywall is fine for almost all applications. If you ceiling joists are 24" on center, or if you need to install the drywall parallel to the joists for any reason, or if you plan especially heavy ceiling texture, or if sound reduction between floors is important to you, you may wish to consider 5/8" drywall. You may also want to consider 5/8" drywall on walls that need extra sound absorption. In certain areas, Type X 5/8" drywall is required by code. Typically this would be under the stairs if you plan to use this area for storage. It may also include the furnace room (call your building department and ask).

Rent a drywall lift. Those things are terrific.

Other tidbits for drywalling. You may ignore any of these if you want, but each of these is at least slightly better than the alternative.

- Install the wall drywall horizontally.
- Use paper tape, not fiberglass mesh.
- Put as many butt joints over the windows and doors as possible.
- Use all screws, no nails. And use 1-5/8" screws if possible.
- Use screws every 4" on both sides of butt joints.
- Feather the mud over butt joints a couple of feet on either side of the joint.
- Use at least three coats of mud, sanding between coats. Don't be afraid to use four or five coats in certain problem spots.
- If you have a lot of electrical outlets and vents, consider buying a Rotozip. If you don't have that many, then forget it because it takes awhile to get use to using it.
- If you have a 9-foot or 10-foot or 12-foot wide wall, use 4x9, 4x10, or 4x12 sheets. Don't try to do everything with 4x8 sheets. You may need to go to a drywall house rather than your home improvement center to get these other sizes, and you may pay a bit more.
- Have the drywall delivered. Don't try to kill yourself bringing it all home on/in your vehicle.
- Seal off the house as well as you can. Even so, drywall dust will get everywhere.

 

Just curious...why drywall the ceiling before the walls? We're having our basement done right now and the walls are all drywalled already. The ceiling's going up next week. Is this bad?

 

By doing the ceiling first, then the walls, you can butt the wall panels up against the ceiling. It's much more difficult to get the ceiling boards to match up to existing wall boards at the seams.

 

Denver Dog,

Don't worry about it, a good drywall taper can resolve this issue. It won't effect anything. As talon2112 and john said, normally drywalling of ceilings is done first and it makes it easier to take if any irregularities are present, like not square!

Go for it!

 

Denver Dog,

Sorry, getting old... I mean "tape" not take!