strapping ceiling prior to drywall

hi-

this is my first time working with drywall, and i have quite a few questions as to how to proceed...any and all help is appreciated

i plan on nailing some 1x3 strapping perpendicular to the ceiling joists. are they spaced 16" oc? what do i do if a piece of strapping ends in the middle of a ceiling joist bay, due to the position of a partition wall? is the drywall attached perpendicular to the strapping (parallel to the studs)? do i screw it through the strapping into the joists, or just into the strapping? what's the pattern for the fasteners?

i'm starting from scratch, knowledge-wise, so thanks in advance for any help

 

I guess my question would be... why add the 1x3 strapping?(called furring in my area)

the long dimension of the ceiling drywall goes perpendicular to the framing that it will be hanging from. Thus, if your ceiling joists run north to south, the drywall would be run east to west. On ceilings I generally will put 6 screws across the 48" width of the sheet. One on each end and then at 16" and 32", I'll put a pair of screws spaced roughly 4" apart. So there would be a screw at 1", 14", 18", 30", 34", 47".

 

hi xsleeper, thanks for the reply

i need to install the strapping because my electrician had run wiring along the underside of the ceiling joists.

is the drywall only attached into the strapping, or through the strapping into the joist? what length drywall screws would i use?

 

And it's not possible to relocate the wiring onto the sides of the joists? Or if the wires are perpendicular, drill holes through the joists and run the wiring through the holes? The reason I ask is because it might be less work to reroute some wires rather than add all the furring.

If you definately need the 1x3 furring, I'd install it the same direction as the joists, and just skip over any wiring, leaving a gap in your furring where there are wires. Ideally, you should install a protective metal plate over those wires so that you don't accidentally put a drywall screw into them later!!!

If you can't install it the same direction as the joist for some reason (I can't picture it like you can...) then you would install the furring perpendicular to the joists, on 16" centers, attaching the furring to each joist on 16" centers.

Where your partition wall is, you would need to install some blocking on top of the wall, which could either be a piece of 2x6 nailed to the entire length of the top of that partition wall, or some short 2x4's placed perpendicular to the partition wall every 16" OC, one end would be nailed to the top of the partition wall, the other end would be nailed to the ceiling joist. This would provide some blocking at the partition wall for your 1x3 to nail to.

Once your 1x3 furring is all up, your drywall would then run perpendicular to the furring. Normally I'd use 1 5/8" screws on a ceiling, but you would probably want to use 1 1/4" drywall screws because the drywall only needs to be attached to the 3/4" thick furring- provided your furring is installed securely! If you use 1 1/4" screws, you wouldn't have to worry about piercing your electrical.

 

Relocate the electricals. If nothing else, notch out the joists slightly to allow the romex to sit flush with the bottom of the joists and cover with protective plates. That's going to be a lot less work than running all those furring strips.

 

I am no expert, but I've done my share of sheetrock. I have always been under the impression that if you plan to sheetrock overhead, you must use strapping or when the joists move, and they will, your joints will crack.

 

I'm guessing screws are better but if you have a nail gun, you could use ring shank nails for the strapping and then use screws for the sheetrock; you could use nails for the sheetrock, but make sure the heads are big enough and be carefull you don't sink them too far.

 

You can install strapping a lot faster than you can re-route wiring. It is unprofessional to notch or relieve joists to accept wiring, Not only do you weaken the joists but you create the risk of fasteners penetrating the wiring and create the risk of a hot spot by compressing the wire jacket., if you plate over the wiring you create bulges which hold the drywall off the joists creating nail or screw pops. Depending on how old this house is you can use the furring to level the ceiling plane by sistering 5/4 X 3 spruce blocks to drop your strapping to a level plane. Works better and creates a tighter ceiling than shims. At your partition you can tie all the floating strap ends together by laying 5/4 X 3 spruce strip over the ends and screwing it together. Always run your furring across your ceiling joists as there is no advantage to following the joists and in point of fact there are disadvantages. I found this thread during a google search to advise my cousin with pictures in another state and felt the need to register and comment being a contractor for almost 30 years now.

 

Very helpful

I am now about 3 2X4's into furring my ceiling (I have copper and gas pipes running under the joists so I need the thickness of 2X4s.

Joists are in good shape but I'm finding shims necessary in a few spots. I've done a pretty good job so far but what tolerances can I have for uneveness? I'm using an 8' long straight edge and putting it up to the joists constantly and then the shimed 2X4s to make sure I have it flat. It's good but off here and there by a small bit (but better than joists alone).

Do you have pics of the spruce approach you're talking about? Is a spruce strip simply like a shim but flat and very thin? I can see it would be better than shims; they are a PITA. At some points I have 2X4's meeting end to end in the middle of a joist bay. I was going to either sister a 2X4 square over top the gap or use a 2X4 joiner plate nailed into the side to secure it up.

I also heard that one should fur even if they don't need to to prevent cracking. However, I rather doubt the builder did that in my house--and I have no cracking from people walking on the top floor...

Must we fur? I have a section of basement without pipes and not furring would save vast amounts of time!

 

Spruce is a type of pine tree, more than likely your 2x4s are spruce. The reference to 5/4x3" spruce means a 1x3 that is a full inch thick.

I've painted thousands of new houses and have never known a builder to use strapping on a ceiling [other than a basement]. IMO the only reason to use furring strips on a ceiling is to correct an uneven ceiling or to allow clearance for obstructions. You shouldn't need strapping on your basement if there are no obstructions.

 

Did my basement a couple years ago, no furring necessary, only thing I had to do was soffit in the HVAC ducts

 

Glad I found this, I will be working on my ceilings soon. When installing 1/2" drywall to trusses that are spaced on 24" centers, are the 1x3's needed?

 

Welcome to the forums caber!

You don't necessarily need strapping but with 24" centers you'd be better off using 5/8" drywall on the ceiling - it's less likely to sag.

 

I agree - 5/8" rock with 24" span

Good luck, that's stuff's heavy

 

Thanks marksr & mitch17.

I see what you mean about heavy, it says the 4x12 sheets of 5/8" are over 100lbs. Since I'd be using a lift anyway I guess it won't make much difference, except for carrying them up the stairs.

 

As a drywall and plaster professional i would stress the need to strap ceiling and always perpendicular to joist,For one it helps with reducing the vibration of walking on floors above = less chance of cracks..also when wood dries out over years it tends to twist = cracks in joints..this helps prevent..also when your hanging board screwing butt joints(4ft ends of board)you have 3 inches of wood to screw...1"-1/2" for each board ..if you screw to joist you only have 3/4" of wood to screw which is weak and not acceptable..snow load on roofs,windy areas are both reasons why your ceilings flex= cracks...ive been to jobs done by homeowners to fix numerous cracks due to non strapping and to pay a profesional a few hundred to repair cracks every few years and repaint after the repair is not worth the few hours saved and the $1.34 a 8' stick it cost ..your only saving a few hundred dollars to do it wrong..please dont be lazy and do the job correct...ive hung and plastered over 2000 houses in the last 16 years.. substituting 5/8 board due to not wanting to strap 24o.c. to reduce span to 16o.c. is almost laughable..why on earth would you want to hack your own house to save hundreds..

 

Hi there, I found this post on a search. Your advice to strap the ceiling has helped me with my attic finishing project. Is it still ok to install furring to the ceiling that is insulated with a vapor retarder. Does this affect the insulation system at all? Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Absolutely ! I think 24" centers should have been outlawed.