My house has a walkout basement, and next to the 'walk out' is a six-foot section of wall which is not cement. It is standard wood, insulation and a plastic vapor barrier. My cats have been putting holes in the plastic and though we have no immediate plans to complete the basement, this section is begging for drywall. My question is which drywall would be best? since it's an outside wall, would 5/8" be best or 1/2"? (Side note, there are only a few small holes in the plastic, but should I replace it before putting up the drywall?)

Feel a little silly asking this, but is it okay for mud-on-J to end at a butt joint, or should I remove it and re-install so it bridges the joint and the J bead joints fall in the center of the sheet? Drywall installers did the entire garage this way, and I have a couple days to fix it if necessary. Also, do I need to use a special (meaning fire retardant) caulk to seal around the chimney where it meets the sheetrock, or can I use clear silicone? Thanks in advance. [url]http://www.mediafire.com/view/ghk4l75h0t7u9rq/MudOnJ.jpg/file[/url] [url]http://www.mediafire.com/view/4ww8xww2k52ens5/ArchBeadChimney.jpg/file[/url]