Questions on drywall

2/5/2017 at 11:40:05 AM

Hi Jeff, this is Jeff Shea from All-In Renovations Calgary Alberta 403-554-7029 ultralight is way easier to work with and is the same product only lighter. If it was my own house I would install 5/8 on the ceilings and regular half inch on all the walls. 5/8 is fire rated and as always better to use on ceilings. Mold resistant drywall is not recommended for regular walls but again it is better. Mold resistant should be used in kitchens bathrooms or anywhere else you have water. If it's around bathtub or shower you need to upgrade to a den Shield or equivalent not drywall. Hope this answers your questions

2/5/2017 at 12:05:43 PM

Hey Jeff,

Its Jim with True North Maintenance in Edmonton and I use 5/8 fire guard between floors and a 1/2 ceiling board on the ceiling at the trusses. I use mold resistant in bathrooms due to moisture basement well it depends on how much moisture is hanging about in the basement, but I would normally use the altalight. I

Hope this helps.

2/5/2017 at 2:36:55 PM

To answer your questions.

The required screw for 1/2" drywall is 1-1/4"

5/8 with steel stud you can also use 1-1/4"

To your next question:

Ultralight is excellent board for ceiling because the paper is white ... and not as heavy .... easier to install. 5/8 is not necessary if fire rating isn't required. .. it's a good sound blocker but doest really block enough to justify the extra cost.

You do not need need mould resistant drywall in the basement. Keep your 1/2 drywall at least 1/2" off the floor. If you have insulation and vapor barrier your fine to use 1/2 on both wall and ceiling.

2/5/2017 at 2:48:24 PM

I will answer all your questions and if you have any further feel free to contact me anytime ...

1-1/4" drywall screws are absolutely fine for 1/2 drywall using steel rated screws are actually better in wood framing. Then regular drywall screws... also with us in 5/8 you can use 1-1/4" screws on metal studs only.. as the screw sets into the steel after 1/8" and will not come out....

On wood framing using 5/8 it's best to use 1-5/8 screws

As for drywall , ultralight is the best for all of your home. Best for ceiling as the paper is a clean white and easy to install and paint ...

5/8 drywall on ceilings is mainly for fire separation reasons ... is not recommended on basement ceilings if not fire rateted. Noise travels through your studs and travels through open areas of the floors 5/8 does very little for sound blocking without proper sound insulation.... for the walls regular 1/2 is fine .. keep it a minimum of 1/2" from the floor to avoid moisture from the concrete as it sweats and if you have a small flood it will help from getting wet...

Moisture board is mainly use in bathroom or where there is a lot of moisture and steam....

Use rock-board or denseboard in showers or where tile may be used... less damage will be done if tiless need replaced .....

2/5/2017 at 4:30:37 PM

Hi Jeff,

The only difference between ultralight and regular board is the weight, ultralight also dings a little easier compared to regular board as it is not as dense, hence the weight.

1/2 board is perfectly fine with 16" centres but you may want to look into ceiling board which is more rigid with fibreglass mesh in the board, this helps with manouvering and also installation. In my opinion 5/8 is overkill on 16" centres and a bit harder to work with.

Moisture resist board is a waste on the basement exterior walls and only really makes sense in a wet area or laundry, the moisture resistance while somewhat within the board is primarily in the coloured paper coating so is essentially on the wrong side to compensate moisture from potential basement wall water issues. Put high importance on vapor barrier installed with acoustical seal to code over the drywall itself.

Moisture board in a wet area like a bathroom now is different because water and steam are on the same side as the water in the room so the coating on the board can be affective as designed.

While moisture resist is ok in the outter bathroom definately underkill in say a shower which should be a min of denseshield, cement board etc and also a good membrane like Kerdi or redguard over top, hope this helps.

Advice and opinions by Matt, 12 Year Journeyman Carpenter and Drywall inspector -Property Inspired Construction-

2/6/2017 at 12:24:32 AM

Hey Steve,

A lot of these guys are bang on with their responses.

Consider there is also a 1/2 inch "no sag" drywall for standards residential drywall usable on 24"centers.

There is a basic fire rating for any drywall but not usable when a fire rating is required by code. Upgrades to 5/8 type X single or double with resilient channel.

Moisture resistance drywall is a good idea in a bathroom, Keep in mind suppliers are out there to make money so selling you extra costing material is part of what they do.

Sometimes you need it for inspections but other times you don't. Save where you can but keep quality up and try not to over spend. Think you project through and know what you going to put on he walls ahead of time so you can make the right choices in the early stages.

2/15/2017 at 8:38:56 PM

Lightweight these days is preferred by drywall installers it's easier to handle, 1/2" should be plenty...if you are worried about it there is a ceiling drywall, and mold resistance is usually reserved for bathrooms around showers and baths. Unless for some reason your basement has had issues with excessive humidity.

People think if they do it themselves they will save money, but remember drywall tapers may charge more for certain scenarios like too many small pieces, big gaps lots of screws sticking out etc...in fact in some cases it could be hard to find a taper if the job is too rough. You might save yourself time and money if you just hire boarders. They would do the board count for you too.

Good Luck!