hi all,
soon we will be putting up drywall over an exposed beam ceiling. the beams are 4×8’s on 48 inch centers. with not much to nail to, the plan is to put blocking between the beams (as seen with the blue lines in the picture) to prevent sagging in the drywall.
my questions:
1. how far apart should the blocking be spaced? 16 o.c? 24 o.c? something more? something in between?
2. blocking size? i would assume 2×4 is fine, and reason to use anything larger? the blocking will have a span of 44 1/2″
3. drywall thickness? should we go with 5/8″ or 1/2″
most of you are probably wondering why we would drywall over the exposed beams. half our home currently has exposed ceilings (an addition by the previous owner in the 60’s). we are currently redoing the master bedroom and the ceiling doesn’t have any lights, heating vents or insulation (this is a flat roof), so we figure this is the best way to accomodate these. the bottom of the beams are 8′ 2″ off the floor, so adding drywall wont hurt the headroom. the rest of the house will remain the same since we do like the ceilings.
any thoughts are appreciated
Replies
furr the bottoms of the beams with 1x3 @ 16" oc.
in the mid -spans nail a nailer to the ceiling parallel to the beams in the center.. blocked down to the same plane as the beams..
hang your 1/2 drywall and finish
thanks mike... i appreciate your input
You may want to consider using some components from a commercial drywall suspension cieling. You could run wall mold or angle along the side of each beam and then cut the main runners (they come in 12' lengths) to fit in between the beams on 16" centers. The main runner pieces will span 4' with no support needed from the wood deck above. I know, its metal but the stuff is really easy to work with. I've used it several times for similar applications. Check out the install manual if you're interested:
http://www.usg.com/Expert_Advice/const_handbook.asp?vChapter=Chapter_2&menu=
Mike you need to reconsider using 1/2" drywall on the ceiling. If you do a little search here you'll find more than one discussion about wavy or sagging 1/2" ceilings.
You need to go back and read Mikes post. 16 inch centers is 1/2 inch drywall every where in America. 1/2 inch fiber board. We are trying to make 12 ' 5/8s illegal.
Tim Mooney
Roar!Half of good living is staying out of bad situations.
The other...proper application of risk.
Respectfuly, I don't understand your post.
16 inch centers is 1/2 inch drywall every where in America. Are you saying that 1/2" rock on 16" ceiling joists is the norm? Not in the houses I have worked in. 1/2' on the walls works well.
1/2 inch fiber board. No comprende.
We are trying to make 12 ' 5/8s illegal. No comprende again. What does 12' rock have to do with the discussion? And why outlaw it?
elcid... no sag with furring 16" oc....just another benefit of furring ceilings...Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
If you have a flat roof, you have no way to ventilate the space you're creating. I'm not sure what will happen in there.
If you're going to do it anyway - I'd suggest 2X4 blocking hung 24" O.C. between the beams. Then screw 5/8 drywall to it.
If only the good die young then what does that say about senior citizens?
Run nailers parallel to the beams. Create 24" centers and absolutely use 5/8" on the ceiling unless you want the ceiling to look like waves of the ocean after awhile.
hi oak, if you are not totally in love with the beams, why not fir the entire thing with 2x4's placed 2 foot on center nailed perpendicular to these beams. By doing so, you have given yourself a deeper cavity to insulate,more room for recessed light fixtures, and you only loose roughly 2" of your cieling hgt. It would probably be a lot less work also. There may be some concern with venting. Ask a professional insulator! It is my understanding that if the cavity that is insulated is filled to full capacity then venting is not necessary. Better check anyway. As for sheetrock, 5/8 is the only way to go on a lid. It is code in many parts of the country. You shouldn't have any waviness with 5/8 on 2' center framing. By firring the cieling the way I described it is more likely to keep all of your firring on the same plane. By blocking between the beams keeping everything on the same plane could be more difficult, and you could end up fighting the crown in these beams. The way that I described may help you float over these potential crowns and keep everything flatter. Good luck.
As for sheetrock, 5/8 is the only way to go on a lid. It is code in many parts of the country.
What parts of the country are you referring to? What codes? 1/2" regular GWB on 16" or less centers is fine according to every manufacturer of GWB that I know of. And it's been done in a large percentage of homes across America for years. Get the framing flat and level in the first place and you will have no problems.
The easiest way to do that in this case would be Mike Smith's suggestion of furring/strapping across the beams on 16" centers using 1 x 3 (2 x 4 is overkill), using shims to level if necessary.
gentlemen...
thanks for the input, there are some cold ones waiting for you in the tavern
Aside from the 1/2 inch vs 5/8 inch debate, if I were to drywall your ceiling, I would use Mike's method...install 2xs in between the 4xs and then run 1X3 strapping perpendicular to the beams @ 16 inch OC.
I think if you went the easy route with Barnesy, you would have one wavy ceiling. 2x4s on the flat tend to twist and bow, and hence the need to be nailed down at regular intervals so as to stay flat...24 inch OC being the max. I don't remember the exact distance your beams were (44 inch OC ?), but do recall them being over 40 inches apart....that is too long a span. Mike's route is the best.
Personally, I usually use 5/8 on ceilings, but I have occcaisionally also used 1/2 inch. I know a lot of people who do and have had good results with it too. Someone said it earlier...the biggest concern is not the thickness you use, but rather that you prepare the ceiling framing so that the drywall will sit very flat. Wavy strapping will give you a wavy ceiling. Flat strapping ( run string lines across your strapping and place shims between strapping and beams wherever necessary) will yeild you a flat ceiling. Ceilings and walls only look as good as the framing stucture it is attached to, so preparation is the "key" to a good looking job.
LOL.
Davo