I’ve got 5/8 x 12 ft sheets of drywall to hang in a fairly tight attic sloped ceiling. Attic peak is just under 6 ft at the adjoing wall and tapers to 1 ft. 7:12 pitch roof. I have two full panels wide to install (high and low).
How do I hang it comfortably? To low for a panel lift I’m assuming. Any tips or tricks that will make this relatively a piece of cake? I’ve been girating w/ ideas of fabricated hinged lifting supports, but am unsure. Now I’m thinking you guys will roll your eyes and tell me I’m nuts for making it too complicated (I sure hope so; I’ve no pride … just want to get er done).
Replies
Temporary cleats with a 5/8" rabbet for the lower end?
Almost hate to admit it but I've hung thousands of sq ft of rock off of mechanics creepers.
Got one in the garage? Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
If it works, I wouldn't hesitate to admit it, but I can't quite picture the role of the mechanics creeper. How you do that?
Just brought back memories. In tight areas we use creepers to hang, two men on creepers, take the sheet roll into position and hang and screw off. Did a whole loft project with 2' elevated living areas that required 2 layers underneath for fire assembly.
Have used the same method for low sloped attic areas.
For the original poster, he already had it figured out in his first post.
"Just get 'er done"
Jump down there on your butt, hold it up with your knees throw some screws in it. Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Too high for the creeper, I think.
Waaa??
Am I being obtuse again? :-)
What I was envisioning was something like a 2X4 with a groove to receive the drywall. This 2X4 is then screwed across the rafters at the lowest point of the drywall (I'm asuming 4' down from the ridge). The drywall could be inserted into the groove and then lifted into place, held up (helper or T-brace) and then screwed off. When you get get some screws near the cleat, the cleat can be removed and used again for the lower piece.
Any better?
Not being obtuse. It's just that once you put the cleat in, you can't get the sheet of drywall in it.
That's what the groove (or rabbet) is for. It needs to be slightly larger than 5/8 so the drywall can slip in easily.
If you mean that you don't have room to slip the drywall into the groove and then swing it into position, then I'm not picturing the situation correctly.
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Like so ... not sure if this will post in the message or if you will have to open it. Once you put the edge into the rabbit, the arc of the sheet swinging into place goes past the adjoining wall. If you put the sheet into the top first, then you can't get it in the rabbet.
Edited 11/29/2008 10:02 am ET by Clewless1
CL 1
I'd cut a few 2x4 cleats on an angle I think that will let you set the board in as opposed to a rabbet - attach them at a height that will give you a little play at the ridge 1/4 " give or take whatever works have helper(s) push up the rest of way and start to screw it down
Just one old mans opinion
Zeeya
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We're talking off by maybe 6-10 inches here not just part of an inch. Even so, if cut at an angle, you will still have to slide it the rest of the way up ... and then you have no support. Think I'm going back to the old fashioned way ... muscle and T-supports.
Thanks. Now I understand why a rabbeted cleat won't do.
Sorry I didn't get that from your first post.
how about attaching a cleat to the plumb wall with enough space to slide the sheet in?
Now that would at least help get the top edge tight up into the crux ... which is an important issue when hanging a ceiling like this. I'm going to give that a little thought. Your thought has given me a little creative tangent to explore. Maybe it will lead to even another thought. Thanks much.
I was recently dealing with a similar situation in the crawl space behind the knee wall in an attic. I laid on my back fighting to fit the sheet with my hands and knees.
Then I got a little smarter and simply cut a large triangle to match the roof pitch out of a scrap of drywall. Then I would lift the sheet into position and slide the triangle in to hold the sheet while I checked that the ends were landing in the center of the rafters.
Granted, this only would work for the sheet closest to the floor, but, you might consider building a triangle out of 2x4s to do the same thing further up. If nothing else maybe this idea will help with your "creative tangent"
That's pretty much exactly my situationj ... 'cept my "crawl' space is 9 ft wide w/ 7/12 pitch starting at one foot off the floor going up to about 6 ft. Your idea is a lot like just doing the T bar thing ... but there is a bit more to it ... causing me to thinks a little again. A little variation may give me some ideas. thanks
BTW I learned a trick from my drywall hangin' guy. He never bothers 'lining up the edges on a stud' period. Too much work to do that most of the time. Just let it run long into anywhere 2+ inches into the framing bay. This is almost always the case. Slap a scrap of 3-4" wide plywood behind it and screw it off. The next sheet lands on the scrap, too. Screw it off and you are done. Better support for the joint since you aren't playing that game of trying to bite 3/8 of an edge (max) w/ a straight driven screw. The stress from the framing is now no longer on the joint ... no cracks. No fussing w/ trying to get a joint measured, cut, and lined up down the narrow framing. Your only cut sheet is the last one. This guy gave me the best drywall job I've ever seen, hands down. Everything fit like a glove around outlets and J boxes.
Add half a drywall shim to the outside edges of that plywood backer and it causes the drywall to bend in slightly along the seam, making it easier to hide the but joint.
Or you can buy ready made Butt Boards or Butt Hangers
http://www.trim-tex.com/installation%20instructions/Buttboard_825.pdf
http://www.ezbacker.com/butthanger/butthanger.html
Right on dude!!
I dunno ... sounds like I could be hanging my butt out there a long ways :) nyuk
pretty sure my lift would do that, the lower one you can just slide the bottom in place along the floor, real question is how you gonna get the fulls sheet up to the attic? 5/8" X 12 X 4' 6" is just about the limit of what I can do solo ..
Edited 11/28/2008 12:36 pm ET by wane
They're allready there. Delivered w/ the rest of the house. Now I got to use em. Even the low end seems a stretch ... Still have to lift and hold it in place.
I've done that before.
My T-shaped jig was really easy to make: The top of the Tee is a 4'-long 1x4 with a 3"-4"-long 1x cleat screwed to one end to catch the bottom edge of the sheet.
The long leg is attached to the middle of the top leg with a strap hinge, and is cut to the length you need.
Determine this length by holding the T's top up to the peak, and measuring from where you're going to attach the leg.
Add enough to the hinge-to-floor length so that you can kick it tightly into place.
I made two of these to handle the sheets that were too low for the lift I rented (my peak was about 11'-12' high, so I started with a lift).
Hang all of the sheets at a given height at the same time -- that is, do all of the sheets on both slopes that butt into the peak, then cut the jig down for the lower sheets.
It takes two guys, but it goes smoothly. You don't need someone big and strong helping you -- you lift the sheet, get it close, and have someone jam the props in.
Either place one prop an inch or two away from a rafter, completely attach the GWB at that rafter, then move the prop, or you might just find it easier to make a third T -- jam the first two in any old where, then work your way along with the third, pressing tight at each rafter before driving the screws.
You should have no problem.
Good luck!
AitchKay
That was my first thought ... piece of cake ... then I laid it out to scale and I couldn't get the leg in to pivot it up (the wall is right there at the 6ft peak). So I started thinking cutting the leg and hinging that as well ... then ... not sure ... block and tackle to the wall to raise it up. Anybody laughing here yet?
I'm skeptical of my own solution. The concept is there, but I'm thinking in practice I will make these fancy jigs with pulleys and such and then be a big fiasco when I go to use it.
So the wall is in the way? And it drops straight down from the peak?How about this? Measure down 2 feet from the peak along the rafter, and make a mark. From this mark, measure down to the bottom of the wall, where you’d like your leg to rest. Subtract about 3” from this measurement, and build your Tee.You should have enough room to slip the board in, while still having enough leg length to jam it up tight. If you don’t achieve both of the above, try moving the hinge point up towards the peak a bit from the halfway point on the GWB. Even if the whole board isn’t squeezed tight, at least the top half should be, and you can work your way down with the prop after you’ve got it nice and tight at the peak.Aitchkay
I don't think that will work. First, if I put the brace in the crux of the wall/floor, in place the rig would fall away from the wall, cause at that point ... hmm don't know how to 'splain it. There would be nothing to hold it in place. Second ... my drywall is leaning up against that wall ... which exacerbates the problem a little (Murphy stacked my drywall, I just know it).
Think I might go back to say 3 standard T braces and 4 pairs of arms and legs. I hates to learn things the hard way. :)
Bet I could invent some fancy scissor lift for this and make big bucks. Necessity is the mother of invention. Bet I could make a hundred bucks doing that! Bet I could sell one or two of them.
Maybe the best is to make two standard T braces set at an angle, but that's a struggle even w/ help. Maybe my wife, daughter and her boyfriend (the daughter's, not the wife's ... he's worthless!!) ... can just do the quad team approach and some T braces and badda boom.
Hey Clewless1,
I believe the most comfortable way to hang this sheetrock is to "sub it out." [grin]
This way you'll have some "sheetrock monkeys" doing contortionist moves whilst holding up and nailing drywall - while you'll be laid back in your recliner with your feet up in front of the fire, playing with the old lady, and sipping a hot toddy! Now THAT'S getting it done the comfortable way!
Right now it's dark and snowing outside - supposed to get 6-8 inches snow in northern suburbs (Waukegan) which is why my feet are up and in front of fire. [NICE]
Have a good one,
Cork in Chicago
Are you in your Barcalounger? Sweet.
Yeah, sub it out probably not an option. I'm going to probably do it the old fashioned way ... muscle and plenty of extra hands. It's only maybe 3-4 hrs work to put the bulk of the pieces up w/ the extra help. Half that time if I REALLY knew what I was doing.
goodluck