17. Hang Drywall

Your drywall is hung after all inspections have passed and you have had your pre-drywall walk. There are just a few things to be aware of with drywall hanging, you always hang the second floor before the first floor and you always hang the ceilings first. The reason is that drywall adds weight to the home and in the process along with gravity it is pulling all of your wood tighter together. The hanger will cut out for all of your electrical outlets, around plumbing pipes and any other penetrations. Corners that will transfer vibrations should not have joints. Doors and operable windows should have the drywall cut in what looks like an 'L' going around them. Dry wall comes in several sizes and several thicknesses. You should have 5\8 inch on your ceilings and with an attached garage the common walls with the home should have fire rated drywall on them. In most cases this drywall is identified with an 'X' on it. Different municipalities have different fire code requirements, some might require one hour fire rating and some are going to require two hours. For hanging walls the contractor should use the largest (longest) board possible. Drywall is usually 4x8, 4x9, 4x10 and 4x12. Because of the design of homes and hallways you can not always get the larger sheets in every part of the home. Dry wall is hung on its side with the 4ft side going up. This way if you have an eight foot wall you will have two sheets on top of each other. On 9ft ceilings you want to hang the board on the ceiling and the board on the floor prior to the middle board, which will have to be cut to fit. You never want the seams of two boards lining up with each other. All of your vertical seams should be staggered. How ever your horizontal seams will line up by the nature of the hanging process. You will also get a drywall nailing inspection prior to the 'Tape\Bedding-Float and Texture' contractor starting, if you are getting texture. Drywall is attached to the studs two ways, drywall nails or drywall screws. Both are designed for hanging drywall and are excellent when they are used together. Now your drywall is hung and inspected, your home is ready for the 'Taper'. He is the guy who walks on stilts!