I need to start drywalling a room that was originally build for plaster. While the studs are 16" on center, they don't line up with the corners. What is recommended in this situation? Cut the drywall in lenth to match the studs I have or add in a few extra studs at the 8' lenths?
Obviously added extra joists in the ceiling isn't pratical, so I suspect I'll have to cut to match there.
Thanks, Bernie
you will be cutting the drywall to fit the studs. you may also be cutting the drywall into a manageable weight if you are working without a helper or with heavier fire rated X. if you are trying to get out of the job, check the unevenness of the old studs with a laser level throughout the site first. you must not shy away from buying drywall, cutting it to any size you want, and taping and finishing it. unless your neighbor does it for you buy some drywall tools on ebay and get the party started.
None of the walls have all the studs on 16" centers? Usually only the exterior walls have to be fudged as they were laid out for sheathing, not drywall.
You can run the boards long and use 4' strips of plywood as a backer behind the floating seams. They also make metal and plastic slips which replace the plywood backer.
RFunny you mention the Free Hands. I ordered a pair the other day. They look interesting and for the price are worth checking out.
Can't get out of the job, it's my own house, hahahaha.
Bernie
Bernie, You already know that the old carpenters used nominal 16 o.c. studs, but they did not have to be as accurate to break on sheet edges. The lathers did not need accurate centers as they custom cut the rough cut lath to fit with their hatchet/hammers. You will probably find that they didn't worry about straight and square either. You have several choices.
You can ignore trying to make centers and deliberately miss them and cut scrap ply/ metal stud/ 2x4 in-the-flat pieces to fasten the butt ends of sheet to each other.
You can custom cut the drywall to make stud breaks. This will make things a bit harder to tape and bed and may cause you to use more sheets.
You can add extra studs to make the centers and/or scab pieces on the side(s) of studs and joists.
It has become quite common to make inside corners without all the nailing studs. The method is to cut the back paper on the rock only and hang the sheet through the corner, leaving the face paper intact. This is another trick that almost demands a helper.
I don't envy your situation, though many of us have been there/done that. I prefer the first option of deliberately missing breaking studs and adding scrap. This method is also quite effective on ceilings. It is worth every penny to rent a drywall hoist for the ceiling unless you have help. Most lumber yards have them for rent by the day.
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If the ceiling's not too low, and your love of taping butt joints not so great, it may be worth to add 1x3 strap, perpendicular to joists, at
16 OC to avoid custom cutting sheets. It also gives you a little wider backing for the seams. In my experience, no room is ever so perfectly square that you won't have to make some tapered cuts to avoid gaps anyway.I'm adding this post for the archives. I ended solving two problems with one solution. I always hated taping butt joints and I didn't have the joints landing on studs. I found these premade backer boards that made taping the butt joints simple!
I actually had to cut back a couple of the panels to make sure they didn't land on studs, hahahaha.
Bernie
I've never used the "store-bought" version - I just use scraps of plywood. How much did they cost?
R
I simply use self-adhesive joint tape from Lowes and skim coat over it. You can't see my joints after using the 12" trowel.
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