Framing and sheetrock

[FDR]

Can I nail a header 2x4 to exisiting sheetrock, or do I have to remove the sheetrock and nail directly to the joist?

[ameijers]

???? More detail please- what are you building? I'll make a guess and assume you are adding a non-load-bearing partition wall to split up a big room, and you really mean top plate, not header. In that case, the answer is yes, but notching the drywall is the better way to do it. Just screw through the drywall into the joist. I have seen long-term 'temporary' walls done this way, like to make a den or extra bedroom in an unused living room when the house also had a family room. Done carefully, it can be removed with little damage to restore the original space. (These houses were old enough that they had real hardwood running under the new wall, too, so you gave to be careful how you attach the bottom plate...)

If you are talking about something else, please post back.

aem sends...

[chickenwing]

ooooh sshure you can

just make sure nails are long enough

[FDR]

Yes.

Yeah, need an extra bedroom for the next few years.

Are drywall screws ok for framing (strong enough)?

[sleepdog]

IMO they are preferred for doing old work so as not to vibrate all of the existing drywall with the hammer blows required for sinkers. 2.5" should do the trick, just use coarse drywall screws, they go in a bit easier to the old dry wood.

[I R Baboon]

deck screws

[RicodJour]

Don't use drywall screws. They'll snap when you're torquing them in, and they'll strip when you're trying to remove them. Buy either deck screws if you have to pinch pennies, or better yet, square drive (aka Robertson) coated screws for decking. They won't strip as easily as a Philips head screw, are self-drilling, self-countersinking, and you'll be pleased with your sagacity when time comes to remove the wall.

R

[Pop]

: > Are drywall screws ok for framing (strong enough)? : : Don't use drywall screws. They'll snap when you're torquing them in, : and they'll strip when you're trying to remove them.

Baloney unless it's not cg type wood being used.

[RicodJour]

You use drywall screws for framing? Why? They're weak. They snap at the first sign of torque so you have to either predrill the holes or baby them in. It's a waste of your time and you're only saving a couple of bucks - not a good trade-off in my book. Deck screws at the very least as they won't snap so easily.

"unless it's not cg type wood being used." I don't know what that means. What's cg type wood? Never saw that term, and you're making it sound like it's standard.

R

[John Gilmer]

Frankly, I have never had a drywall screw "fail" from torque.

I have "heard" that they leave something to be desire in terms of shear strength. Since from the effective cross section, they would not be as strong as a nail your might use in a framing application.

I've become a fan of pneumatic nailers. Seems to me that there is a lot less damage from the pneumatic nailer than from pounding a nail with a hammer or even trying to be careful and pre-drilling a pilot before using a screw. (It seems silly, but it's like that nail is already "in place" before anything knows it was coming.)

Screws do a VERY good job withstanding pull out. But in shear, the threads compromise the strength. If you have a good selection available, for shear it's best to use a screw where the unthreaded part of the screw penetrates the wood to which the shear is to be transferred.

Of course, in practice "most of the time" just about any fastener will work.

[tellepa]

I guess I will be the voice of reason. The above question about sheet rock screws for framing wood is a question of effort and money put into the job. Most contractors will use what they have "on hand" and it is not always the best choice. The contractor should use a Deck type of screw. The strength is not at question it is the integrity of the installer of the material being used.

I guess that is why I am remodeling my home because of the choices made by the ?contactor?.

Tellepa

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