necessary to sheetrock ceiling first?

I am working to re-finish my basement. It is presently finished but it is dated with old paneling and 1x1 ceiling tiles. I would like to work in stages rather than disrupt the whole basement so I can work at my own pace and still have the kids, family use the rest of the basement. I want to do the walls first,frame around some ductwork, then sheetrock the ceiling later when I'm ready. I know they say sheetrock the ceiling first, but is there any problem if I do it after I sheetrock the walls?

Reply to
Mikepier
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What is done during normal construction may not be the best during a remodel. If the ceiling is done first, removing the rock later would be easier, but do what works best for you.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

The only valid compelling reasons to do the ceiling first are: that minor gaps at the wall area are hidden and filled when the walls are installed that makes finishing just a bit easier. You don't damage your walls as you struggle with the ceiling boards. Just make darn sure you have any needed scabs in place before you build any walls. You something to screw the ceiling boards to.

I have three walls finished in my basement and no ceilings hung yet. If I ever decide finish the job there won't be any problems.

Reply to
Colbyt

Mikepier wrote the following:

Ceiling panels are put up first because the ceiling panels are supported at the wall edges where the joists run parallel to that wall. There may be nothing there to nail the ceiling panels to that wall edge. You can do it the opposite way as long as you provide nailers along the ceiling along that wall. It's early. I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet. Is the above understandable?

Reply to
willshak

And you may have to be a little more careful so as not to mar your new walls, but as Ed said, this is not new construction.

Reply to
LouB

Usually it's tougher to get to the walls than the ceiling. What's blocking access to the ceiling?

You can, of course, do the drywall in either order, but you are less likely to get cracks at the wall/ceiling junction if the ceiling boards are supported by the wall boards. Doing the walls first pretty much guarantees bigger gaps and doesn't allow much leeway for out of square conditions.

I'm not sure how big of an area, or how complicated the layout, you are talking about, but it only takes a few hours to drywall a ceiling. Taping can be done at a later time when the walls are done.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Unless this area of the basement doesn't have any plumbing, wiring, or other stuff in it (which is fairly rare at best), I'd suggest reconsidering the idea of sheetrock anyway and stick w/ the removable ceiling -- altho I realize that 1-ft ceiling tiles may be the old staple-up thingies, not removable.

Either way, I'd surely be thinking about whether really good idea or not.

If it it determined to be "sheetrock it is", depending on the area and if there's some reason not otherwise, what about doing the perimeter and filing in later? Then could have sorta' the best of both--get the exterior edges on top of the walls and leave the bulk for later...

$0.02, etc., etc., etc., ...

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Reply to
dpb

People often mention this aspect when the topic of a drywall ceiling in a basement comes up. The existing wiring is a non-issue...it's no different than having wiring concealed in a wall or in the second floor. Plumbing is a bit more of a concern, but usually not a big one. In such situations I build in chases with easily removed covers and route all wiring through the chases. It protects the wiring, makes it a snap to add lines and the chase can be built below the ceiling level around the perimeter so there's no drilling of joists and such. Plumbing might require an access door.

In any event, all wiring and plumbing should be brought up to snuff, or even beyond snuff, before any contemplation of a drywall ceiling in a basement. Mike's not exactly a noob, so I'm sure he's thought of that stuff.

Doing the perimeter first is a possibility, but it's also problematic for out of square conditions, and the layout may require a lot more cutting and fitting. I'm kind of lazy/efficient about such things and don't make a lot more work for myself later just to save myself some effort now.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Many years ago, I walled off a section of my basement for a small scale model shop and put a sheetrock ceiling above it. The room also contained the electrical panel, cable tv, and telephone wires entrance, the well pump pressure tank, and a water softener, but all that was in the corner and I just built a 3' x 6' closet around it with no ceiling or interior sheetrock. I finished off the rest of the basement sometime later and installed the easily removed dropped ceiling metal grid and panels. The whole basement was finished with studded and sheetrocked walls. What a mistake it was to put that sheetrock ceiling in that small room. Any additions for wiring or water supply throughout the house had to come from that room. I had to blindly fish wires and pipes through a small gap between the top of the studded wall and the sill plate to get into the part of the basement with the dropped ceiling. From there is was a lot easier to snake the pipes and wires across the room by just removing panels along the route to the final destination. I often look at that sheetrocked ceiling hoping to get up the energy to remove it but there is too much delicate stuff in the room to move out.

Reply to
willshak

Mudding the joints is easier if ceiling is done first, since you have the factory edge on the wall against the surface of the ceiling. You also don't scuff up the walls getting the ceiling panels up there, especially if you are working alone. But if you can live with that, it shouldn't cause any real problems.

I know some on here that say sheetrock is so easy and cheap, no reason to NOT use it on a basement ceiling, because it is easy to patch if you ever need to get to pipes and stuff. Being drywall-mud challenged, I do not concur. I would look real hard at the alternatives. If you don't like the cliche of a grid ceiling, they sell some other snap-together systems that fit as tight against the joists as drywall, almost, but are still easy to open up when needed. They cost more, but go up a lot easier, and are easier to shim if needed if the ceiling is not perfectly flat. If you heart is set on drywall, put access panels at all the obvious places. And make sure to snake power, TV, LAN, etc, everyplace you think you may EVER want it in basement AND on first floor, before you seal it all up.

Oh, yeah- unless your basement has ALWAYS been bone-dry, you probably want to use the non-paper drywall on the walls, below grade like that. You don't have to have a flood- just a damp basement can make drywall get funky. It could still look fine, but get soft, and have that basement smell to it that never goes away, like a house that sat empty for a couple years.

Reply to
aemeijers

do the cieling in something easily removable like tile etc.

basement cieling access is a necessary part of life and if there are ANY electric outlets, work boxes or other electric devices up there they must be accessible. you see a funky spoot on cieling after job is complete. its nice to be able to just take down a couple tiles to find out whats up.

Reply to
hallerb

Ceilings are 'rocked first to provide a full, uninterupted fire barrier between the occupied basement space and the rest of the house.

In some areas it is a "code" requirement. Usually only applicable if the basement is a "separate living area" such as an appartment. In some areas, it is required if the basement includes "sleeping areas"

Reply to
clare

Who sells paperless sheetrock? Last time I looked, Lowes or HD does not carry them umless something changed since then.

Reply to
Mikepier

We're talking a residential, single family house. There's no requirement for any ceiling cover at all in a basement, except over the heating equipment.

What's with the quote marks?

R
Reply to
RicodJour

A REAL building supply store.

Reply to
clare

"code" as in local code, not national building code - "separate living area" as quote from reqirement, same as "sleeping areas".

In some instances referred to as "occupied area"

Reply to
clare

rote:

Code always refers to applicable code. Separate living area is exactly identical in meaning to "separate living area", as is sleeping areas identical to "sleeping areas".

You're going to wear out your " key.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

If I do I have a pile of spare ones. (keys and keyboards)

Reply to
clare

Okay, but if you wear out my monitor, you're buying me some new pixels.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

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