So the wires go on the inside....

[Eigenvector]

I was poking around my basement, made all the more attractive now that Seattle has broken 100 for 3 days straight (yeah I don't want to hear it from all you hot climate people). Anyway I was contemplating putting up some drywall, seeing as the walls don't have any. I noticed however that the previous owner didn't bother to run the romex through the boards, but rather stapled it on the side the drywall should go. I trust that I'll have to pull that wire and re-route it through the studs before putting up drywall.

I guess my question is, and I will get an inspector for this job as well, but the wires should be routed through the middle of the wall stud - correct?

[RBM]

[hallerb]

if you put in a dropped cieling it doesnt matter since the wires would be protected

[MDT at Paragon Home Inspection]

Through the middle of he stud, nail plate required when cable is <

1-1/4in. of stud edge.

[Eigenvector]

So if the nail plates go on the outside of the stud, does that effect how the wallboard sits.

[Bob]

They&#39;re thin enough where you won&#39;t even notice it.

Is drywall over basement walls in Washington a good idea? I would think it may trap moisture.

Bob

[Mark]

just how does a drop ceiling have anything to do with wiring on wall studs? I can agree with this if the OP had said anything about the ceiling, but he specifically said walls.

[kevin]

Nah. Only if you get real unlucky and have one board end just on the plate, and the next board not hit at all, resulting in a little 1mm drop between boards. In that case, just stick a second plate under the other board. Otherwise, the boards are plenty flexible to get around a

1mm bump with no noticeable change.

[Eigenvector]

Maybe I should have clarified, but it is the staircase that leads to the basement that needs the drywall.

BTW: Since you mentioned it, assuming moisture is a problem, what else would you put on the walls to cover up the studs and wiring?

[John Gilmer]

Even "regular" drywall works better than most "panells." "They" do make both paneling and drywall that is better suited for damp locations.

Dry wall is pretty good stuff. If it isn&#39;t underwater "too long" it will survive an occasional flood.

Outside water should no come through the basement walls in the first place.

[David Martel]

EV,

Cloth treatments might be better than wallboard for the exterior walls. Drapes, tapestries, hangings, et c.. Put dry wall on the interior walls to create variety.

Dave M.

[Tom The Great]

imho:

Depending on the stud size(2x4) and orientation(thinest edges facing inside and out of the room), generally yes. The idea is to have the wire(this case NM) atleast 1.25" from a nailing surface.

To save time, and provide you more insulation, have you thought of picking up 2x2&#39;s and just notching out areas for the wire, and attach them to the existing studs? This will provide you the insulation potential of 2x6 construction(assuming the orginial is normal studding). Also, if you want further nail protection, install nail plates.

Now all this is based on teh limited description you provided, so only use this for a starting point deciding what to do. Not a How-To.

hth,

tom @

[Phisherman]

Ideally, yes. But you can run the wires along a board, pipe, or rail that protects the wire. If the wire is out-of-code there are probably other issues as well.