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Quick Answer: What Size Drywall For Walls

The most common thickness of drywall used in residential interior construction is 1/2 inch. This material is recommended for walls with studs placed 16 inches on center. If the wall studs are placed 24 inches on center, a 5/8-inch drywall is recommended.

What thickness drywall is used for walls?

Most drywall measures 1/2-inch thick. It’s the most common choice for interior walls because they are easy to carry and hang.

What is the best thickness for drywall?

5/8-inch thick drywall is the best drywall thickness for ceilings. Although you can use any type of drywall for ceilings as long as its installed correctly (even ultralight 1/4-inch thick drywall), a thicker panel is best. 5/8-inch thick drywall is the sturdiest which prevents sagging between ceiling joists.

Does drywall thickness matter?

Drywall Thickness. Choosing the correct thickness is one of the most important factors to consider before purchasing drywall sheets. Certain panels are light and flexible but more prone to break, while thicker panels are needed for walls and ceilings.

What size drywall should I use?

1/2-inch drywall is the most versatile board and common thickness for the 16-inch on-center interior walls in most homes. It offers a good balance between strength and weight. 5/8-inch drywall is a heavier product that resists sagging in ceilings and in 24-inch on-center walls.

Is it OK to hang drywall vertically?

On commercial jobs, fire codes often require seams to fall on the entire length of the framing, so the drywall must be hung vertically. For walls 9 feet high or shorter, hanging the drywall horizontally has a number of benefits. Fewer seams. Horizontal hanging reduces the lineal footage of seams by about 25%.

Do you stagger drywall seams on walls?

Generally, yes, sheetrock should be staggered. Most drywall contractors recommend staggering sheetrock boards so that the joints in one row do not match up with the joints in the next row, which adds strength to the wall or ceiling and helps minimize cracks.

What size screw should I use for 1/2 drywall?

Choosing the right drywall screw Most common — 1-1/4”: Use 1-1/4” drywall screws to secure 1/2″ drywall installed on wood-stud walls. These coarse-thread screws typically feature phosphate coatings, which better protect against rust compared to zinc coatings.

Should I drywall walls or ceiling first?

Hang drywall on the ceiling first, then the walls. Check the ceiling for bowed joists using a 4-ft. level.

Do ceilings have to be 5/8 drywall?

5/8″ Type X is most commonly used for ceilings due not only for its rigidity (no sagging), but also its fire-resistance and acoustical blocking. You’ll certainly want to use at least 2-inch drywall screws to hang it. Not sure adhesive is necessary or recommended unless you are covering existing drywall.

How many screws go into a sheet of drywall?

How Many Screws Per Sheet of Drywall. Use about 32 drywall screws per sheet of 4-foot by 8-foot drywall installed horizontally on a wall. This total is comprised of four screws on the five middle studs and six screws on each of the two sides.

Can you hang drywall on 24 centers on walls?

drywall thickness, lightweight is ideal for ceilings that have joists 24 inches on center. drywall has always been approved for use on 24-in. spacing on ceiling framing, but because of heavy sagging insulation, wet ceiling textures, or higher humidity, either a 1/2-in. ceiling board or 5/8-in.

Which drywall to use in garage?

For the majority of your garage, you can use standard 1/2 inch drywall. For the ceiling and wall abutting the house (if this is an attached garage), you should use 5/8-inch sheetrock or type X fire-rated drywall.

Does thicker drywall help with sound?

So, here’s how thick walls should be to be soundproof: A standard stud wall built properly, and consisting of 2 sheets of drywall with an air cavity 5 to 6 inches thick, is good enough to make the wall soundproof. A concrete wall would have to be around a foot thick to be completely soundproof.

Where can I use 1/4 inch drywall?

Quarter-inch drywall is often used to cover damaged plaster walls and also for curved areas because it bends easier than thicker drywall. Then the 1/4-inch-thick drywall can be double layered to get to the conventional 1/2 inch thickness to match the rest of the wall.

Is drywall supposed to touch the floor?

Drywall should never touch the floor. Allow for a 1/2-inch (1.27 cm) space between your new wall and your old flooring, so there is room for expansion of both materials without cracking the drywall.

Why do you hang drywall from the top down?

When hanging drywall, always hang the ceiling first. This is the hardest drywall to hang, so get a partner and go slow. Large cracks due to misaligned sheets are hard to repair because the extra mud required to fill them will constantly fall out and drop to the floor (or worse, down the back of your neck!).

Why is it important to install the drywall on the ceiling before the walls?

Doing the ceiling first means you can lift the wall sheets to make a tight joint. By contrast if you do the walls first you would have to sculpt every edge to make it seat tightly, and/or end up with lots of voids to fill before you tape.