starting with walls vs ceiling

autx790 · 07-04-2011, 08:18 PM

I want to get the drywall up on the walls now but have some work i'm going to need to do on the ceilings down the road (it's complicated to explain). Is there any trouble with putting the drywall up on the walls before the ceiling?

Also, i've read the posts about horizontal vs vertical and i'd say i'm convinced to go horizontal, but in my situation, my walls are 10ft and have several windows (or window and door) per exterior walls. None have a span more than 4ft. Would I be better off running vertical so i can go floor to ceiling with no joints except over the door or window? On the interior walls, i'll run horizontal.

autx790 · 07-04-2011, 09:03 PM

hmm...nevermind to the also part. if I go vertical that will end up wasting a lot of drywall i think since the widths are 2.5ft or 3ft. could really only get one section per board.

autx790 · 07-05-2011, 09:31 AM

hmmm...nevermind on everything. Sorry, i'm a goof.

Done some more reading and decided i'm going to put the walls up first then secure the ceiling later. The joists are less than 16" on center and i'll have crown molding up as well so from what i've read, that should be adequate to keep the ceiling drywall secure.

drywallfinisher · 07-05-2011, 11:01 AM

your nailers in the ceiling angles will decrease by 1/2 inch making it tougher to hang. The crown molding saves your butt with the angle joints not being tight.
hanging 10ft walls from a professional finishers perspective. I've chewed hangers up and down for not hanging 10ft right. measure down from your ceiling to the top edge of your windows and doorways where possible and run your seem horizontal from window to window. this will place your bottom seem in between the windows as well. Avoid any seems that run above or below the windows. The ONLY seems beneath or below should be your butt joints. Hanging it this way will save you time in finishing and result in a better overall job. Note: placing you top seem right at the windows top corner the recessl for the drywall, which is right at two inches will carry across the top of the window. I fill this recess with joint compound out of courtesy for the trim carpenter. leaving it hollow may cause the trim to turn inward.

autx790 · 07-05-2011, 07:24 PM

Thanks for the info! I'm not quite sure I follow though. you say measure down from the ceiling, so are you saying to cut the top piece so that it runs along the top of the windows? I'm a little confused also what you mean about where the seams should and should not be. Does this image look like a good approach?

I'd run 2 8x4 across the bottom, break up a 12x4 across the middle and then another set of 8x4 pieces cut to fit at the top. The baseboard is already in place and is 8" (i didn't want to ruin the original molding trying to remove). from the baseboard to the top of the window is almost 8" exactly, maybe an inch more

havalife · 07-05-2011, 08:18 PM

put the 2' fill after your 1st horizontal piece, this makes taping easy and it also keeps the joint out of the window corner.

drywallfinisher · 07-06-2011, 08:05 AM

your molding at the top of the window should cover the seem at the top of thewindow, so all you would need to finish is the seems between the window.
Like I said above....I would get upset if my hangers didnt hang 10ft walls correctly.....as a rule seems go factory to factory. if you follow halfalifes advice you would be placing a cut edge against factory edge. This would mean that you would have to finish that seem as if it were a butt joint. FYI...the fact that he missed your placement of the low butt joints may be an indication to his unreliable advice........ALWAYs place butt joints beneath or above your windows. This prevents you from having to run your mud together at the seem. besides putting them beneath the windows shortens the length of the joint (less to finish) I've been finishing residential drywall 22 years by the way.

autx790 · 07-06-2011, 08:40 AM

Ok, thanks. So is what you're saying is instead of putting two full 8ft sheets at the bottom, i should run a 4ft piece (or whatever) to break under the window, then run a full sheet to the middle of the next window, then another short piece? And the same for the top piece. The problem with the molding covering the drywall is that the windows and molding are already in place. There used to be plaster that just rand to the top of the window and not behind the trim (same for all doors). Why do you suggest putting the short piece at the top? I read a good point on one thread that said people notice eye level and up and suggested putting the short width piece at the bottom where it would be covered a lot by furniture and not have as much light shining on it. I guess assuming of course you are good at finishing it wont be noticed either place.

bjbatlanta · 07-06-2011, 01:03 PM

I'd put the rip at the top for the convenience of finishing. Or maybe I should say to save all the bending over to finish at the bottom (the old back will appreciate it). And definitely break the butt joints over/under the windows or doors. As you can see in the illustration above, you'll have a 2' or so joint to finish as opposed to a 4' joint. Less work, less mud......

drywallfinisher · 07-06-2011, 05:00 PM

dont talk yourself into doing a bad job finishing by placing furniture in front of the joints. lol just eliminate the size of the joints and make the seems factory to factory where you can.