Drywalling Basement Hall Ceiling

artlover13060

I am drywalling my basement ceiling. Part of this area is a 3' X 8' hallway. HVAC duct goes the length of the hall. I would like to put an 8' ceiling in this area. I have room down the side to put in a nailer board and still clear 8' below, however the bottom of the duct hangs to almost 8'. Is 3' too wide for the sheetrock to span without support? I don't have room for cross supports unless I put 2 X 4s on their sides. I guess I could span with plywood but that seems like overkill. What would you advise?

Kyle Keever

If the duct work is supported well and is level you could glue your sheetrock to it with a few screws to hold it while the glue dries.

tpolk

2x4 on the flat is fine for 3' span just secure well at ends

bjbatlanta

1/2" drywall is recommended for 16" on center and 5/8" for 24" maximum. 36" span will definitely sag. I doubt the plywood would work either, as it can also sag. If the duct is square and not insulated (a return), Kyles idea would likely work. Don't know that I'd recommend it though. 2"x20 gauge metal studs would work with 1/2" drywall and save some height, but you'd have to get them from a drywall supply and probably not worth the hassle. You can try 2"x2" wood framing and perhaps go with 12" centers for extra strength...

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artlover13060

The duct is round and insulated, so I can't attach to it.

bjbatlanta

Thought it might be a trunk line for the "supply". Losing a couple of inches really won't be that noticeable. You'll know the difference, but most people will never even think about it. The 2"x4"'s flat would may resist warping better than the 2"x2"'s actually.

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tpolk

you may be able to have an hvac guy size your round duct to a flat duct and pick up quite a bit of room and not lose air volume. depends on what you want to invest

Scuba_Dave

I'd put the side nailers a little higher up
Then run 2x'c across under the duct to the other side
No way I'd run 36" unsupported - not even with 5/8"

artlover13060

Thanks. Glad I asked.

7echo

What the scuba man said. And it might be worthwhile to get 'ceiling board' from the drywall supply house. It is stiffer than regular board.

What sort of lights will you install, if any? Now is a good time to sort that out since you have access to the space.

artlover13060

As far as lighting goes, I plan to have sconces on the walls. There isn't enough room in the ceiling for lights.