[rusty baker]

I have a neighbor who installs drywall. He says, on the walls, they only put four nails in a sheet and glue the rest. I can remember helping my dad and as a flooring installer for the last 36 years I have never seen that done. Does anyone else do it that way?

 

[bjbatlanta]

The entire perimeter of the sheet is nailed, every stud. Nails (or screws) in the field depend on whether the board is tight to the framing so the glue will adhere it. If you can push the board into the stud with your hand or knee (bottom sheet) and it "springs" back, it needs a set of (2) nails in the field. You may nail almost every stud on certain sheets and 2 or 3 on the next. Glue is a definite though.....

 

[Gary in WA]

This from the maker of your board to satisfy their warranty:

http://www.gypsum.org/pdf/GA-216-07.pdf Depends on stud layout, page 9- table 7, enjoy. Be safe, G

 

[nap]

actually per the 2006 International Residential Code

considering 2 foot on center studs, you need to install a screw every 24 inches or if using nails, every 16 inches. This is with adhesive.

w/o adhesive (and 2 ft on center studs) , screws every 12 inches or nails every 8 inches.

that is spacing top to bottom and must be screwed or nailed on every stud.

Not only are you attaching the drywall to the stud so you have a wall, you are also using the drywall as an integral part of the wall. It is a structural member and must be attached properly so it provides the proper rigidity to the wall.

I do not believe the more recent code updates have changed the requirements.

 

[bjbatlanta]

Though my explanation was the method I've always used, mfgr's. recommendation is the best way to go if you're concerned about warranty. I've never had to try to get warranty service in the 30+ years I've been doing drywall. In Ga. there is no inspection on nailing/screwing drywall in residential construction, so the IRC isn't enforced. Never had a sheet fall off of the wall.....

 

[Willie T]

Though my explanation was the method I've always used, mfgr's. recommendation is the best way to go if you're concerned about warranty. I've never had to try to get warranty service in the 30+ years I've been doing drywall. In Ga. there is no inspection on nailing/screwing drywall in residential construction, so the IRC isn't enforced. Never had a sheet fall off of the wall.....

Boy, are you guys ever fortunate. Locally, drywall is one of the pickiest inspections.

Type of board
# of screws
Type of screws
Field spacing
Edge clearance (butt joints)
Paper disruptions

And garage lofts w/living above... some municipalities go beyond 5/8 to DOUBLE 5/8.

Firewalls get extra scrutiny.

And, yes if you're foolish enough to nail, some inspectors still flag you on not double nailing. (Thank God, not often)

 

[nap]

rock falling off the wall is only part of the deal. As I said, attaching the rock to the studs properly is part of the structural integrity of the building itself. Without sheetrock, the framing has very little strength to resist racking. With the rock, it becomes much stronger. A poor attachment method will not allow the wall system to perform as it is intended. Wind loads are not handled as well as there is effectively no bracing to the outer walls due to the poor build practices of the inner walls which will cause more flexation to the entire structure which causes premature failure of the entire system.

A house is not a wall and a roof and a floor, it is a complex engineered structure where each structural unit in the building provides strength to the total structure. Remove one and the entire structure is compromised.

and just because there is no inspection does not mean you should do work of lesser quality that what is required in areas where there are inspections. A quality installer installs quality, regardless who is looking at it.

and warranty is the last thing I worry about. They are simply covering their rears. IRC is designed so the building meets engineering requirements. That is what is going to make the building sound, not some warranty from a manufacturer of a product.