Thread: Drywall Nails
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RicodJour RicodJour is offline
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Default Drywall Nails

On Mar 15, 7:08 am, "3G" wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

ups.com...
| On Mar 14, 8:34 pm, "Howard" wrote:
| Looking to find the code requirement for 5/8" firecode drywall in a
| garage. How long do the nails need to be and what spacing for a
| ceiling? TIA
|
| I don't use nails as they're more prone to popping and they don't hold
| as well as screws.
|
| Generally 1 1/4" screws, mimimum, are used with 1/2" drywall, and 1
| 5/8" screws with 5/8" board. I'd space the fasteners 8" on center,
| thought the books will tell you 12". Here's a good basic site:
|http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projec...all/drwl_4.htm
|
| If you want the definitive answer on drywall, visit the USG web site
| and check out their online drywall handbook. More information than
| you'll ever need.
|

that's funny
the plasterers I hired used nails to tack the sheets and then screwed it
off with fine thread drywall screws.
they also used nails to install all the corner bead.
no popped nails yet.


I see. You're extrapolating your one experience into a universal
recommendation? I'll trade you one of my similar experiences and
address your other points.

I require drywall screws on all projects and have for years. I
specify the screw lengths - not too long and not too short as both
cause problems. About fifteen years ago I ripped off an existing roof
over an existing kitchen addition while remodeling for an excellent
customer and replaced it with a cathedral-framed roof. The drywall
subs used nails to tack up the edges of the drywall ceiling board and
used screws in the field. It was the first time I'd used the sub and
I raised a ruckus about the nails. They switched to all screws after
the first few boards. The sub thought I was overreacting and gave the
usual, "We've never had any problems using nails." About three years
later, after the wood framing had finished most of its shrinking, I
had to replace those nails. Not a single screw popped and nearly all
of the nails popped.

I don't usually experiment with such mixed installations for
curiosity's sake, but the nails were already in and I _was_ curious.
That fifty cents of nails cost me about $200 to repair as I ended up
having to repaint the ceiling.

The OP was also asking about drywall, not plaster. Plaster is a lot
harder and stronger than drywall joint compound. It is less likely to
have nail pops in plaster. Corner beads have a lot of material
covering the fasteners, so unless the bead takes an impact, there are
far fewer pops on the beads. Older, seasoned framing has already
shrunk and is less likely to pop nails than new wood framing. Screws
hold better and fewer screws are required. The only penalty with
screws is that they are slightly more expensive slower to install -
usually. The difference in price isn't worth mentioning unless you are
literally counting pennies and place no value on your labor.

I use autofeed drywall guns and they are faster than nails and you
have one hand free to hold the board. Never underestimate the value
of a free hand. The reason your plasterer used nails to tack up the
board is because they didn't have an autofeed screw gun. If they did,
they would have used it to tack up the boards. I'm also a little
surprised that your plasterer used fine thread screws. The coarse
thread screws are preferable for wood framing and are driven faster.

R