I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.
Hi,
OC means distance between the center of stud to stud on the frame.
Typically 16 inches. Basement wall frame is usually floating type.
If a wall can be multiple of 16 inches, that is best. I always had
my house built with that in mind. I guess insulation is going behind the
drywall with vapor barrier.

On Oct 20, 11:13*am, Tony Hwang wrote:
Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". *No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Hi,
OC means distance between the center of stud to stud on the frame.
Typically 16 inches. Basement wall frame is usually floating type.
If a wall can be multiple of 16 inches, that is best. I always had
my house built with that in mind. I guess insulation is going behind the
drywall with vapor barrier.

Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

I do not plan on putting in strapping / furring. But for things that
'stick out' like venting / hvac, and water pipes.. do I just use wood
to close them up, then drywall over the wood? These things aren't
discussed in the book I purcahsed.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:48:11 -0700 (PDT), Kbalz
wrote:

On Oct 20, 11:13*am, Tony Hwang wrote:
Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". *No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Hi,
OC means distance between the center of stud to stud on the frame.
Typically 16 inches. Basement wall frame is usually floating type.
If a wall can be multiple of 16 inches, that is best. I always had
my house built with that in mind. I guess insulation is going behind the
drywall with vapor barrier.

Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

I do not plan on putting in strapping / furring. But for things that
'stick out' like venting / hvac, and water pipes.. do I just use wood
to close them up, then drywall over the wood? These things aren't
discussed in the book I purcahsed.

Just watch out when you're at the end of the wall. The first stud
spacing is 15 1/4 inches since you usually want the stud to be flush
with the edge of the drywall instead of having the drywall end in the
center of the stud.

I always have problems fastening the drywall edge to a stud. Screws
always seem to break out the edge. Nails work a bit better for me.

On Oct 20, 11:48*am, Kbalz wrote:
On Oct 20, 11:13*am, Tony Hwang wrote:

Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". *No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Hi,
OC means distance between the center of stud to stud on the frame.
Typically 16 inches. Basement wall frame is usually floating type.
If a wall can be multiple of 16 inches, that is best. I always had
my house built with that in mind. I guess insulation is going behind the
drywall with vapor barrier.

Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

I do not plan on putting in strapping / furring. But for things that
'stick out' like venting / hvac, and water pipes.. do I just use wood
to close them up, then drywall over the wood? These things aren't
discussed in the book I purcahsed.


won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it??


Get some "dimpling bits" for the drywall screwing, you use them in the
power drill just like ordinary phillips head bits. But the dipling
bit will eject the screw before it can penetrate and damage the
drywall paper and it will leave the screw perfectly countersunk
(dimpled in) for mudding. They are cheap and will save hours of time
and aggravation and you will be able to screw fast.

Kbalz wrote:
....
Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

And, of course, that's the same thing as edges except the centerline
measurement means don't have to keep track of which edge goes on the
line (which is why it's used instead).

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

Generally, if accurate it's fine. "Trick" is to start the screw a
slight distance back from the end and angle it into the stud slightly to
gain a little extra distance.

For neophytes, hanging the 'rock vertically to avoid butt joints (if
wall is too long or space into basement too awkward for full-length
sheets) can be worthwhile as most can finish a preformed edge joint far
easier than a butt joint.

....

I do not plan on putting in strapping / furring. But for things that
'stick out' like venting / hvac, and water pipes.. do I just use wood
to close them up, then drywall over the wood? These things aren't
discussed in the book I purcahsed.

You'll want to either frame neatly around them or depending on the
geometry perhaps simply move a wall inward to accommodate them. You
want to make sure you don't cover permanently something likely to need
service, of course.

--

On Oct 20, 1:26*pm, RickH wrote:
On Oct 20, 11:48*am, Kbalz wrote:





On Oct 20, 11:13*am, Tony Hwang wrote:

Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". *No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Hi,
OC means distance between the center of stud to stud on the frame.
Typically 16 inches. Basement wall frame is usually floating type.
If a wall can be multiple of 16 inches, that is best. I always had
my house built with that in mind. I guess insulation is going behind the
drywall with vapor barrier.

Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

I do not plan on putting in strapping / furring. But for things that
'stick out' like venting / hvac, and water pipes.. do I just use wood
to close them up, then drywall over the wood? These things aren't
discussed in the book I purcahsed.
won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it??

Get some "dimpling bits" for the drywall screwing, you use them in the
power drill just like ordinary phillips head bits. *But the dipling
bit will eject the screw before it can penetrate and damage the
drywall paper and it will leave the screw perfectly countersunk
(dimpled in) for mudding. *They are cheap and will save hours of time
and aggravation and you will be able to screw fast.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I also plan to use a Dewalt Drywall Screwgun D272 - I found one cheap
on craigslist, and it was only used on one project much like mine.

Dicko - you say I usualy want the stud to be flush with the edge of
the drywall, and not have the drywall end in the center of a stud.
But what about if I'm butting these two sheets together to span a 12
foot long wall - 4x8 and 4x4.. wouldn't the 'butt-joint' share a stud?
Just theoritical question of course, I would get a 12 x 8 for such a
wall. But what about a ceiling where if might not be preventable?

dpb - thanks for the response, I'll post a new thread if I have a
different question once I get going on it.

On Oct 20, 2:43*pm, Kbalz wrote:
I also plan to use a Dewalt Drywall Screwgun D272 - I found one cheap
on craigslist, and it was only used on one project much like mine.

I mean: Dewalt DW272

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:03 -0500, dpb wrote:

Kbalz wrote:
...
Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

And, of course, that's the same thing as edges except the centerline
measurement means don't have to keep track of which edge goes on the
line (which is why it's used instead).

I also just saw a picture when attaching dry wall directly to studs..
and if two butt joints share a stud's width, won't the nails / screws
attaching the drywall to the stud be too close to the edge of the dry
wall and break it?? Or is there enough room usually?

Generally, if accurate it's fine. "Trick" is to start the screw a
slight distance back from the end and angle it into the stud slightly to
gain a little extra distance.


"Toe-nail" the butt edges, and on a two 48" board s- use 4
nails/screws each. Don't over do the fasterners.

For neophytes, hanging the 'rock vertically to avoid butt joints (if
wall is too long or space into basement too awkward for full-length
sheets) can be worthwhile as most can finish a preformed edge joint far
easier than a butt joint.

That works.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:03 -0500, dpb wrote:



Generally, if accurate it's fine. "Trick" is to start the screw a
slight distance back from the end and angle it into the stud slightly to
gain a little extra distance.

Ugh to the angling. Leaves a bad dimple, exposed screw head, or torn
paper if the screw is too deep.

You have almost 2 inches. About an inch is more than enough real
estate to screw in a screw.

In general it doesn't matter much if you install drywall vertically or
horizontally. If you have 9 foot ceilings then obviously going with
vertical 9' drywall is the way to go.

Otherwise, draw out your plan on paper 2 ways - first horizontal then
vertical hanging. Add up the total of tapered joing footage and butt
joint footage for each way. Choose the way that has the lowest
footage of butt joint.

wrote:
On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:03 -0500, dpb wrote:


Generally, if accurate it's fine. "Trick" is to start the screw a
slight distance back from the end and angle it into the stud slightly to
gain a little extra distance.

Ugh to the angling. Leaves a bad dimple, exposed screw head, or torn
paper if the screw is too deep.

You have almost 2 inches. About an inch is more than enough real
estate to screw in a screw.

In general it doesn't matter much if you install drywall vertically or
horizontally. If you have 9 foot ceilings then obviously going with
vertical 9' drywall is the way to go.

Otherwise, draw out your plan on paper 2 ways - first horizontal then
vertical hanging. Add up the total of tapered joing footage and butt
joint footage for each way. Choose the way that has the lowest
footage of butt joint.

Just stagger the screws a little at the joints. 3/4 inch or so will keep
them from bumping heads. Best to not have side-by-side screws in the
stud anyway.
--
aem sends...

On Oct 20, 9:44*am, Kbalz wrote:
I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". *No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.

Go to usg.com and download the Gypsum Construction Handbook. Over 300
PDF pages of top notch info that you can use for years. To get answers
to your other questions you should check community night classes
available in the construction trades. If there are none in your area,
consider volunteering to help with Habitat for Humanity or similar
groups. You will pick up an astonishing amount of real know how in
short order in the hands on environment. Good luck.

Joe

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:44:28 -0700 (PDT), Kbalz
wrote:

I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb like
me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of what it
means. Thanks.


On center refers to the center of the stud or support. For a typical
wall 2x4 stud the centerline would be about the middle of the 1.5". So
if you say "16 inches on center," that means "the distance from one
centerline to the next centerline is 16".

Phisherman wrote:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:44:28 -0700 (PDT), Kbalz
wrote:

I'm looking to finish my basement, most of the framing is already
done. I started to research about hanging drywall, and purchasing
tools. Some sites and books I have read talk about xxx inches "on
center". No site really defines what "on center" means to a newb
like me. I really could use a picture or a detailed explaination of
what it means. Thanks.

On center refers to the center of the stud or support. For a typical
wall 2x4 stud the centerline would be about the middle of the 1.5". So
if you say "16 inches on center," that means "the distance from one
centerline to the next centerline is 16".

Of course, if you line up the middles of the studs every 16 inches,
then the other corresponding parts of the studs will also be 16 inches
apart.

I explained this to a volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity house just
the other day. The confusion occurred when I said, "They're spaced 16
inches on-center", then proved it by measuring between the left edges.
I explained that it's difficult to keep your measuring tape lined up
with the middle of the board, so I measure between edges instead.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX

"SteveBell" wrote:
Of course, if you line up the middles of the studs every 16 inches,
then the other corresponding parts of the studs will also be 16 inches
apart.

I explained this to a volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity house just
the other day. The confusion occurred when I said, "They're spaced 16
inches on-center", then proved it by measuring between the left edges.
I explained that it's difficult to keep your measuring tape lined up
with the middle of the board, so I measure between edges instead.


What many don't understand is that the first stud is a "zero" point.
So, hook your tape at the corner, measure to 16", and back up 3/4".
(Half the thickness of the stud).
The second stud is always 15-1/4" from the out side corner, edge to edge.
Once the second stud is marked, then it's simply a matter of spacing
16" edge to edge. That is, using the SAME edge, left to left, or right to right.

---
Steve M

On Oct 20, 2:44*pm, Kbalz wrote:
On Oct 20, 2:43*pm, Kbalz wrote:

I also plan to use a Dewalt Drywall Screwgun D272 - I found one cheap
on craigslist, and it was only used on one project much like mine.

I mean: Dewalt DW272

I found that for a beginner(me) that a cordless drill and one a couple
of the cheap dimple bits worked best. You may want to borrow or rent
one for .5 day to see if you really like it before you buy one. The
rented one had this adjustable doer on the end of it that set the
depth of the screw and I could never get it set right.

Jimmie

On Oct 20, 10:35*am, dpb wrote:
Kbalz wrote:

...

Tony, that is exactly what I thought it was, I just wanted
confirmation.

And, of course, that's the same thing as edges except the centerline
measurement means don't have to keep track of which edge goes on the
line (which is why it's used instead).
snip

In layout of studs, the 'line' is the edge of the stud, not the
centerline and an X is placed to the side of the line on which the
stud is to be placed.

A tip that I wish I had known when I built: Take pictures, lots of
pictures of the framing before you close it in. One thinks, "I'll
always remember how the wall was framed"...No you won't and comes time
to hang a shelf etc. it is nice to have a picture to see where the
stud spacing began (which corner), or where wires run, or where that
plumbing is.

Harry K

Harry K