In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

On Nov 22, 11:23*am, infiniteMPG wrote:
In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. *We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. *The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. *Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. *The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). *Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? *Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? *Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

Sounds like it has to be ripped out. You probably have 3/8" sheetrock
which is not really suitable for ceilings, it should be 1/2".

Sounds like it has to be ripped out. *You probably have 3/8" sheetrock
which is not really suitable for ceilings, it should be 1/2".

The existing ceiling sheet rock is 1/2"

On Nov 22, 10:23*am, infiniteMPG wrote:
In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. *We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. *The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. *Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. *The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). *Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? *Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? *Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a
garage to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached
to the house. In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish,
just replace the whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling
is removed, the joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall.
A rented lift can get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

Joe

On Nov 22, 11:50*am, infiniteMPG wrote:
Sounds like it has to be ripped out. *You probably have 3/8" sheetrock
which is not really suitable for ceilings, it should be 1/2".

The existing ceiling sheet rock is 1/2"

How far apart are the joists?

"Joe" wrote in message
...
On Nov 22, 10:23 am, infiniteMPG wrote:
In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a
garage to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached
to the house. In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish,
just replace the whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling
is removed, the joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall.
A rented lift can get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

Joe

I agree with Joe...Remove the old rock,strap the ceiling 16OC shimming where
necessary under the strapping and re-hang with 5/8 Fire Code drywall to
bring it up to code. Your house insurance may even go down a
little......Good luck...Old brittle sheetrock that has been bowed for a long
period of time will never go back up and stay for long....

How far apart are the joists?

24". The majority of the ceiling is under the garage roof alone, but
part of it is under the main house roof and that's perpedicular to the
centerline of the garage peak so the joists run the opposite direction
for about 8-feet of it.

You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a garage to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached to the house.

The old might be 5/8". The only place I can measure is in the attic
opening and it's hard to get to. It was either 1/2" or 5/8" but when
I measured I was just seeing if it was thicker then 3/8". We just re-
did the kitchen, tore out a dropped ceiling and it was 5/8" in the
kitchen what we removed.

In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish, just replace the whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling is removed, the joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall. A rented lift can get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

I think the big thing is clearing enough floor space in the garage to
access everything. After 30 years the garage is a collection.

I agree with Joe...Remove the old rock,strap the ceiling 16OC shimming where necessary under the strapping and re-hang with 5/8 Fire Code drywall to bring it up to code. Your house insurance may even go down a little......Good luck...

Not sure what 16OC shimming is.... ???

Old brittle sheetrock that has been bowed for a long period of time will never go back up and stay for long....

I did put some screws in at a few spots a long time ago and had to put
washers on the heads as to pull the sheet rock back flush it would
pull the head of the screw thru the sheet rock. I guess we have some
work to do. Biggest issue is space. Garage is filled with old
kitchen cabinets we're going to use for garage cabinets but won't be
able to work on ceiling over them when installed. Kind of a catch-22,
to make space need to put cabinets in, but to put cabinets in need to
do ceiling, to do ceiling need cabinets moved to make
space... ::sigh:: Home ownership is an adventure! :O)

Thanks for everyone's help!

SUGGESTION..... We have a pretty quick and clean way to remove the
popcorn. We have a neat scraper we got that a shopping plastic bag
attaches to and you put a wetting solution on the popcorn, scrap and
toss the bags. Not much mess. The sheet rock in the garage ceiling,
although warped, is not in terrible shape.

Since we don't have the money to pay someone to do this and the two of
us would be taxed trying to place 4X8 5/8" sheet rock even with a
lift, what if we removed the popcorn, painted the ceiling, then
running perpendicular to the joists we screwed stained 1X4 pine strips
on top of the sheet rock every 2-feet or so???? Would give it a nice
look. The pine would support the sheet rock and we'd save from trying
to do 480-square feet of new sheet rock (and having to work around
light fixtures, garage door brackets, outlets, steps in the wall,
attic openings, etc).

????????

Work on one side at a time. Clear half of the garage by jamming everything
over to the other side, rip the old drywall off the cleared side, try to get
just over the half way so that you can stagger the sheets as in brick work.
I would apply 1 x4" strapping on 16" centers shimming as needed to make it
flat then apply drywall. When the one side is taped, mudded and painted,
move everything over to the finished side and start over.


"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a garage
to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached to the
house.

The old might be 5/8". The only place I can measure is in the attic
opening and it's hard to get to. It was either 1/2" or 5/8" but when
I measured I was just seeing if it was thicker then 3/8". We just re-
did the kitchen, tore out a dropped ceiling and it was 5/8" in the
kitchen what we removed.

In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish, just replace the
whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling is removed, the
joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall. A rented lift can
get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

I think the big thing is clearing enough floor space in the garage to
access everything. After 30 years the garage is a collection.

I agree with Joe...Remove the old rock,strap the ceiling 16OC shimming
where necessary under the strapping and re-hang with 5/8 Fire Code
drywall to bring it up to code. Your house insurance may even go down a
little......Good luck...

Not sure what 16OC shimming is.... ???

Old brittle sheetrock that has been bowed for a long period of time will
never go back up and stay for long....

I did put some screws in at a few spots a long time ago and had to put
washers on the heads as to pull the sheet rock back flush it would
pull the head of the screw thru the sheet rock. I guess we have some
work to do. Biggest issue is space. Garage is filled with old
kitchen cabinets we're going to use for garage cabinets but won't be
able to work on ceiling over them when installed. Kind of a catch-22,
to make space need to put cabinets in, but to put cabinets in need to
do ceiling, to do ceiling need cabinets moved to make
space... ::sigh:: Home ownership is an adventure! :O)

Thanks for everyone's help!

infiniteMPG wrote:
SUGGESTION..... We have a pretty quick and clean way to remove the
popcorn. We have a neat scraper we got that a shopping plastic bag
attaches to and you put a wetting solution on the popcorn, scrap and
toss the bags. Not much mess. The sheet rock in the garage ceiling,
although warped, is not in terrible shape.

Since we don't have the money to pay someone to do this and the two of
us would be taxed trying to place 4X8 5/8" sheet rock even with a
lift, what if we removed the popcorn, painted the ceiling, then
running perpendicular to the joists we screwed stained 1X4 pine strips
on top of the sheet rock every 2-feet or so???? Would give it a nice
look. The pine would support the sheet rock and we'd save from trying
to do 480-square feet of new sheet rock (and having to work around
light fixtures, garage door brackets, outlets, steps in the wall,
attic openings, etc).

????????
Give it a try- worst it can do is NOT work, and you are no worse off
than you were, other than the cost of the scraper and the pine strips.
which would always work as garden stakes. Had to do a similar thing on
the carport at my house down south- idiot sub used too-thin plywood for
carport ceiling, and rather than rip'n'replace, we just went crossways
to the trusses every 2 feet, plus around the edges, with 1x4s painted
the same color as ceiling. Looks okay, a lot better than the bowed
plywood and gapped joints.

--
aem sends...

benick wrote:

"Joe" wrote in message
...
On Nov 22, 10:23 am, infiniteMPG wrote:
In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a
garage to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached
to the house. In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish,
just replace the whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling
is removed, the joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall.
A rented lift can get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

Joe

I agree with Joe...Remove the old rock,strap the ceiling 16OC shimming
where necessary under the strapping and re-hang with 5/8 Fire Code
drywall to bring it up to code. Your house insurance may even go down a
little......Good luck...Old brittle sheetrock that has been bowed for a
long period of time will never go back up and stay for long....

Areas I am familiar with, you only need the fire-block ceiling if you
DON'T have a firewall that goes up to the roof decking on the house
side. I prefer open-ceiling garages- easier to vent, easier to store
stuff. And after a couple years, garage ceiling drywall always looks
like crap anyway, and is a major pain to repaint.

--
aem sends...

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
SUGGESTION..... We have a pretty quick and clean way to remove the
popcorn. We have a neat scraper we got that a shopping plastic bag
attaches to and you put a wetting solution on the popcorn, scrap and
toss the bags. Not much mess. The sheet rock in the garage ceiling,
although warped, is not in terrible shape.

Since we don't have the money to pay someone to do this and the two of
us would be taxed trying to place 4X8 5/8" sheet rock even with a
lift, what if we removed the popcorn, painted the ceiling, then
running perpendicular to the joists we screwed stained 1X4 pine strips
on top of the sheet rock every 2-feet or so???? Would give it a nice
look. The pine would support the sheet rock and we'd save from trying
to do 480-square feet of new sheet rock (and having to work around
light fixtures, garage door brackets, outlets, steps in the wall,
attic openings, etc).

I was about to suggest this idea, then read the rest of the replies. I've
done that for two customers over the years, they and I were quite pleased
with the resulting appearance. Labor and time-wise it's your best option.
Hint: stain the 1x4's to match the cabinets!

infiniteMPG wrote:
How far apart are the joists?

24". The majority of the ceiling is under the garage roof alone, but
part of it is under the main house roof and that's perpedicular to the
centerline of the garage peak so the joists run the opposite direction
for about 8-feet of it.

THAT is why it is sagging. Even 5/8" rock won't stay flat forever hung
off 24" OC, unless there is cross-blocking to nail into. And in FL humidity?

--
aem sends...

"EXT" wrote in message
anews.com...
Work on one side at a time. Clear half of the garage by jamming everything
over to the other side, rip the old drywall off the cleared side, try to
get just over the half way so that you can stagger the sheets as in brick
work. I would apply 1 x4" strapping on 16" centers shimming as needed to
make it flat then apply drywall. When the one side is taped, mudded and
painted, move everything over to the finished side and start over.




"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
You may want to check your building codes. Some places require a garage
to have 5/8" drywall, usually mandated IIRC if it is attached to the
house.

The old might be 5/8". The only place I can measure is in the attic
opening and it's hard to get to. It was either 1/2" or 5/8" but when
I measured I was just seeing if it was thicker then 3/8". We just re-
did the kitchen, tore out a dropped ceiling and it was 5/8" in the
kitchen what we removed.

In your case since it is the detested popcorn finish, just replace the
whole ceiling to save on labor. Once the old ceiling is removed, the
joists can be leveled for a good fit for new drywall. A rented lift can
get it all in place in a couple of hours. Good luck.

I think the big thing is clearing enough floor space in the garage to
access everything. After 30 years the garage is a collection.

I agree with Joe...Remove the old rock,strap the ceiling 16OC shimming
where necessary under the strapping and re-hang with 5/8 Fire Code
drywall to bring it up to code. Your house insurance may even go down a
little......Good luck...

Not sure what 16OC shimming is.... ???

Old brittle sheetrock that has been bowed for a long period of time will
never go back up and stay for long....

I did put some screws in at a few spots a long time ago and had to put
washers on the heads as to pull the sheet rock back flush it would
pull the head of the screw thru the sheet rock. I guess we have some
work to do. Biggest issue is space. Garage is filled with old
kitchen cabinets we're going to use for garage cabinets but won't be
able to work on ceiling over them when installed. Kind of a catch-22,
to make space need to put cabinets in, but to put cabinets in need to
do ceiling, to do ceiling need cabinets moved to make
space... ::sigh:: Home ownership is an adventure! :O)

Thanks for everyone's help!



Move the stuff out and cover it with tarps,do the work then install the
cabinets...

"infiniteMPG" wrote in message
...
SUGGESTION..... We have a pretty quick and clean way to remove the
popcorn. We have a neat scraper we got that a shopping plastic bag
attaches to and you put a wetting solution on the popcorn, scrap and
toss the bags. Not much mess. The sheet rock in the garage ceiling,
although warped, is not in terrible shape.

Since we don't have the money to pay someone to do this and the two of
us would be taxed trying to place 4X8 5/8" sheet rock even with a
lift, what if we removed the popcorn, painted the ceiling, then
running perpendicular to the joists we screwed stained 1X4 pine strips
on top of the sheet rock every 2-feet or so???? Would give it a nice
look. The pine would support the sheet rock and we'd save from trying
to do 480-square feet of new sheet rock (and having to work around
light fixtures, garage door brackets, outlets, steps in the wall,
attic openings, etc).

????????

I can't see your ceiling. After removing the popcorn just fix the bad
places by patching with new or reattach with more screws and then mud the
whole ceiling. 5/8" sheet rock doesn't need additional support. 1/2" sheet
rock spans 2 feet okay on ceilings. This is a one man job requiring around
3 days. Shouldn't be expensive to hire someone. Get two men if they are
going to shift your stuff too.

I can't see your ceiling. *After removing the popcorn just fix the bad places by patching with new or reattach with more screws and then mud the whole ceiling. *5/8" sheet rock doesn't need additional support. *1/2" sheet rock spans 2 feet okay on ceilings.

Hehehe... one person says even 5/8" sheet rock will sag on 24"
centered joists, someone else says even 1/2" is fine on 24"
centers :O)

We were thinking to strip the popcorn and get the sheetrock screwed
back up in any really bad spot (like where a joint is not matching by
1/2" or something like that) and tape and mud the joints. Then put 1
X 4 pine strips flat against the ceiling down the two long edges.
Then space them around 24" and strip down the ceiling all the way
across.

Regardless of the thickness, or if it's new or old sheet rock, the
inside of the garage and the attic over the garage get a ton of
Florida humidity and get cooked all summer long. I really think sheet
rock will start to sag again on it's own. The pine will support the
sheet rock in the opposite direction then the joists and they'll get
screwed thru the sheet rock into the joists so the joists will be
holding the pine. Could be done in small sections and doesn't all
have to be done in one day.

Then mud or fill all screw holes (sheet rock and pine) and paint the
whole deal with white ceiling paint. That should last longer then the
house. And this will also give good places to mount fluorescent
lights, bike hangers, fishing rod hangers and stuff like that. And it
will better support the ceiling in care some of the stuff in the attic
slips off the joists (which has happened). This would be a ton easier
then the two of us trying to install 20 sheets of 5/8" 4X8 sheet rock
in a crowded garage.

?????

On Nov 22, 8:23*am, infiniteMPG wrote:
In our almost 30-year old Florida home, we have a garage that is about
20-ft X 24-ft. *We had the roof completely replaced several years ago
and have been doing some upgrades. *The garage is a normal garage with
a popcorned sheet rock ceiling. *Between some dampness from the
Florida weather and a few bumps from stuff in the attic, the sheet
rock is wavy between the joists in several places and in other places
broken away slightly from the joists. *The garage door mounts are
bolted to the ceiling and the garage is your usual 30-year collection
of stored stuff and tools.

We could strip the popcorn without much trouble but our question is if
there is any way to fix the wavy sheetrock without having to rip
everything out of the garage and re-do the entire ceiling (a major
project). *Would we need to put runners between the joists to screw it
back in to between the joists? *Is there any quick and easy way to do
that if that's the only solution? *Once sheet rock warps is it shot or
can it be pulled back into alignment (we don't need it perfect, this
is just the garage)?

Any suggestions and helpful hints greatly appreciated.

depends on the cause & how bad the condtion of the drywall is....

imo (with seeing or photos thereof) fixing the drywall ceiling w/o
doing an R&R has got to be possible.

It won't turn out perfect but it is a garage. Insulation above the
drywall & between the joist? If the drywall has pulled away, there
will most likely be debris between the drywall & the bottom face of
the joists preventing oyu from getting drywall seated back tight to
the joists.

How stuff do you have stored above? Ceiling joists unless designed as
attic floor joists aren't meant for storage.
They're there to support the drywall ceiling.... have you over loaded
the joistss/

I'd check out whether or not you can "re-seat" the drywall, a couple
(or a couple pair) 3rd Hand jacking struts would be helpful.

If the end of the drywall are damaged & will not accept screws,
consider some local joist sistering.

I prefer nails over drywall screws.....nails have bigger heads & with
practice, nailing isn't that bad. I'd install fasteners at 6" o/c.

My suggestion is to attempt repair of the worst area first...if repair
works there it will work everywhere.

cheers
Bob

It won't turn out perfect but it is a garage. *Insulation above the drywall & between the joist? *If the drywall has pulled away, there will most likely be debris between the drywall & the bottom face of the joists preventing oyu from getting drywall seated back tight to the joists.

No insullation above the garage ceiling so not much worry of debris.

How stuff do you have stored above? *Ceiling joists unless designed as attic floor joists aren't meant for storage. They're there to support the drywall ceiling.... have you over loaded the joistss/

Some boxes of kid's clothing and memorabillia, not much weight and
since I climb around up there on the joists, I think they're pretty
secure.

I'd check out whether or not you can "re-seat" the drywall, a couple (or a couple pair) *3rd Hand jacking struts would be helpful.

We just got a little lucky with that. When we tore out the kitchen
dropped ceiling there was a lot of 2X4 framework. We were about to
toss that today but instead cut it into pieces that would fit between
the joists. We ended up with about 50 pieces so that's a lot of in-
between support we can add in the spots where it's bad to help pull up
against.

If the end of the drywall are damaged & will not accept screws, consider some local joist sistering.

Joist sistering????

I prefer nails over drywall screws.....nails have bigger heads & with practice, *nailing isn't that bad. *I'd install fasteners at 6" o/c.

I agree on the nails, probably a really good place for that. I don't
mind if I ding the face a little hammering as I will have some mudding
to do anyway.

My suggestion is to attempt repair of the worst area first...if repair works there it will work everywhere.

Thanks Bob! Great suggestions and much appreciated!
Scott

Hehehe... one person says even 5/8" sheet rock will sag on 24"
centered joists, someone else says even 1/2" is fine on 24"
centers :O)

I don't live in Florida. Around here 1/2" is installed with ceiling trusses
on two foot centers on almost every house. Then 16" of insulation is piled
on top. My own home is built like this. No sagging in 25 years. High
humidy here causes mildew not sags. Roof leaks with water pooling on top of
the sheet rock causes localized sagging that is easy to repair. Your pine
solution may work. It is not done normally. If I was looking at a house
with a non standard ceiling I would be examining it closely. If the owner
has done anything weird I expect to find problems hidden everywhere.

On Nov 22, 2:37*pm, infiniteMPG wrote:
It won't turn out perfect but it is a garage. *Insulation above the drywall & between the joist? *If the drywall has pulled away, there will most likely be debris between the drywall & the bottom face of the joists preventing oyu from getting drywall seated back tight to the joists.

No insullation above the garage ceiling so not much worry of debris.

How stuff do you have stored above? *Ceiling joists unless designed as attic floor joists aren't meant for storage. They're there to support the drywall ceiling.... have you over loaded the joistss/

Some boxes of kid's clothing and memorabillia, not much weight and
since I climb around up there on the joists, I think they're pretty
secure.

I'd check out whether or not you can "re-seat" the drywall, a couple (or a couple pair) *3rd Hand jacking struts would be helpful.

We just got a little lucky with that. *When we tore out the kitchen
dropped ceiling there was a lot of 2X4 framework. *We were about to
toss that today but instead cut it into pieces that would fit between
the joists. *We ended up with about 50 pieces so that's a lot of in-
between support we can add in the spots where it's bad to help pull up
against.

If the end of the drywall are damaged & will not accept screws, consider some local joist sistering.

Joist sistering????

I prefer nails over drywall screws.....nails have bigger heads & with practice, *nailing isn't that bad. *I'd install fasteners at 6" o/c.

I agree on the nails, probably a really good place for that. *I don't
mind if I ding the face a little hammering as I will have some mudding
to do anyway.

My suggestion is to attempt repair of the worst area first...if repair works there it will work everywhere.

Thanks Bob! * Great suggestions and much appreciated!
Scott

I-MPG

I actually started my first reply this morning before all other posts
& your replies.....I should checked for posts before I continued with
my tome.

wrt 5/8 vs 1/2 and 16" o/c vs 24" oc..........

1/2" is fine for 16" o/c, however, the jump to 24" increases the
deflection by 3.4 times

24" is even a bit of stretch for 5/8" based on span & drywall
thickness (stiffness)...5/8" drywall at 24" o/c would delfect 1.7
times as much as 1/2" at 16"..... the 24" span is the killer.

the debris I speak of is usually (in my attics) windborne debris and
wasp nests that fall from the rafters...if anything bigger than 1/8"
get between the bottom of the joists & the drywall...the drywall will
suffer upon re-seating.

I'm a little stumped when you call the members "joists" .......are
they really the bottom chords of roof trusses?

Those 1x4's that you plan to attach flat to the ceiling aren't going
to do much at all........
imo, a waste of time & material plus they would look rather odd &
complicate the painting process forever.
I think you'd be disappointed with the results


Blocking at 16" o/c between the trusses(?) would help a whole lot more
than 1x4's...but more work since you really should "take out the sag"
locally prior to screwing the drywall to the blocks.
Blocking would be much less effective than some sort of continuous
member (which is even harder to implement).

It seems that attic access is much easier than garage flor space.

Its a question of "cost of quality vs cost of non-
conformance".....how important is a flat / un-wavy ceiling in the
garage, how bad is it really? I might just re-attach, mud, prime &
paint...forget the structural mods.


$150 worth of drywall plus a lot hanging, taping, mudding &
sanding...priming & paint
to R & R it all is a lot work.

cheers
Bob