# Hanging drywall on 8.5 foot walls



## motopokep (Feb 27, 2011)

I think I found the answer to my question:

I'll order 54 inch drywall and combine it with the 48 inch sheets I already have for a total of 102 inch walls (I'll be dropping a ceiling which will cover the inch).

Still, the 7 inch seam I already hung in the middle, should be fine taping over, right?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Made yourself a whole lot more work then needed.
Wider sheetrock would have been the ideal way to go, now your stuck with trying to cover seams without tapered edges. Not a fun job.
If I had the same materials you had to work with I would have installed the top piece first, the next one tight to it and had the narrow stip at the bottom
with the tapers facing each other. Not idea but way easer then trying to hide cut edges.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i would have bought 10' sheets and hung them vertically


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## housegsx (Oct 21, 2010)

I would have started at the top and put a 6" or 8" baseboard at the bottom to cover the lower seam.


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## masterofall (May 27, 2010)

You will have a situation similar to taping butt joints. Flair them out 14" each side. Not much else you can do at this point:thumbsup:


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Hanging all 8' sheets horizontally makes for a lot of butt joints besides the 7" rip in the middle you have. You could have actually gotten 9' sheets from a drywall supply and only had 6" of waste by standing them up (as opposed to 18" with 10' board). If you're proficient enough to finish butt joints to a proper level, the 7" rip won't be a problem. You'll just need another bucket or two of mud....


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

What you did is what we did before 54" sheets came out. No problem, just mud it all up nice and float it out.


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## pete0403 (Dec 22, 2010)

For the rest of the basement, couldn't you just hang the 8' pieces from the floor vertically? You would have a 6" gap at the top but just have your drop ceiling at least 6" down from the floor joists. An 8' drop ceiling height is still pretty good. This way you'll have 1 vertical tapered joint every 4 feet...easy-peasy.

BTW: the drywall that you already put up...did you stagger the joints? I'm sure you most likely did, but if not, I'd be inclined to pull it all down and re-do it. Chalk it up to experience.


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## retiredsparky (Oct 12, 2014)

*Easy fix*

Use 3/8 drywall for the 7 inch strips. I use 1/2 strips on my 5/8 walls. Works great! Professional sheetrock buddy shared this tip. Another tip is to use cardboard shims (Home Depot carries them 1 1/2x 47") one stud back from your butt joint. both sides of joint. Puts very small bow in rock giving you a east butt joint.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Sparky is absolutely correct if you have a 7" gap it needs to 3/8" so you can fill it in. If you use 1/2" it will stick our so far you will never hide it. Put the 48" piece on top the 54" on the bottom and since you should leave an inch gap at the floor that your baseboard will cover and your good to go.

Just read where your ripping your strips from the 1/2" sheets this really won't work as stated and also you have a tapered edge against a non tapered edge.

To hang vertical is also a bad idea unless your house has perfect framing, and I have never seen one that did, this will lead to other problems. A stud is 1 1/2" wide, that leaves 3/4" space to screw each sheet of drywall. Draw 2 lines one a piece of paper, this is your stud, now draw a line down the middle. Now you see how much the drywall is supported, and remember you can't screw right in the edge. Now move the line say 1/4" one way, doesn't leave much to screw to does it? Now you will need to put in blocks on the sides of the studs so you have something to screw to.

And believe me a house that the framing is only out 1/4" would be a miracle.


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