# Horizontal vs. Vertical - which will be faster?



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Neither----Get 5x12 sheets and hang them horizontally--4 foot wide ? I would consider vertical,but the framing better be spot on or you will spend a lot of time adding studs.


----------



## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

Just finished drywalling a 24' x 25' garage. I used all 5/8 in 12' and 14' sheets, horizontally. Very little waste, only two butt joints in each wall. Since you already have the ceiling done, the hard parts out of the way. I used a lift to hold the upper sheets in place. If your walls are 9', I would find a drywall supply that stocks 4'- 6" tall panels and use them. If you have a lift and a helper, you should be able to hang the walls easily in one day.
Mike Hawkins


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

No insulation first? 
No new wiring?
Install the pieces next to the ceiling first.
Leave about 1/2" from the floor so there's no wicking of moisture.


----------



## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

joecaption said:


> No insulation first?
> No new wiring?


No insulation; this is a detached garage in southern california with no HVAC and no plans to add any. 

*Probably* no wiring, though I'll check when I do the final walkthrough on Sunday.



> Install the pieces next to the ceiling first.


Out of curiosity, why?


Thanks all for the tips. I'll see what size panels are available from local supply in Pasadena.


----------



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

You start with the top sheet so you have a straight factory edge up there---much easier--the floor edge is hidden by trim---

a lever is used to lift the bottom sheet tight to the one above it---google-drywall jack ---leave a gap at the floor so moisture dowsnt wick up into the drywall.


----------



## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

Wow, you guys have high standards! Every lumber and/or home improvement place I checked today looked at me like I'd sprouted purple eyestalks when I asked about panels wider than four feet. Also, I can't find buttboards ... Clearly a special-order item everywhere. If I have butt joints I may just have to deal with them the hard way.

The guy at Ganahl lumber even gave me a lecture about how anything larger than 4x12 would be so heavy it would be nearly impossible to work with even with a helper. :/

Anyway, I'll get another chance to measure things tomorrow at the final walk-through before I have to order materials. I think every wall but one has interruptions (doors, built-in workbench, etc.) i have to work around that might prevent 16' panels - even if i could find them - from being much of a speed advantage. And I think the one uninterrupted wall may be only 22' long anyway.


----------



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

This 'impossible to do' guy--was he earning big bucks as a hanger or small bucks as a store clerk?

I'm still able to muscle up a 12 foot sheet of 5/8 to the ceiling without a lift---

Look for a drywall supply house---5/8" is now available in light weight----

A lift can be used for wall sheets if you are not built for heavy lifting---

I have a lift but my assistant won't use it because it take longer than using walking boards and hand lifting---pin head work we call it.


----------



## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i, also, looked for 9' drywall, nobody has it. so, what i did, was the hang vertically, up to the ceiling. then a filler piece down at the floor. that way, the butt joint will be behind furniture, and mostly will not be seen.


----------



## IdahoEv (Aug 21, 2012)

Update on the project: I did the final walkthrough of the house yesterday and took a lot of measurements of the garage. 

1) I can't find panels wider than 4' anywhere. Unless someone knows a source in the Los Angeles area...

2) The framing is *not* spaced consistently enough for vertical hanging unless I'm okay with joints that aren't on studs.

3) There are only two uninterrupted walls (well, one window). Both are 19' 7" long. So there's no advantage to panels longer than ten feet, I'm going to have one butt joint per wall anyway.

3) The ceiling -- annoyingly -- is 8' 3". It's already finished, but somewhat poorly.

4) The ceiling in the attached storage shed is not yet done. It's 63" wide and 24' long. 

So the current plan is to buy some 4'x12' panels and some 4'x8' panels and hang them horizontally, so I can stagger the seams on the two 19'7" walls. And I guess cut 2.5" strips to go along the bottom of the wall, which is irritating. The other three walls all have doors and/or built-in shelving i'll need to work around, so there will be a lot of cutting.


----------



## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

A drywall supply yard will have any length/width you need . A lumber yard/home center won't. That said, if you're going with what you have planned, I'd recommend putting your "filler" in the middle, unless you're using say a 6" base that will cover the bottom joint. (Using standard base will not cover the taper on the bottom sheet though it will cover the actual seam.) The top sheet should be hung first and butted to the ceiling. Then if you add your filler strip, you can use a floor jack to raise the bottom sheet up into position rather than trying to hold a sheet 2.5" off of the floor while trying to nail or screw it. And you want to be sure to hold the bottom sheet about 1/2" off of the floor. With a 10" or 12" knife, the joint will be easy to finish....


----------

