# Drywall...Ultralight vs Standard?



## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Now that I'm done with all of the ceilings using 5/8 type X....I'm onto walls...

I am a firm believer in 'the longer the sheet, the less tape and mud'. I'd rather waste some drywall than do a butt joint....

Anyway...I can get my 1/2" sheets in ether standard drywall or the ultralight.

When I'm having to put it up in the air, the ultralight is nice. But I'm also noticing that it seems more prone to damage...at least on the ground.

What do you guys think? Which do you prefer?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I suppose it depends on the room. I wouldn't put it in a child daycare, or a garage. In a house without wild kids running around, I'd use it almost anywhere inside.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Thanks jeff...that is kind of my thinking as well...

The family room is going to see the most kid action...since I have a 9' ceiling...I'm going to run my sheets vert (I have proper stud spacing for it). I can get 5/8' drywall in 9' lengths...I'm thinking that might last longer than the 1/2". 

I think 1/2" everywhere else would be fine.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

If it's really important to you, I'd look for 1/2" abuse-resistant drywall (aka impact-resistant, high-impact-resistant).


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I don't think I have that big of an issue...kids are 7-11

Another question.....any difference in noise....1/2" vs 5/8" vs Ultralight vs Regular?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Don't know about Ultralight. 5/8" will be slightly quiter than 1/2", but some people are disappointed in the small amount of difference. There are other better solutions to reduce noise. For example maybe only a few dB for 5/8" drywall, which isn't much. CertainTeed SilentFX gypsum boards claim 17dB, which is a lot. (Most people perceive 10dB drop to be cutting the volume in half.)

You can start to read about wall assembly STC ratings here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_transmission_class


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Actually, a 3db change is half power...or double...my background is RF, analog, etc...dealt with DB quite a bit.

So, a 3db drop in noise would be cutting it in half....a 6 db drop would be 1/4....

At this point...I think I'm going to do 5/8 type x on the wall adjacent the neighbor...very little difference in cost...and I think that would could use some extra 'protection' from the elements.....as in the 3 young kids in my house....


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

ddawg16 said:


> Actually, a 3db change is half power...or double...my background is RF, analog, etc...dealt with DB quite a bit.
> 
> So, a 3db drop in noise would be cutting it in half....a 6 db drop would be 1/4....


No.

It does take double the power to cause a 3dB increase. But that is not doubling the volume. That is the problem with power requirements. It takes a tenfold increase in power to double the volume. Example: if 10 watts creates 80 dB, it requires 100 watts to create 90 dB, which is a doubling of volume. 1,000 watts create 100 dB, which is another doubling of volume, or 4 times 80 dBs.

Decibels are logarithmic, which can be confusing, I understand. This is acknowledged in this Wikipedia entry under "disadvantages":


The decibel creates confusion.
The logarithmic form obscures reasoning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel

By doubling the power, say from 10 watts to 20 watts, it is only a 3 dB increase, which is barely noticeable - not nearly doubling.

By the way, this is why it's almost a complete waste of money to pay for a little more power in your stereo. Going from 100 watts to 125 watts buys you virtually nothing, all else being equal. It's not even close to a 25% increase in volume. More like a 1% increase.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

ddawg16 said:


> Thanks jeff...that is kind of my thinking as well...
> 
> The family room is going to see the most kid action...since I have a 9' ceiling...I'm going to run my sheets vert (I have proper stud spacing for it). I can get 5/8' drywall in 9' lengths...I'm thinking that might last longer than the 1/2".
> 
> I think 1/2" everywhere else would be fine.


why not get 54" inch wide sheets and run it horizontal and cut down the amount of seams by 25% and increase the strength of the sheetrock by 20% and increase the shear strength of the wall? Just saying. I always run it horizontal I have one seam to mud and tape at about waist high. no climbing on ladders to get the tape on the seam then climb down then climb up then climb down. But hey some people think vert is good. I am just to lazy to work twice as hard.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

ddawg16 said:


> I don't think I have that big of an issue...kids are 7-11
> 
> Another question.....any difference in noise....1/2" vs 5/8" vs Ultralight vs Regular?


Just remember sound is vibration and it is carried by the studs if you want sound control you need to double your sheet rock and do things to dampen the sound vibrations through the studs like placing rubber gaskets on the studs etc.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

jeffnc said:


> No.
> 
> It does take double the power to cause a 3dB increase. But that is not doubling the volume. That is the problem with power requirements. It takes a tenfold increase in power to double the volume. Example: if 10 watts creates 80 dB, it requires 100 watts to create 90 dB, which is a doubling of volume. 1,000 watts create 100 dB, which is another doubling of volume, or 4 times 80 dBs.
> 
> ...


Yes....we are both saying the same thing....I was trying to keep it simple.....you don't want me going of on one of my technogeek ramblings...


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Nailbags said:


> Just remember sound is vibration and it is carried by the studs if you want sound control you need to double your sheet rock and do things to dampen the sound vibrations through the studs like placing rubber gaskets on the studs etc.


The newer technologies like the product I mentioned basically has the gasket built into the drywall sheet itself.

Another option if you really want to do it right is to stagger the studs, so that the 2 drywall sheets on each wall are not directly connected to each other.


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## paparocks (Jun 29, 2011)

just a note: ultra light drywall is a direct result of the economy. Less materials used to make it, the lighter the drywall. My guess is they're using more glue to hold it all together. less labor cost in transferring it and less energy consumption by the machinery making it including the trucks delivering it. 
be careful when using routers to cut the stuff. That glue can be toxic when inhaled.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

jeffnc said:


> The newer technologies like the product I mentioned basically has the gasket built into the drywall sheet itself.
> 
> Another option if you really want to do it right is to stagger the studs, so that the 2 drywall sheets on each wall are not directly connected to each other.


Well I don't think that would be a option for him now kinda pointless to bring it up this late in the game.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Nailbags said:


> Well I don't think that would be a option for him now kinda pointless to bring it up this late in the game.


It's not pointless because this forum is a recorded history of answers. It's probably useful to more people listening and searching in the future than the OP, in most threads.


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