# 3/8 vs. 1/2



## amakarevic

basic question: is 3/8 used for ceilings while 1/2 is used primarily for walls?

thanks


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## Willie T

No, 5/8 for ceilings.


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## sixeightten

3/8 can be used for curved walls or on repair work. It can also be applied directly over plaster.


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## amakarevic

Willie T said:


> No, 5/8 for ceilings.


why is thicker/heavier used for ceilings? i would expect it would be better if it is lighter.


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## mustangmike3789

amakarevic said:


> why is thicker/heavier used for ceilings? i would expect it would be better if it is lighter.


5/8 is thicker/heavier/*more ridged. *3/8 will sag between every rafter.


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## amakarevic

thanks. makes perfect sense now.


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## dberladyn

3/8's should only be used for strange repairs and curved walls. Everything else should be 1/2" or 5/8"s.

PS. 

1/2" is perfectly fine for ceilings, if your joists/trusses are 24" on center you need to use 1/2" CD board.

5/8" is good for everything but then there are drawbacks, such as cost, more work to install, acoustically it will change the way a room sounds and if used on both sides of a wall it may cause difficulties with trimming your doors.


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## bjbatlanta

1/2" is acceptable on ceilings if framing is 16" o.c., 5/8" for 24" o.c. framing.....


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## Anti-wingnut

bjbatlanta said:


> 1/2" is acceptable on ceilings if framing is 16" o.c., 5/8" for 24" o.c. framing.....


Unless there is a requirement for a fire rating or some other assembly. SFR's using TJI's will often be required to use 5/8" type X drwall because engineered lumber burns much more rapidly than nominal sawn lumber. Some areas have recognized the use of fire rated 1/2" GWB, but this is not universal

I'm sure that BJ knows this


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## dberladyn

bjbatlanta said:


> 1/2" is acceptable on ceilings if framing is 16" o.c., 5/8" for 24" o.c. framing.....


Do you not have "CD" board in your area? 1/2" CD board is designed for 24" spans.

As for fire ratings, that's a seperate issue and code specific to different areas.

Dan


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## nateshirk

Just for reference, I used 3/8 on my garage walls, and it seems strong enough. I know...lots of people don't recommend it, but it worked, it's lighter, and cheaper, and it was just my garage.


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## sixeightten

nateshirk said:


> Just for reference, I used 3/8 on my garage walls, and it seems strong enough. I know...lots of people don't recommend it, but it worked, it's lighter, and cheaper, and it was just my garage.



Cheaper? I think not. At least not in cost. It is a cheaper (inferior) product though.


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## Anti-wingnut

Funny thing is, as per modern fire ratings, you should have used 5/8 Type X or 1/2 fire rated board in your garage.


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## nateshirk

I'm sure that's what they used for the exterior walls of the house. I just finished the rest of the garage.


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## Anti-wingnut

The garage is the most flammable spot in the house


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## dberladyn

3/8" should not be used period. It is made for specific purposes as I stated above.

New houses here are built with 1/2" regular drywall. 

5/8" or 1/2" Fireguard is not required, nor does it make the garage "Fireproof".


Fireguard, Type C or Type X... all it means is that it has a rating, a set of properties. It simply performs a certain way at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time.

Even 1/2" regular will "protect" against fire to a certain degree.


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## sixeightten

dberladyn said:


> 3/8" should not be used period. It is made for specific purposes as I stated above.
> 
> New houses here are built with 1/2" regular drywall.
> 
> 5/8" or 1/2" Fireguard is not required, nor does it make the garage "Fireproof".
> 
> 
> Fireguard, Type C or Type X... all it means is that it has a rating, a set of properties. It simply performs a certain way at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time.
> 
> Even 1/2" regular will "protect" against fire to a certain degree.


It has been a while since I hung drywall, but I am pretty sure that the house/garage wall must be hung with firecode drywall. I seem to recall doing that every time.


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## dberladyn

Again, that would be code specific to your area. Here it's not required.


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## rusty baker

There are no codes on drywall at all, here.


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## Jim F

They use 3/8" on interior walls in mobile homes, presumabably to make them lighter for travel.


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## Gary in WA

You may be under the IRC, the footnotes are interesting; http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_7_sec002_par010.htm

Gary


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## dberladyn

GBR in WA said:


> You may be under the IRC, the footnotes are interesting; http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_7_sec002_par010.htm
> 
> Gary


 
Informative site! 

For the record, I did do my garage in 5/8" Type "X" - however the dried out cedar which was originally on the ceiling for 40 years never caught fire once.


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## rusty baker

Those codes only pertain if adopted by local entities. Many rural areas, like mine, have no codes. There is no code inspection body because our rural areas are not zoned.


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## Gary in WA

True, but wouldn't you want to know the bare minimum safety standards from the drywall manufacturer? That's why I stated the word "may" like the rest of the U.S. I appreciate codes and inspections for safety reasons, proof shown many of the decks pictured are not even up to minimum........ not to mention; floor joists, rafters, posts, piers, electrical, plumbing, ect. all there for our safety whether a AHJ is inspecting or not. 

Gary


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## rusty baker

Many code standards are overblown like the asbestos and lead paint standards.


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## dberladyn

rusty baker said:


> Many code standards are overblown like the asbestos and lead paint standards.


I understand where you are coming from but I don't agree with your statement. I took a course on Asbestos and Asbestosis. It only takes one fibre to kill you, and it's a nasty nasty death.

Lead Paint... would you knowingly put your own children in a room where it was peeling off the walls?


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## rusty baker

dberladyn said:


> I understand where you are coming from but I don't agree with your statement. I took a course on Asbestos and Asbestosis. It only takes one fibre to kill you, and it's a nasty nasty death.
> 
> Lead Paint... would you knowingly put your own children in a room where it was peeling off the walls?


Being a flooring installer, they lumped floorcovering into the asbestos scare even tho the danger was very remote and easy to avoid. The same with lead paint. Unless the child is eating it, there is very little danger. 
Did you know that homeowners and churches are exempt from rules on both? How much sense does that make? Did you know that a church run daycare is exempt as long as it is in church owned property?


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## dberladyn

And how do you avoid it? As soon as you disturb that asbestos ladden product you run the risk of releasing asbestos fibres into the air. My home was built in 1969, there is asbestos in just about everything original in this house. The floor tiles, the linoleum, the drywall, the texture.. I am coming across a bit hard in these posts but that's because the new regulations are there for a reason. I know the risks, I've taken courses on it... and I might very well die from all the years I did things in my industry when I had that "rubbish" mentality. I doubt I'll develop asbestosis but I don't rule out, I've done a lot of renovations as an occupational drywaller without even a simple paper mask (which will NOT protect you from asbestos).

Lead. We all have lead poisoning, everyone. It's a fact, google it. However scraping/sanding old lead bases paint will be very bad for your health. The regulations are there for a reason.

As far as homeowners/churches... I'm not even going to get into that. There's the practicality issue... for the most part the regulations are there to protect those who work with these situations on a daily basis.


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## rusty baker

Asbestos is only dangerous when it is friable. With flooring that is easily preventable. And that is also the biggest danger with lead paint, also easy to prevent.


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## AllanJ

One layer of 3/8" drywall is too flimsy for most purposes.

In an earlier lifetime I remember a fellow student saying he slammed the door not that hard and it made a hole in the wall. (He went on to say he hung a picture over the hole.) Another time (also in college) I was in a quick meeting held in a hallway and someone was leaning his leg on the wall and it broke through the drywall.

If you accidentally put 1/2" drywall on the wall between the garage and the house you can add a layer of 3/8" to get the needed fire protection rating.


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## dberladyn

AllanJ said:


> If you accidentally put 1/2" drywall on the wall between the garage and the house you can add a layer of 3/8" to get the needed fire protection rating.


That's not really true. It's not just the thickness the of the drywall that gives it's "Fire Rating" - it's the composition of the material it's made of.

This is why there is 1/2" Regular and 1/2" Fireguard.

This is a DIY forum... why do I keep coming here?


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## thomasjmarino

dberladyn said:


> And how do you avoid it? As soon as you disturb that asbestos ladden product you run the risk of releasing asbestos fibres into the air. My home was built in 1969, there is asbestos in just about everything original in this house. The floor tiles, the linoleum, the drywall, the texture.. I am coming across a bit hard in these posts but that's because the new regulations are there for a reason. I know the risks, I've taken courses on it... and I might very well die from all the years I did things in my industry when I had that "rubbish" mentality. I doubt I'll develop asbestosis but I don't rule out, I've done a lot of renovations as an occupational drywaller without even a simple paper mask (which will NOT protect you from asbestos).
> 
> Lead. We all have lead poisoning, everyone. It's a fact, google it. However scraping/sanding old lead bases paint will be very bad for your health. The regulations are there for a reason.
> 
> As far as homeowners/churches... I'm not even going to get into that. There's the practicality issue... for the most part the regulations are there to protect those who work with these situations on a daily basis.


So you won't die from asbestos poisoning but you will die from not having Type X drywall?? :whistling2:


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## stoner529

thomasjmarino said:


> So you won't die from asbestos poisoning but you will die from not having Type X drywall?? :whistling2:


WOW, that couldnt be more incorrect then anything!. Yes you can get cancer from asbestos. 

Why don't you just use 1/4" drywall? its lighter and not nearly as heavy....

Seriously though, our codes in orlando have changed to were they require 5/8" on the ceilings, unless you use the more expensive 1/2 *** RESISTANT.. sorry, i meant sag resistant drywall. I am not sure what it is made out of but it says sag resistant on it. its not the cheapest stuff but it is easier to hang for sure.


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## dberladyn

thomasjmarino said:


> So you won't die from asbestos poisoning but you will die from not having Type X drywall?? :whistling2:


You're claiming I will die from not having Type X drywall in a single family residence? Do you actually have anything to contribute? Have you taken any courses on Asbestos? Lead? Do you hold any Trade Qualifications in the Drywall industry?

You're a custom home builder good for you, you should be proud of that - however it doesn't imply that you are a master of every craft. You know, Jack of all, Master of none.


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