# What is the best way hang drywall (fasteners)



## tripower (Nov 16, 2006)

What are the best fasteners (screws, nails) to use to hang drywall?
And if nails what type? Can I use a nail gun on drywall?


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

It was common at one time, to nail drywall. You can still find drywall nails in plain shank and ringed shank varieties. They are blued to prevent rust from bleeding through the joint compound when finishing. The idea is to drive the nail just slightly below the surface of the drywall, forming a shallow dimple for the drywall mud to hide the nail. You have to be careful not to overdrive the nails and tear the paper face or to break the gypsum core of the sheet. Almost everyone screws it today. It's much easier and doesn't risk breaking the sheet. Nails can have a tendancy to back out slightly at times causing "nail pops". Screws generally won't do that. There is a lot of discussion in other threads about length of screws. For me, I like to have an inch more than the thickness of the drywall. Like with nails, you run the screws in just slightly below the surface of the sheet without breaking the paper facer. You'll find that screws will not break the core of the sheet nearly as often as nailing. I've never seen anyone use a nail gun on drywall. Screw guns, yes.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Having been in the trade for over 30 yrs., I guess I'm considered "old school". I still nail (AND GLUE) drywall in almost any wood framing application with 1- 3/8" smooth nails. If you look at them closely, the head is cupped slightly to prevent tearing the face paper on the drywall and to help hold mud. The glue reduces the number of nails necessary and reduces nail pops. I would not use the old ring shank nails. Their heads are flat and tend to tear the paper when driven in resulting in pops. As Maintenance6 stated, there is no nail gun for drywall. Most people these days use screws. For 1/2" drywall, 1-1/4" screws are appropriate, 1-5/8" for 5/8" drywall. And as Maintenance6 pointed out, be careful with the depth setting on your screw gun, if you cut the face paper on the rock, you will likely end up with a screw pop.


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

I am also old school and NOT a pro,,,just a diyer BUT my preference is screws with torx heads ONLY,,,never been a big fan of glue. In our varied climate,high heat,high humidity,low humidity heating seasons I SEE alot of popped glue,,dunno whether it was right glue or what but I KNOW my screws wont let go,,,and screws wont pop when every wall I see with nails has a 'few' of them visible. If I goof something,,,want it back off for ANY reason,,,MUCH easier.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

4just1don, I conceded that most people (even pro's) have gone to screws these days. I even advised as to the appropriate screw length. Don't know where you're finding "popped glue"??? (And if so, it apparently WASN'T the right kind.) My own house (built in 1975) is, I know for a fact, glued and nailed and does not have nail pops or glue pops (whatever they may be) visible on EVERY wall. I have fixed maybe a dozen nail pops and 3 or 4 "settling" cracks in the 22 years I've lived here. Atlanta has every type of climate you described. If done properly, glue and nails works very well or I would not have been in business as long as I have.... And you won't see professional drywallers using torx screws! And yes, for the diy'er it's much easier if you need to take a sheet back down, if you "goof something", with screws. And yes your screws WILL let go if they cut the face paper on the rock and there will be nothing to hold the drywall to the framing member without adhesive! I could go on, but I don't want to get thread off track.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

tripower said:


> What are the best fasteners (screws, nails) to use to hang drywall?
> And if nails what type?


As a company that has had a drywall division for 25 years, this is My Vote: 

For 1/2" sheetrock: 1-1/4" Course thread DRYWALL screws for wood framing. Either alone, or use with glue. 
We use 1-1/2" ring shank DRYWALL nails for the perimeter of sheets, and for metal corner bead installation.



tripower said:


> ....Can I use a nail gun on drywall?


Do not attempt to use any kind of a nail gun on sheetrock.


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## DUDE! (May 3, 2008)

well this was helpful, did not know that the reason my screw popped was sinking too deep, in the future I'll try to notch it down a tad. As for glue, not in the trade but had never heard of that until reading on this site's sister contractor site. thanks


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## tripower (Nov 16, 2006)

Ok, I got mold resistant drywall for the bathroom. Do I need to do anything to prep for MR drywall? I asked the guy for sheetrock screws and the screws he gave me were 2 -1/2" :furious: not 1-1/4" like most people said use. Should I take these screws back? Also, what about insulation on interior walls, necessary, overkill, bad? What about insulation in the ceiling? 

And they guy said they do not make 5/8" MR for the ceiling this stuff is heavy should I still use it in the ceiling or get the lighter greenback stuff?


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Insulation is required only on exterior walls and ceilings under roof, not with conditioned space above. You could add some to help reduce noise transmission if you want to. It will not "soundproof". I would take the 2-1/2" screws back and get 1-1/4". They do, in fact, make 5/8" moisture resistant drywall (though not specifically mold resistant.) I replaced some about a week ago on an exterior soffit at a shopping center. I wouldn't worry with it in a bath though. In fact when installed, prepped, and painted correctly 1/2" regular will work fine in a bath. (And with proper ventilation.) Not a bad idea to use mold resistant, though.


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## Marvin Gardens (Sep 30, 2008)

Use a nipple for screwing in screws if you use a drill. I use a Ryobi cordless impact driver. It is fast and doesn't over drive the screws with the nipple.

Also make sure you use A LOT of screws on the ceiling. I have had whole ceilings fall on people because the drywaller got lazy and didn't put in enough screws/nails. No one was ever hurt seriously but the renters knew they had hit the legal lottery and I had to testify in several of the cases during the inevitable law suits.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Drywall stud adhesive is also a good idea as pointed out in my original reply. It won't come down if nailed/screwed AND GLUED properly.


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## Marvin Gardens (Sep 30, 2008)

tripower said:


> Also, what about insulation on interior walls, necessary, overkill, bad? What about insulation in the ceiling?


I suggest you insulate all walls and ceilings.

Heat will go up no matter what. If you have a living space above the room you are rocking then the heat will go up through the ceiling leaving the space needing more heat. If you heat a room you want that heat to stay in that room.

This also prevents the room above from getting too warm.

Can't go wrong with insulation.


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

On the tool comment...I have a hilti drywall screw gun that comes with an "auto loader". The required screws come in a plastic strip that is fed into the loader. As you push the gun against the wall, the loader advances the screw strip and aligns the next one with the bit. It also has a depth adjustment to sink the screw to right depth before the bit disengages. Very cool tool....


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

The auto feed guns are kind of pricey as are the screws. Any excuse for a new tool though.........


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

Yep, a bit spendy. As part of our DIY remodel, I got my wife to buy into the notion that you have to have the right tools. I told her I could hang the 150 sheets of rock much quicker with the auto-feed gun.....she actually bought it for me as a present


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

Bought a cordless auto feed gun about 8 years ago to test it out, it is still rusting in a storage bin, in the back of one our Drywall Box Trucks ( I think). 

Reasons: Lack of torque/power...inability to back-out screws that hit wood knots, or do not fully drive-in. It was a 2nd generation set-up.

IMO: A waste of time and money (especially the cost of belt-fed-screws = loading strip)

That was 8 years ago, Maybe things have changed???


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

She's a keeper!


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## rtoni (Jul 18, 2007)

question on the glue-and-screw (or glue-and-nail) approach - what happens when you have a sheet of 6 mil poly on a vaulted (insulated) ceiling - glue would only stick the drywall to the plastic - do you just blast in lots of extra screws in that case?


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

No need in using glue if you use plastic...just screw as you normally would.


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