Last night we heard a big crash in our garage. It turns out that a full sheet of drywall just fell straight down off the ceiling onto my wifes car. Luckily no dmg to the car.
Looking at it it looks like there was adhesive along each of the joists along with (what appear to be) undersized nails holding it up. This is 1/2" rock here. It is all flexed which makes me think that its been hanging down for quite a while.
Anyway, I’m thinking I should go around and put screws in a few places on each sheet on the ceiling to prevent this from happening again. Additionally, I guess I need to buy a new, non-flexed, piece of rock to rehang in there. The problem is that the ceiling is probably 9ft. How do I get it up there?
I suggest getting an assistant to help you, as hanging sheetrock overhead can really make you feel the burn in your neck and shoulders.
Yep, some extra screws probably wouldn’t hurt, and use a good adhesive as well for the replacement sheet. I’m not sure where you live, but make sure your garage is not only the proper temperature range for the adhesive when you hang it, but will remain in that range as the adhesive sets.
you can make a pair of wood T jacks to hold the sheet as you hang it.
3/4" is frequently used for ceilings both to support insulation in an attic and not flex and break during installation. so be careful in hanging a 1/2" sheet to not bust it. alternately cut it carefully at a mid-joist point that approximately halves the sheet and it will be easier to hang (one person could hold the whole smaller sheet while the other screws and then you would need no jacks to help install).
use screws on all the sheets probably every 8" to 10" spacing.
Wet drywall will fall every time. That’s why flooding is such a problem. Even a few inches on the floor causes a problem. The moist air gets into the drywall and it’ll start pulling off the ceiling.
Yes, there could be a small leak that led to a moisture situation. If that’s the case the last thing you want to do is just put the sheet rock back. Is the roof leaking? is there a pipe joint leaking? Did a pipe freeze and crack over the winter?
Make absolutely sure that water either wasn’t the cause or the problem is fixed. If there was water, leave it open for a couple of weeks to let it totally dry out. Make sure the joists are in good condition and anchor the new drywall with screws, not nails. (That’s why god gave us rechargeable screw guns.)
And there’s a good chance you don’t need to buy it. Home Depot has it for rentin many locations (that’s a Flash page so I can’t directly link, but it’s on page 49). If they’re not in your area (or you don’t like the big boxes), call around and chances are good you’ll find one available.
