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The master bedroom in my MH is 11.5 x 15...wouldn't 1/2" sheetrock with 12" furring over 16" joists be heavier than simply bumping up the sheetrock to 5/8' on 16" joists. That furring sure adds a considerable amount more weight than that 5/8" sheetrock would. I know this subject has been discussed here before, but my hubby's calculations aren't adding up to a lighter ceiling with the 1/2" and furring combo, and he's the one with a degree in engineering.
Would anyone be willing to rehash their ceiling weight experiences?
Why would you use furring strips with sheetrock. Wouldn't tape and texture be better. Also, if you don't have 2 X 4's in the ceiling, I think 1/2 inch would be too heavy. At least that is what we have been told. We are still agonizing over what product to use. We don't have 2 x 4's in our ceiling.
I'm also interested in what the experts have to say.
When I put sheetrock on a ceiling I use 3/8". First it is lighter & easier to work with and since it is lighter it is easier on the truss & roof system.
Remember that weight is ALWAYS an issue when you do any remodeling work. If you look at how a mobile home is constructed all weight is transfered to the frame rails through the floor joists (unless you have parimiter blocking) that can result in the floor joists bowing down at the outside walls from added weight. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
If your home has the mobile home ceiling panels with the strips or seam every 16", the best choice is the Okaply - Modulux ceiling panels or something similar if there is such a thing. Click here to see the Okaply web site
You would be using a similar material with a similar weight. In my experience, I find them lighter to work with than the old mobile home ceiling panels. I also find them more fragile, so you have to be careful with them. I have never broke one accidentally, but they feel more fragile and I am more careful. Weight is not the only issue. These type of ceiling panels also allow more air to pass through than painted sheetrock, as the original panels were made to do.
If you are going to install sheetrock, I have always used 1/2". On cathedral ceilings with 2x6 rafters and newer homes built for sheetrock, it works just fine in all respects and can be screwed on. On older homes with the tiny trusses, many built with 1x2's, I will reinforce the trusses to make them stronger and I will use nails instead of screws. There are just too many fasteners needed and I worry about the screws splitting and tearing up the 1x2s. I use adhesive on either kind of truss/rafter along with the fasteners. On mobile homes, you will need to add blocking along the walls to fasten the sheetrock edges to.
JMO
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
They now make 1/2" firecode drywall sheeting too,also products like Dens Armor. I believs 5/8" is used for support
(and fire protection)when there is a 24" span and blown-in insulation. I agree,little need for fir strips with 16"oc trusses.
Thanks so much everyone for all of your help. Our MH is a real dinasour...1977 Barrington double wide. Can't be too careful with that old beast. I'm thinking that those of you who don't have to deal with redoing vaulted ceilings are the lucky ones!
Your best bet is to contact Okaply directly and ask for your local distributor. A couple of years ago there weren't many distributors in the US and none in my area. Now I have one in town and one about 100 miles away that will deliver. I have been buying locally and loading them on my truck rack. You MUST support the panel with anything full length on the bottom, I use four 2x4s, one on each end and one at each 16" o.c. seam, and the real important part is to put a piece of plywood on the top at the leading edge. When traveling, the wind will blow in between the panels and bust them up. Guess how I know.
Now, when I need more than a couple of panels, I will order them from the guy out of town (Westland Industries - Sacramento, CA). He will delivery right to my job site and save me time and effort.
They are expensive initially. About $50 a panel and then they charge for the plastic trim strips. The trim strips are about $8 each and you need 4 per panel. I don't use the trim strips unless the customer wants. I staple the panels up per Okaply instructions and cover my staples with thin 1 1/2" painted wood slats. Lots cheaper that way. I also think it looks better. The factory trim does not embed into the panel like the original mobile home panels. They kind of sit on the surface and not always tight to the panel.
But at $50 a panel, they are the right length, do not need to be textured and do not need painting. So compared to the cost of sheetrock, tape, mud, texture and paint, it is a bargain, considering the labor involved.
If you don't want to see the slats, you can go with the sheetrock. But I prefer slats over cracks any day. Just watch your ceiling flex when someone is on the roof doing maintenance and you will see that cracks are inevitable on homes with old style trusses. Newer homes and some cathedral ceilings can get by without cracks.
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Sure it is. You have to eventually. In a perfect world, you could just use the paint called Ceiling Paint, which is not high in latex solids, preserving some of that transfer quality. But yellowing in ceilings will bleed through ceiling paint. Usually it takes Kilz or other good primer to seal it in. There is still some air that transfer around edges of the panels. But this transfer is not a major contributor to a house being able to breath. Everything encapsulating the home transfers air to some degree, even vapor barriers (retarders). I don't know the percentages or the whole science of it, but everyone paints their homes eventually.
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Well folks I'm late at the party as usual. Still working on the bathroom remodel and no end in sight. Now..on to sheetrock/drywall ceilings in older mobile homes. First off I'd stay with the 3/8 drywall just on account of the weight savings. It's lighter to pick up and puts less strain on the roof trusses/rafters and wall supports. Also, if you take a measurement from floor height to ceiling at various places thru-out your home you're probably gonna find it varies A LOT! In some areas of my home it measures from 84in. at the outside wall to 82in. just 2ft. from the wall. The ceilings bow down and the floor heaves/crowns up. The 3/8 drywall bends and curves much easier than 1/2in. or 5/8s. Do yourself a favor and rent out a drywall-jack from True-Value Hardware to lift the sheets into place. Trust me..just do it. Next problem..if you install drywall ceilings..they will crack at the joints. You can add in cripples/buttresses/nailers ad-nauseum. The joints will still crack. All of them. Some barely noticible..some an eyesore. But they will crack eventually. Perhaps a better way is to use flexible ceiling panels and a wide cover-strip between the panels to allow for expansion and contraction. These homes will expand and contract from winter to summer...no 2 ways about it. Drywall/sheetrock will not. JMHO of course....Audie..the Oldfart...
I really appreciate the info...my hubby needs the jack...we have a true value just up the street, sure hope they have one of those things for rent. I wish he would just hire someone to do this nasty 'ol job. By the time he gets done with "The Beast" with all the expense we could have bought a brand new home! We'll pretty much have to stick with the sheetrock...up here in Alaska those panels would cost more than an arm and a leg to have shipped.
Oh the frost heaves of it all! (Got any good tips for repairing the cracks that are to follow?)
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We'll pretty much have to stick with the sheetrock...up here in Alaska those panels would cost more than an arm and a leg to have shipped.