Rincon

First off I apologize that this is a repeat post, however I can't seem to find the one I had been reading. I am going to hang drywall on concrete block walls in the basement. They have been sealed with some type of paint/sealer. I plan on using some size of furring strip (please suggest) by screwing to the block with tapcon screws by first gluing with construction adhesive then drilling my pilot holes through the furring strips then into the block. Is this OK. At first I was planning on just running the furring strips vertically with a slight gap between the poured concrete floor and the furring strip, however I have read somewhere that I should run a baseplate strip against the floor and the ceiling joists for the furring strips to attatch to. Is it necessary to run the top and bottom plates, or can I just hang the furring strips vertically. Also will I save time by using some type of gun (please suggest type) for attaching the furring strips to the block.
Thank You for your time!

ToolGuy

The gun you're refering to is a powder actuated fastening nailer, and uses powder actuated fasteners (obviously ). A couple of popular brands are Remington and Hilti, but there are others. You'll have to look into which is the proper length fastener and the proper color coded loads to use, lest someone here comes along who knows.

Personally, I prefer tapcons or similar masonry screws. The threads make for a far superior hold. And it doesn't take that long to predrill and drive the screws once you get set up and going. A cordless impact driver works well for driving the tapcons.

It's common practice to do floating corners with drywall, but not using any adhesive or fasteners withing about 8 - 10 inches of the corner. This allows some slight flexibility in case of expansion/contraction. Even though, I'd still run a horizontal member across the top in case of impact, so the corner doesn't crack. Also along the bottom. It's not a lot of work or materials, and makes for a better quality job.

Here's a video that shows the floating corners technique...

http://hwtv.jlconline.com/ It's the second video if they haven't added more lately.

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inspectorD

I love the idea but...shooting into block ...you will end up with alot of pieces. Tapcon masonary screws are the way you need to go. Drill and glue the boards on. What I use instead of wood is steel studs. They are less expensive and easier to install. Plus they do not get moldy.
Keep the sheetrock off the floor at least an inch or two. Use durarock for a filler at the bottom if you need to for trim.
Good luck.

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Rincon

Thank You both for your advice. Once I have completed ripping out and cleaning up the old I believe I am ready now that have the know how to procede. I will check out the video.

ToolGuy

Keep us posted and feel free to throw all the questions you have our way.

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Rincon

ToolGuy
One decision that I have been struggling with is the size of furring strip to use. I have been told 1x's or 2x's. I am hanging 1/2" DensArmor. When looking at screws I can't seem to find any 1" for attaching the drywall. I haven't gotten a chance to look at the metal studs yet. 1x's would not be as thick as 2x's and loss of 2" of floor space is is not a problem. I am a bit worried about my wall receptacles. I hope they left some slack inside the wall for me to extend them to be flush with the drywall. Any thoughts?
Thanks

ToolGuy

Who is they? I thought you were starting with bare cement block walls (except for the sealer).

My prefered method is to use 2x2 studs laid flat against the block every 16" on center, and attached with construction adhesive and 2-1/2" tapcons, maybe 4 or 5 per stud. Any protrusions, such as an over filled mortar joint or a crooked block, I chop away with the claw of my hammer. Then I place 1-1/2" foam board insulation between the studs. I generally use 1-1/4" screws for the drywall, but 1-5/8" will do just as well. I never use 1" screws.

Anyway, this leaves 1-1/2" depth (thickness of a 2x2) for electrical boxes. If you need deeper boxes for any reason, you may nave to chop into the block a little to accomodate them.

What inspectorD says about using powder actuated fasteners is a good point - cement block doesn't stand up to the impact very well. But about metal vs wood, I prefer wood for a few reasons. Wood has better insulation value (metal has zero), wood is more rugged, and you can fasten stuff to wood, such as a heavy mirror or shelves. I know metal is quicker and cheaper, but these are at the bottom of my priorities. You may feel differently, just a matter of preference. I like wood.

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sherod

Parents are building new construction - basement comes with drywalled ceiling - after visiting site drywallers hung drywall and left Electrical Conduit showing (butted up to or cut out around it).

Thus drywall hung to floor joists and any conduit under joists still shows.

Question - is this normal - what should we say to the builder?

I understand sewage/ductwork under the joists - however shouldn't the conduit be covered using perhaps firring strips along the joists first then drywall installation so the conduit is covered?

kok328

butted up to or cut out around it must not look very good in terms of finish. I don't mind looking at conduit but, there shouldn't be any reason not to surface mount it or cover it up w/drywall. Drywallers don't mess w/electrical so they worked around it. I prefer to surface mount for future access w/o having to tear into the wall. Maybe you'll want to disconnect those circuits, pull back some wire, install a J-box up in the floor joists, splice a longer wire (probably only less than a foot, unfortunately) and run it to the original location. If your lucky, some cutback trimmings might be long enough to extend other circuits the few more inches you'll need.
Funny, I just noticed a commercial the other day where OwenCorning has insulated, mold/mildew resistant, paintable, removable panel kits for finishing basements.

ToolGuy

Hi Sherod,

Please start a new topic when posting about your own project. I don't wish to be a nag but it's not good forum etiquet to jump in a semi-related thread with your own questions. Also, will save a lot of confusion. At first I thought it was the original poster responding to my reply and almost asked what this has to do with the walls.

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