nopilot

I was advised to leave the furring strips that are nailed to the floor joists up. I don't want to nail dry wall to them. Am I wrong. They are perpendicular to the joists and only 1 1/4" anyway. Thats not much to nail the edges of the drywall. Also, the walls were constructe like this; furring strips nailed vertically on 16" centers, 3/4 foam insulation between them, coverd with clear poly sheeting, 3/16" paneling. There looks to be some (very little) mold. Can I just frame up 2x4 wall and drywall for new wall.

DrHicks

First of all, the ceiling... That's a hard call to advise without seeing it. If it was my house, I'd probably leave the firring strips there, and be sure to tap into the ceiling joists wherever I could.

The wall... You can certainly build a 2x4 frame wall, insulate & drywall it. You'll be much happier with that than what you now have. If you leave the current insulation & paneling up, it'll provide a little more insulation, but make sure you take care of the mold first.

kok328

If the furring strips provide no benefit, then tear them down.

gmicken

If your ceiling joists are in good shape and straight, I would remove them. This will give you another 1/4 in heigth. Removing 3/4" and adding 1/2". Please wear a mask and wipe the mold down with bleach. Spray over the area after it drys, with aluminum paint. I have been remoleling homes for 39 years and have found the more old material you remove, the better. You may find broken studs, more mold or bugs. Remember to glue the drywall to the ceiling and use screws. Don't let the screws sink to far into the drywall. Just under the paper, if you have a drywall screw gun, thats best. Good Luck.

nopilot

thanks for the reply. I don't want to start two threads pertaining to the same subject so I'll deferr you to the thread above about ceilings.