So I'm looking to install drywall on the ceiling in my basement. When tearing out the acoustic tiles I noticed that they have fur strips across the 2 by 10 joists.Should I leave these for strips up for the drywall installation? Or should I remove them?
Fur strips
- Thread starter Eric1981
- Start date
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nealtw
Contractor retired
Either or, if you want insulation in there they would be a pain. What ever works for you.
nealtw
Contractor retired
run the drywall the other way., No butt joints.
If the room is less than 12' and the furring do not split from 4 connectors in 16".
nealtw
Contractor retired
slownsteady
Well-Known Member
I would probably pull down the furring strips just to keep it simple. And in a basement, even an inch or two of extra ceiling height could be an advantage.
The thing I like about furring strips is they make it easier to level out any imperfections in the ceiling. You can shim the crossing points. The other thing I like is the extra width for screwing the drywall up.
Keep in mind the ceiling tiles were a lot lighter than the drywall and the strips have to be well anchored to take the weight. The may also reduce noise from the room above.
Keep in mind the ceiling tiles were a lot lighter than the drywall and the strips have to be well anchored to take the weight. The may also reduce noise from the room above.
I have done 1X2 but they are so cheap 1X3 wont break the bank . With 1X3 I like to put two screws in each place they cross. If you happen to have 24” OC spacing using strips you can close that up to 16” or even do 12” OC if you really want it solid.
One nice thing about having the ceiling furred down it allows you to fish wires across the ceiling without having to cut a bunch of holes in the ceiling when going across the joists. It is pretty uncommon here, but apparently in New England (This Old House, I'm looking at you) it is common. I'd love to add some can lights in my living room (now an office) but I really don't want to carve a bunch of extra holes in the ceiling. It is on the first floor of a two-story house so going above isn't an option. If I had furring strips I could do it with just the holes for the cans and be able to go either direction in the ceiling with my wires.
I redid my kitchen that way. Cracked and falling plaster over lath with blown in insulation above that. I found and marked all the joists walls and ceilings and then furred and leveled it all out and did just as you said with the boxes and then wired the whole room. Before I put the drywall up I cut and filled all the spaces with ¾ foam sheets and then spray foam in the cans. I screwed all the strips with long deck screws thru the old plaster and lath. Saved a lot of mess and got the job done. Its one of the warmest rooms in the house now.
