# Oops! Screw error...



## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm hoping those with experience building theatre rooms can offer some advice. My basement theatre under construction will have DD/GG, and the ceiling will also have whisper clips & hat channel. In my enthusiasm to make some visible progress, I started putting up the first layer of 5/8" drywall on the ceiling with coarse threaded drywall screws designed for wood, not metal. :gulp: I used the coarse threaded screws to secure the drywall to the hat channel for about 1/3 of the ceiling area before stopping and realizing my faux pas. 

How critical is it that fine threaded drywall screws intended for installation to metal be used? Will I be OK installing the second layer of 5/8" over the first with the proper screws, and hoping that watching WOTW won't cause the drywall ceiling to fall on my head? :hsd:


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Did the installaton instructions supplied by them cover the screw selection?

I would just make sure to use sufficient screws when securing the second layer, and use fine thread.

Maybe this is a bad question, but did you use drywall screws to secure the clips to the joists?


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks for the quick reply, Ted. I didn't get any instructions with the hat channel, but made sure I bought the 25 ga. variety after reading previous threads on proper materials. I also bought deck screws to secure the clips to the joists (and that is not at all a bad question, when considering the thread topic!). By "sufficient spacing" for the second layer, do you mean screws 12" o/c, with adjacent hat channels 24" apart?


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Use lots of screws in the second layer, essentially, to compensate for any poor-gripping coarse thread screws in the first layer


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

OK, maybe I'll try 8" o/c screws for the second layer in the area I goofed. I guess I'll have to live with slightly less sound isolation for added peace of mind that I won't get clocked by my roof caving in... :rant:


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

More screws won't hurt a thing. The drywall is suspended on the channels whether there's one screw or 1000


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

On a somewhat related note, do you recommend extra clips and/or drywall screws when a drywall bulkhead must be built around a structural beam spanning the width of the room? If you know a rule-of-thumb calculation relating ⅝" drywall area to # of clips and drywall screws recommended, that would be great!


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Absolutely there needs to be significant thought put in when building loads like that. I'm not sure what you have going on there. What does the retailer say where you purchased the materials?


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

Ted White said:


> More screws won't hurt a thing. The drywall is suspended on the channels whether there's one screw or 1000


Oh! Well that makes things easier! :T So I can just use additional fine thread screws in my goofed up drywall, essentially putting a screw in between adjacent current ones, and not have to worry about the second layer additional requirements.

Thanks for the clarification!


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)




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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

Ted White said:


> Absolutely there needs to be significant thought put in when building loads like that. I'm not sure what you have going on there. What does the retailer say where you purchased the materials?


Ummm, I haven't asked the retailer. I've now put it on my list of things-to-do. I'm not sure how well I'll be able to explain it, but my plan was:
Use long, fine thread screws to fasten a 2x2 through the DD directly to the hat channel above (on each side of the beam).
Hang the vertical sides of the DD bulkhead by screwing into those 2x2s.
Screw 2x2s to the inside bottom edge of both vertical sides, and then screw the bottom DD into those 2x2s to close up the bulkhead.
Screw a 2x2 peremeter into the walls at each end of the bulkhead, so that they line up with the inside of the bulkhead and provide some support at the two ends.
GG and acoustic sealant will be used to dampen and seal things up throughout.

Hopefully that made sense. onder: Does this sound reasonable considering the bulkhead will be approx. 16" deep and 14" wide?


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## kadijk (Jan 23, 2011)

Sounds like a good plan to me...I don't want to interrupt a conversation but that sounds like the way I would do it. As long as the 2x2 against the ceiling is good and solid, the rest should hang nicely.


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

I don't want to step on the retailer's toes here, but you'll have to lay out the ceiling clips to hold the drywall, and then a separate clip / channel system to hold the soffit. I'm not sure what they had in mind for you, and since they sold you the material, they should offer a plan to use their product.

Maybe ask if they have diagrams and instructions for this application. What you're asking is a very common technique so they should have a suggestion. Doesn't at all mean that they do have an answer, but they should.

The load from a soffit isn't the same as the load from double drywall.


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

Unfortunately, the retailer didn't offer any advice when I bought the channel (and I didn't give them a reason to). I told them I was hanging two layers of ⅝" drywall for a ceiling, and that's about as far as it went. Hopefully I didn't overestimate my design skills too much by assuming my bulkhead design would work out. Thanks for giving me a chance to look into it before I got too far into the construction! :whistling:


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## Ted White (May 4, 2009)

Sorry, I meant the clip retailer. Instructions for clip spacing and patterns, weight capacity, channel specifics, etc. You received nothing at all? Sorry for being surprised but I'm not seeing how a product that is supposed to support nearly a ton of drywall over your head is sold with no instructions?

If you'd like, send me a PM and I'll get you one of our manuals.


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## CdnTiger (Feb 16, 2007)

PM sent!


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