Which Drywall to Use for Ceiling?

A good ceiling should be able to sound insulate the room, be fire resistant and protect the house from excessive heat.

Ceilings also contribute to the overall aesthetics of the house, and should, therefore, be given much more consideration.

Drywall ceilings have been widely adopted recently simply because they are customizable and have fire resistance capabilities.

So which drywall should you use for the ceiling?

Well, you could use the square edge drywall, the fire-resistant drywall or the soundproof drywall.

The square-edged drywall features the traditional square edges, which works well with plaster.

It is also one of the easiest drywalls to install and can also be adopted for use on walls.

If you care about the safety of your home then the Fireproof Dry Wall should be your choice for the ceiling.

The reason being that it does have good fireproofing qualities, than the normal drywall; the fireproof drywall has fibers that have been embedded within the gypsum that enable it to retain its structure even when exposed to extreme heat.

Hotels and apartments are also fond of using the fireproof drywall so that in case of a fire breakout, it is restricted from spreading to other rooms.

The above also makes it easy to extinguish the fire before it gets out of control.

Fireproof drywall is at times used in the making of furnace room ceilings, the stairwell ceilings, and the garage and kitchen ceilings.

Examples of the fireproof dry walls that you can use for your ceiling are such as the Type X drywall that features a special non-combustible glass fiber.

There is also the Type C drywall which exceeds the Type X  drywall in the amount of glass fiber incorporated and has a core that has a shrinkage compensating vermiculite.

We then have the Soundproof Dry Wall that is packed with soundproofing features, such as the noise deadening materials, which help to restrict the passage of sound.

You will, therefore, find this type of drywall in condos, and in the ceiling of most apartment houses.

Whenever you want to install a dry ceiling ensure that it either has all of the above properties or a good percentage of them, for example, it could be fireproof and soundproof at the same time.

Advantages of drywall ceiling

Ceiling constructed from drywall is normally stable and durable and easy to customize, drywalls can be decorated to complement the theme of the room and even better is that you can use them on the walls of the same room, to achieve a harmonized cosmetic finish.

Drywalls, are easy to repair and can be adapted to different forms of decoration or architectural design which gives them a better competitive edge when compared to other ceiling surfacing products.

We can, therefore, conclusively say that dry boards are versatile when it comes to application.

Using drywalls is an inexpensive method of enhancing the cosmetic look of your house, condo or apartment and at the same time, they help protect your property via the fireproofing and soundproofing qualities.

Drywalls are easy to install thus you don’t need to get professional help unless of course, you want it incorporated in your houses architecture, or have no knowledge of the DIY processes.

There are some drywall that might need you to use an assortment of tools to install, while there are those that you will install without the use of any tools.

Even more interesting is that you might not have to use a saw to cut it but rather a knife.

Another advantage of the drywall ceiling is that they come with sound isolation capabilities and fire resistance properties as discussed above.

Measurements of drywall for ceilings

Have you ever given thought on how thick your ceiling drywall should be? Well, if you haven’t, don’t fret because we will provide you with the basic information on measurements to help you out.

For starters, the thickest drywall measures 5/8 inches and comes highly recommended for commercial constructions.

With this type of thickness, you can expect to benefit from the fire and soundproofing properties.

Though the 5/8 inch dry walls used for ceilings are heavy, they rarely sag and can also be adopted for the walls.

However, not everyone uses the thickest drywalls on the interior of their house as some people prefer to use the ½ inch drywall.

This type comes recommended for walls that have studs placed up to 16 inches in the center.

But incase the studs have been placed 24 inches on the center then a 5/8 inch drywall will be appropriate.

There are also some lightweight dry walls that can be used for the ceiling and these types have their advantages, but which do not outweigh the heavy drywalls. Lightweight drywalls are also relatively easy to install for the DIY enthusiasts.

They can be adopted for use on walls, and if you are to use them for the ceiling then be sure to use studs of up to 24 inches in the center.

Also when you are installing your drywall be sure to give it some expansion and contraction allowance for the frames.

The reason being that when the wood framing expands as it normally does it will most likely crack the drywall joints that you might have fixed too tight.

Conclusion

Before you go out to pick a drywall for your housing needs, you need to ensure that you understand the different types available because, over the years, drywalls have been made to feature innovative designs that make them versatile in application.

They, therefore, do come with different features to cater for different room requirements.

If you can, therefore, discern between the different types, then making the perfect choice will not be a difficult hurdle to overcome.

Drywalls that have made to be used for ceiling purposes serve two vital functions, one which is soundproofing and fire resistance, if you can get one with both or either of the characteristics then you have one less thing to worry about in your home.

What’s more, is that they are budget-friendly and durable.