Energy Source Builder
Drywall Backers
Drywall hangers tend to grumble when the carpenters fail to give them solid backing in the corners.
The typical wood-framed corner has at least one extra stud that simply holds up the drywall. Now you can eliminate this extra stud and still provide adequate (in some ways better) backing.
In addition to happy drywallers, these products have three main advantages. First, replacing a corner stud with insulation improves the thermal performance of the wall and helps eliminate cold corners. Second, drywall backers attach drywall sheets from both walls to the same stud. This approach reduces corner cracking, because framing shrinkage and movement affect both sheets the same. Third, you can buy the backers for about half the cost of a stud.
If you want framers to install backing, check out The Nailer. They can be installed anytime after framing, although they could also be used by the drywallers. These plastic T-shaped flanges attach to framing at wall-to-wall connections and wall-to-ceiling connections. By clipping off one arm of the 'T" you can attach them to the face of a stud to support a dropped ceiling. Drywall screws drive into a 1-1/2 x 1-3/8 in. surface with an anti-skate grid. Depending on the quantity ordered, the price ranges from 9¢ to 14¢ each.
Contact: The Millennium Group
Drywallers that prefer to bring their own backing will like No-Nail floating corner clips. These metal clips allow the corners to float, because the sheets aren't nailed at the corners. Instead spurs on the No-Nail clip grip the back of the adjacent sheet. Here's how it works. Slide clips onto the first sheet 16 in. apart. Start by double-nailing that sheet 12 in. from the corner. Attach the rest of the sheet. Then place a sheet on the adjacent wall, nailing it the same way. Don't nail the clip. Without nails in the corner, both sheets will float together instead of cracking the joint. Clips also can be used to hold ceiling sheets. No-Nail clips can be bent to fit corners that aren't 90°, such as where cathedral ceilings meet walls. The price is just under 11¢ each.
Contact: Cymax Systems, Inc.
This article appeared in Energy Source Builder #29 October 1993 |
