Garage - Practice Room (low budget)

Innovations · Post by **Innovations** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:55 am

With surface mount electrical, the only penetration of the wall is for the conduit itself, which you closely caulk. then the conduit runs inside the room attached to the wall. In other words you see the conduit. You would avoid this on a finished room, but since this is just a garage it is OK

Dan Allen · Post by **Dan Allen** » Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:15 am

I really appreciate your replys, thank you so much.

Since I'm putting R11 in the walls what should I do about the ceiling? Kraft or unkraft faced? I think I remember reading someone saying R19.

Thanks

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 3:06 am

Here's a couple of links that may help explain -

http://www.toolbase.org/tertiaryT.asp?D ... oryID=1402

http://www.wiremold.com/www/commercial/ ... ystem_id=1

Basically, you only bring the WIRE through the wall, not the conduit - the surface mounted wiremold IS your conduit. Residential construction usually doesn't even HAVE conduit installed, the wiring is normally done with Romex, which has either two or three insulated wires plus a ground wire, all inside a common plastic sheath.

For your application, you would bring only ONE run of romex from your breaker panel out through the inside wall layer, caulk it well, feed it into this surface mounted tray system (one of the links shows over 50 different components of the system that are available)

This way, you only have one small, sealed hole through your inside wallboard. Everything else is mounted on the surface; that way, you don't screw up the integrity of your sound wall.

I hope that cleared things up some... Steve

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 3:09 am

Oh, on the ceiling insulation - put as much thickness as you can afford without compacting it much; it doesn't matter sound-wise whether the kraft goes to the inside or out - moisture-wise, the kraft goes toward the living area (inside, in this case) -

Now, what are you gonna do about the garage door? Without fixing that huge sound leak, the rest is useless... Steve

Dan Allen · Post by **Dan Allen** » Mon Aug 09, 2004 1:52 pm

So R19 would be fine? I've finished caulking the inside of the studs to seal any gaps, and the R11 is installed. I started caulking the kraft to the studs.. (I think I read that somewhere) but just to reassure myself that I'm not wasting my time should I continue caulking the kraft to the studs?

I'm thinking of investing money into getting some curtains as someone recommended to help with the garage door. Other then that I've been meaning to ask what another recommendation would be. Something not to expensive and something that I could put away after practice.

Thanks for the tips on the electrical, I totally understand now. I'm pretty much doing this all myself, and I know that it's going to take me awhile. (the electrical I'll get my uncle to do, since I'll end up burning down the house) I know it's not going to be the best situation to record in, but at least I'll have a place to do so. Eventually I want to run a snake cable from the garage to my room where I have my computer/mixer . Perhaps install some wireless x10 cameras so I can communicate with whomever is in the garage. hehe..

Thanks again for all the help...

Dan Allen · Post by **Dan Allen** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 12:56 am

Sorry for all the questions.. but I have one concern.

When attaching the drywall to the RC, is it going to be a problem if the screws penetrate the kraft face on the insulation? What should I do to stop that? cut the screws short? buy shorter screws?

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 3:38 pm

Caulking insulation is a waste of time and money - you only need to caulk where there would be a gap in the drywall, or whatever mass you use on walls, ceilings, etc - the goal is an airtight double envelope, with air/insulation between the two leaves of mass. Framing doesn't need to be caulked either - just the wallboard at all joints.

RC - doesn't matter if the screws penetrate the insulation or kraft paper - some insulation for inside walls doesn't even HAVE kraft. Main thing is you don't let the screws which hold the wallboard onto the RC, touch the FRAME. This is done by using masking tape everywhere, marking every component of the frame - studs, joists, plates, caps, RC, and wiring - you mark these locations on pieces of masking tape that WON'T be covered up by the construction, so you know EXACTLY where the screws need to go (and where they CAN'T go)

If you're doing fully separate frames, don't waste time or money on RC - it's only necessary for single frames with wallboard on BOTH sides of the frame.

Gotta get up for work in 5 hours, hope this gets you started... Steve

Dan Allen · Post by **Dan Allen** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:19 pm

I finally got the RC in this weekend, and started hanging it tonight. One thing I realized was that it looks as if someone stepped on the RC. I didn't realize that it would be so thin, but regardless there's now a bow in the RC. I can bend it back into shape but will I run into any problems? I have a few questions about RC, should the top of the RC (not the edge that you screw into the studs) touch the studs? Or should there be a small gap between the studs and the RC? In most of the pictures I see there seems to be a little gap, but I think some of my studs are off. Some of the RC touches the studs, where other parts dont.. should I bend it out?

One more thing.. I had plans on hanging 4X12 sheets of gypsum horizontally. I started putting up the RC based on 8 foot walls, an inch from the bottom would go the first channel, 24 inches, another channel, 24 inches, another channel.. then an inch away from the top. Now that I think about it, the drywall if laid horizontally will have support in the middle of the drywall and top/bottom. Not really any support in the middle. Should I install the channel based upon how the drywall will be supported?

Thanks,
Dan

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 6:56 pm

The narrower flat surface of the RC gets screwed into the studs - no other part of the RC should be touching the studs. If the RC is damaged, don't use it. If it's just a small bend, you should be able to straighten it out with care. If the top part tends to touch the stud (The RC fastens to the studs with the wide flat part UP) when you screw through the wallboard and into the RC it should flatten that section, as well as pull it away from the stud at the top, free side of the RC.

Putting up wallboard - for a two layer wall, the first layer should go vertical. The top layer should be horizontal. Gypsum has different bending strength in the long dimension, so alternating the orientation makes the wall stiffer and stronger overall.

RC should be put up as if all layers will be horizontal - this means RC at 2-3", again at 24", and again at 46" - this handles the bottom horizontal course so you have three fastening points. Then, another RC at 51", then at 72", and again at 93" roughly. If the wall is taller than 8', continue that pattern.

Fasten the first vertical layer at all the RC's, using short screws (1") and only HALF as many in each direction as the final top layer. Mark with either masking tape or a chalk line so you know EXACTLY where each and every fastener is - mark this on another surface in the room, so you can STILL see it after you start putting the second layer on - I've covered the rest of this several times, check the Reference links under "complete section" for one, or you can search under "spacer" (without the quotes) - the top layer gets full schedule screws, (If you've not already downloaded the USG manual (reference section) do so, and search under "schedule" - not too many of those, so it will come up as to what screw spacing is) long enough to extend at least 3/8" to 1/2" past the RC - be sure to MARK all the studs along the floor and ceiling, so you can MISS them with your screws through the wallboard and into the RC - just driving ONE screw through the RC and into the stud while putting up wallboard will negate the use of the RC almost totally.

If you're doing a 4-sided room, I prefer to put the first layer on East and West (just an example) then first layer on NOrth and South, leaving 1/4" gaps at the perimeter of the wall but NOT between individual sheets - after fastening, pull spacers and caulk the seams - then do the second layer on East and West again, caulk, then second layer on North and South -

Before the second layer, mud and tape the first layer - not smooth enough for paint, but smooth enough for no lumps. Wallboard has its long edges tapered for the mud, so if you don't mud and tape you will leave an air VOID, which is NOT good.

Check the REference section on walls for more, and be sure to ask BEFORE you do anything if you're not sure... Steve

knightfly · Post by **knightfly** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 7:06 pm

Sorry, was gonna add this pic as a partial example - doesn't show the two pieces of RC close together where the long edge of wallboard meets though - if you pretend the ceiling is an adjoining wall, the sequence of application is numbered -