What does the ceiling edge attach to when the wall is between joists?

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theaggie

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I am putting up a partition wall in my basement that runs parallel to the ceiling joists. It falls in between the joists so I am adding blocking between the joists to nail the top plate to. As I was doing that, a question popped into my mind. When I finally get around to sheetrocking the ceiling, what does sheetrock at the edge of the ceiling (where it meets the wall) attach to? I can certainly attach it to the blocking, but I was only planning the blocking to be 16" oc. Is that enough?

The rock is a ways away at the pace I'm going but I wanted to know if something can I do now that will make my life easier when I get there.
 

hj

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wall

Unless you want to put a 2x8 centered on top of the wall to fasten the drywall to, you can use the bridging, as long as it is even with the bottom of the joists.
 

Jadnashua

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Note, I"m not a pro. One thing to consider is that you might have better luck running the wallboard up to the top of the studs, and then putting the ceiling sheetrock up to it. It is normal for the floor above to deflect a little with seasons and loading. If you run the wallboard on the ceiling to the new wall, then put the wallboard on the walls tight up to the ceiling, the joint may crack as the floor deflects down from above. The other way, you have a chance it might not. One of those subtle things easily overlooked.
 

hj

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wallboard.

I won't say you would never put the walls up first, but the times when it would be done are so few that you might as well say, "ALWAYS put the ceiling up first". In the first place it is easier to lift the walls against the ceiling than to cut the ceiling to fit the walls. Second, doing it that way the walls also support the edges of the ceiling preventing any sagging which could occur if the ceiling were butted against the walls and the nails came loose, (which they have a tendency to do at times).
 

Jadnashua

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As I understand it (and as I said, I'm no expert) that is the difference in technique for a non-loadbearing wall vs a loadbearing one. A non-loadbearing wall needs to account for the floor above to be able to move, while a load bearing wall tends to reinforce that floor, and help to keep it from moving.
 

hj

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There is no difference. It is always easier to put the ceiling up first and if you check any construction that is at that point, you will never see one with the walls done first, and every home has many "non bearing" partitions, in fact in the case of trusses, sometimes every partition is nonbearing.
 

LonnythePlumber

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In my area we install two x four boards offset into the room and fastened to the upper plate, to provide something to fasten the wall board too. I also don't think the floor above or load bearing or not makes a difference. I agree with ceilings up first to get a decent finish joint.
 

theaggie

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Well, thanks for the interesting discussion.

The idea of putting the rock on the wall first for a non-loadbearing wall so it can float as the ceiling joists move is an interesting idea. I'm not sure it will really work, though. Once the top plate of a wall is nailed to the joists it really can't move with respect to them unless you do someting specific. Is essence it is loadbearing but is not counted as part of the support structure of the house and thus is called non-loadbearing. One of the only true non-loadbearing walls I have seen is what I saw a friend do in Colorado - a "floating wall" - where there are two bottom plates with a couple of inches air gap between them and long nails connecting then. That way the gap between the two bottom plates can change as things move so it can't bear any of the house load

I will probably just nail the edge of the ceiling rock into the blocking I put in between the joists to support the top plate. I could double the amount of blocking to 8" oc so that I almost meet 7" oc schedule for screws along the edge. Regarding the rocking order, I'll put the ceiling rock up first (with the exception of the one exterior wall that is already rocked.

hj - Is that what you meant by the bridging (what I am calling blocking)?

Lonny - I'm not sure I follow where you are meaning the offset 2x4 would be. Are you meaning you would run it up against the joist? For me the closest joist is 8" away so it is a pretty big gap.
 
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LonnythePlumber

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I mean, I think I mean

Where a wall runs perpendicular to the joists you fasten your ceiling rock to the joists. Where a wall runs parrell to the joists there is nothing to nail to. You can add another top plate that hangs over the existing top plate and you fasten your ceiling wall board into it. An 8 foot long board. Peek in a new house that's getting ready to be rocked.
 

theaggie

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Thanks Lonny,
So what you are talking about is a one-sided version of what hj first posted (putting a 2x8 on top so it overlaps on both sides). I only need to rock one side of the wall so the offset 2x4 could be a good option.

Great idea about peeking into a new house being built. We just happen to have one they started down the street. We'll have to pop in once they clear the snow (just got about 5 inches of snow yesterday). I'll post if I find anything.

It is great to work through this now. Once I put in the blocking and fix the wall I'm pretty much stuck with what I decide. I've framed about 1/2 the wall and want to finish the rest this weekend. The wall has been a little tricky because it has a door, mates to the end of a cornice, I have to frame around a beam and a some septic pipes, and its locations is constrained because it has to line up with the existing stair wall. I'll be glad when its done.
 
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