drywall screws, ceiling, punctured vapor barrier?

[importensketsig]

Hello,

When I bought battens for the garage ceiling, I just picked the cheapest option, which happened to be a meager 17mm thick. Didn't think much of it then, but now that the drywall is going up, I'm realizing that since the vapor barrier is above the battens, it must be important not to use screws that are too long, which might go through the battens and puncture the vapor barrier?

It's quite a small amount of wood to fasten into, unfortunately... with 13mm drywall or if the ceiling drywall is 12.5mm, I guess I shouldn't use screws longer than... well, 28mm?

 

[MaZtoR]

Drywall screws for steel studs are only 25mm. I've never tried using them in wood, but it should work. It might be worth screwing a bit closer together than usual though.

 

[Linkan222]

How closely spaced are the battens and do you have 120 between the rafters? 17mm battens feel quite weak. It will probably work if you're not going to plaster and paint, but otherwise, there's a risk it might crack. It's perfectly fine to use 25mm screws for steel studs in wood, I would almost say it holds better than the one for wood.

 

[importensketsig]

Yep, 120 between the rafters, I set the battens at C/C 30.. was planning to put up ceiling plasterboards with a chamfer, i.e., not spackling between the boards, just for the screws, then paint.

Seems like I should just use metal stud screws. As a heavy forum surfer, I'm surprised I haven't encountered discussions about being careful not to puncture the vapor barrier when installing ceiling plasterboards before..

 

[John J]

Every person who nails up a painting or puts up a shelf on an outer wall makes a hole in the vapor barrier.

 

[importensketsig]

Well, not eighty-five thousand holes .. unless you're the town's biggest miniature painting enthusiast With screws that are too long for the ceiling drywall, you might completely negate the utility of the plastic, actually..?

 

[Linkan222]

Yep 120 between rafters, I set the battens at C/C 30. I was planning to install ceiling gypsum with a chamfer, meaning not filling between the boards, just for the screws, then paint.

Sounds like I should use steel frame screws simply. As an avid forum surfer, I'm surprised I hadn't previously come across considerations about avoiding puncturing the vapor barrier when installing ceiling gypsum.

If you're installing gypsum plank, it should hold with 17mm batten.

The reason it's not a problem is probably because you use 28x70 as battens if you follow the "building standard" and then 32mm screws.