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Showerthought: I saw a crew skip the back blocking on a long ceiling run
I was helping a friend finish a basement in Omaha last month, and the main crew had already hung the 12-foot sheets on the ceiling. They used adhesive and screws but didn't put any blocking behind the butt joints on the long run. Sure enough, after a few weeks, a small crack showed up right down the seam. It's a simple step, but I see people skip it to save an hour. Has anyone found a good way to add blocking after the fact without taking the board down?
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paule536mo ago
Yeah, I've learned that lesson the hard way too, my own laziness is my worst boss. Henderson.val is right, that adhesive just gives up after a while. You can try that access hole trick, but it's a real pain to fix later.
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henderson.val6mo ago
My uncle's a contractor and he always says that seam will crack without backing, it's just a matter of time. I read a forum post where a guy cut small access holes in the drywall to slide in short blocks, then screwed them to the joists and patched the holes. Seems like a messy fix compared to doing it right the first time. That adhesive alone isn't enough for a long span like that.
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kimg575mo ago
No backing on a 12-foot run? That's just asking for trouble. I can't believe a pro crew would skip that step. The crack is basically guaranteed. That access hole fix sounds like a total nightmare, way more work than just doing it right.
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