Hello all,
After having vermiculite insulation removed from our attic I was a little surprised to see that we have 1/2" drywall installed on our ceilings (with manufactured 2x4 trusses 24" O.C.). Once I took a closer look into the condition of the drywall I saw that there are several areas where the drywall has pulled away from the trusses. There are also areas that have sagged a little between trusses and some noticeable cracks in the finish that seem to just keep coming back. I'm planning to do a bunch of air sealing and then blow in 20" of cellulose insulation. From the reading I've done I'm under the impression that installing the insulation without some major drywall work would be bad.
I see my options as:
1. Keep installed 1/2" drywall, add blocking between trusses 16" O.C., glue/screw into new blocking
2. Add 5/8 drywall over existing 1/2" -- not sure about how the old sagging 1/2 would affect the new -- also pretty heavy even before insulation.
3. Remove existing, replace with 5/8"
4. Remove existing, install 1/2 ply or osb, then install new 1/2 drywall (or 5/8?) -- this may be overkill and pricey, but I read about it in this forum.
The hallway, closets and two 7'x9' bathrooms I'm thinking don't need work due to the smaller spans. They may be candidates for attic-side structural support for the insulation.
Obviously this is mainly a structural issue, but I'm also interested in how these different configurations might affect the thermal characteristics of the ceiling plane.
Complicating matters are that we need to live in these spaces while we do/or have the work done and winter is coming soon.
Anyone have anything to add? Advice? A totally different approach?
Thanks!
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