finishing – Should drywall be hung horizontally or vertically …

Vertical Only, heres the proof & truth!

Why and How Horizontals Wrong (and why Verticals right)...dont ruin new from the start:

1 Defective Seam - Horizontal rows needing more than one drywall panel creates (instead of avoids) butt-joint humps, which are not flat and are a twice (minimum) the effort defect. Outlet and switch cover-plates, window and door trim, baseboards, pictures, mirrors and cabinets dont sit flat. Using any "butt-joint product" erases all "claimed" benefits of Horizontal!

2 Unsupported Seam Horizontals tapered edge is 90% unsupported, only 10% (instead of Vertical's 100%) contacts framing, the seam will and does crack. Light switch and countertop electrical boxes within the seam equals more weakness and butt-joint doubled, minimum, efforts.

3 Structural Defect - Horizontal only reinforces a wall height of 4 or less, a full-height wall's top-plate is never connected to the bottom plate. As in and due to #2 above, Frictional Contact is minimized (instead of maximized by Vertical).

4 Seam Deception...4'x8' Panels Example 1: 48 tall by 102 long wall, Horizontal = 48 (technically) and its a 24 wide butt-joint or a minimum of doubling the 48" (Vertical = the same, generously, 96 but theyre easy 6 wide joints). Example 2: 96 tall by 102 long wall, Horizontal = 222 with 50% being 24 wide butts (Vertical = 192 of 6 wide easy joints, yes less)...in a Kitchen Horizontal = 100% of 24 wide butts (Vertical = 0%). Yes, Horizontal does the taper area twice (minimum) in order to hide its butts, so very minimally just another 24 was added and #5 below was not factored into Horizontal's monumental fraud.

5 Self-Defeating Angles Horizontal only uses one of a panels tapered edges and puts the other taper at the ceiling corner and baseboard creating (instead of avoiding like Vertical) a twisted angle that must be shimmed or additionally mudded. This too, instantly erases all "claimed" benefits of Horizontal by doubling the seam amount, patching itself to equal Vertical!

6 Unfriendly Seams Horizontal celebrates the chest height seam and pretends theres no 24-wide floor to ceiling butt-joint and the ever present baseboard bevel of unfinished work. (Vertical has easy joints and the top's screwed, taped and mudded later with the ceiling corner and the baseboard spots can also be done separately).

7 - Fire Hazard Liability - Horizontal only fills the coin-thin seam's face and has no back blocking, causing smoke and fires spread by inviting fuel air for a fire's growth (Vertical is full depth and airtight once simply screwed-in).

8 - Unsafe Installation - Horizontal needs 2-people for a safe installation and the panel is airborne, literally creating the chance to cause injury (Vertical easily tilts-up with just 1-person). Using a panel lifter isnt even as easy and safe as Verticals tilt-up.

9 - Additional Waste - When correctly covering a knee wall, half wall, tub front, column or soffit by first removing both tapered edges, Horizontal can't use the tapers elsewhere (Vertical can and does). And, Horizontal wastes 4-times the mud on their completely unnecessary butt-joints and baseboard bevels...if ever done.

10 - Destructive Ignorance - Foundation and Framing crews go to great pains to make everything flat, level, plumb and square. Horizontal destroys those efforts with their defective humps and baseboard bevels (Vertical keeps the perfection).

11 - Grasping At Straws with Outright Fraud - Horizontals falsely and unknowingly wave the absurdly invalid (FPL439) 1983 testing Contribution of Gypsum Wallboard to Racking Resistance of Light-Frame Walls by the self-convicted fraud Ronald W. Wolfe. FPL439 found that all tapered paper wrapped edges must be fully intact for Horizontal to beat Vertical, period. In the real-world, Horizontal's bottom paper wrapped edge is removed by law, for spacing from all floors and thereby completely negate Wolfes inexcusably deceitful and worthless "study" (laughable) and summation.

12 - Joint or Seam Treatment - According to the ASTM's C840 8.2, Horizontal's seams must be mudded to provide any fire, smoke and air travel resistance (Vertical's so good that it's not required to have its seams treated at all).

13 - Costly Slow Complication - Horizontal's depend upon pricey special muds and even messy tape or taping tools that waste mud. Taping tools still require a 2nd step of knifing the tape and the muds require a mixing step. That's more expense, more time, more tools and equipment and more water...for an inferior job! Vertical's superior with the cheapest ready-mix bucket muds and dry self-adhesive tape. Again, Vertical's seam treatment is just for looks.

14 - Fire Rating Fail - Most Single-ply or Single-layer drywall for Commercial Work is required to be installed Vertically, to obtain drywall's actual rating. This is well-known by the majority of Horizontals, but you and your children don't matter to a Horizontal. And for what, to honor the frauds that taught them wrong? You've now seen that Vertical's faster overall and immensely better in every way.

Only promote Horizontal as wrong and confidently cite the above incontestable facts.

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finishing - Should drywall be hung horizontally or vertically ...