damp drywall

[J Thomas]

OK, I figured get the drywall up and into the addition before the walls and lid were done. (If I had waited till I needed the sheets, I would have had to lug the 12 footers up steps and landing) So with my luck, the next two days we got over 3 inches of rain Now, I DID cover the sheets with 6 mil plastic and put them up on 2x4s but the water apparently "wicked" through the lumber and spread through the sheets. Probably the worst part was that all the sheets (60+) were laid in the same place drooping the floor so that all the water seeped under the sheets before finding an easier route out... Today with the felt on and closed in I uncovered the sheets to determine they are damp

I suspect at least the first few sheets are garbage but am curious as to the ones that are slightly wet above. Please advise.

[Steveyray]

Sheetrock does hold moisture so i figure most of them will be damp also, Not only that but you might want to also check for black mold.

[J Thomas]

That was exactly my thoughts--- (Black mold) I'm thinking I'll want to restack the sheets in the next room and address the damp ones with "dryers" between the sheets (I figured I buy a bundle of wood lath and lay 4-5 strips down between the sheets might help them dry.) OR should I separate them into smaller piles and stand them (horiz.) against the walls--- drawback is mechs. aren't in yet and subs would surely get P.O.ed working around the stuff. If mold develops is that pretty much the end???

[bjbatlanta]

No reputable supplier should have stacked 60 sheets of any length in one place on an upstairs floor. They should know better even if you didn't. (Or if you stocked yourself, now YOU know.) Maybe on a slab with 4" of dunnage under it. I've seen way less (20 or so pcs. of 14') sag a floor in a new home where the basement posts were not in place prior to stocking the house. (Builder with more going on than he can keep up with.) Worst case is the house gets hung and finished before anyone realizes, and the consequent jacking up the floor busts all kinds of seams. As far as the board getting wet, I can recall having rock on the truck and getting caught in a sudden downpour where it got soaked. Try to take it off and it falls apart. If it stays on the truck and the next day is a nice and hot(summer of course), board dries out (actually bakes) and is good as new. Nowdays though, as mentioned above, any sign of mold would justify the trash pile. If the tabs on the ends weren't pulled, there's a better chance the upper sheets haven't "wicked" too much moisture. Scatter the load and use some temporary heat source. If you stand them up, be sure to support them so they don't bow towards the wall. Even if the bottom is only a few inches away from the wall, wet rock will bow and is a s.o.b. to hang. And yes, the other trades will either gripe to no end or throw it back in the floor to do their work if you're not around. And a pile of rock in the floor is inviting everyone to use it as a table for anything from cutting insulation to nailing corner post together. Figure the top sheet will be trash. Once dry the board should be fine.


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[J Thomas]

Thanks:
And it really wasn't a matter of not usin my head with the stack in one place--- at the time it was the ONLY way we were going to frame the walls and build the roof. I should point out that the sheets were laid centered directly down the length of the oversized steel beam in the garage. It wasn't a matter of sagging joists but more likely a low spot we designed into the build -out to match the out of level existing house floor that caused the water to puddle.

After further examining the sheets today, its obvious the lowest few sheets are trash but the rest are fine... Will replace what I have to.

[Mike from NH]

J Thomas-

You could have ordered the drywall from a supplier and had it "boomed" in through a window after the roof was watertight. If you were a professional you would know that.

[Joepro0000]

If there not breaking apart, spray some bleech on them and hang them up!

[J Thomas]

J Thomas-

You could have ordered the drywall from a supplier and had it "boomed" in through a window after the roof was watertight. If you were a professional you would know that.

I AM a Professional--- The site offered absolutely no access for a boom truck.

[sheetrock26]

I would say if the stack were covered in plastic the moisture is still there...throughout the entire stack. Once hung bring in the dehumidifiers and get your permenent heat up and running for a good week or more before finishing. This is a good practice even if the stack hadn't gotten wet. Many of these mom and pop lumber yard and selling damp board to begin with....along with a home built in wet conditions. It never ends.

[Mike from NH]

A professional doesn't hump 12' up a flight of stairs, PERIOD. Let alone to a building that is not watertight, then wonders if the drywall is useable. You better pray that there is no mold growth 2 months after the job is done. When the lawyers are done with you, you may be able to afford a used bike to get to the night shift at your local McDonald's drive thru.

[BigLou80]

Mike,
I have a job coming up where the drywall will have to go in as soon as the second floor deck is on before the walls and roof are dried in, the only way to get it in will be to leave a few peices on plywood on the walls out and pass it between two studs any suggestions for keeping it dry and usuable ?

Lou

[Mike from NH]

Lou-

Assuming your being serious and not a wise ass.....

As long as it is covered (4 mill poly) and there is no connection from a porus material and the pile of drywall wall like a stud you should be ok. You could lay the pile on a few buckets of mud. If there is a lot of drywall, I would make more than one pile to distubute the weight. The other alternative is to convert the sheets to 8' ers and hump them up the stairs. The added butt joints suck (I'm a taper by trade) but I would rather a few butt joints than the potential of the drywall getting wet and potential of growing mold and the libility that would cause.

[Bryan Drog]

Dont worry J Thomas. Everybody makes mistakes. And everywhere you go in life you will run into at least one smart ass idiot who didn't get enough attention as a child.
There is a guy like that on this forum.
His name is Mike from NH

[BigLou80]

mike
8'rs F that and even at that im not sure it would be doable maybe 4'ers mud buckets sound like a good idea its not a lot of sheets so one pile should be ok
thanks
Lou
P.S how is construction in manchvegas ?

[robohiker]

P.S how is construction in manchvegas ?

skip the construction question. you need a flak jacket to live or work there. the place is not going to hell in a hand basket, it's already hell. guns,knives,gangs,killings,stabbings,police officer shot dead, you name it it's going on there.
i can't believe cnn did a poll saying that manchester is rated #8 in the country for best places to buy a house, they're nuts. get out while you can!!!