As daylight hours grow shorter and evening temperatures turn cooler, it would serve us well to examine some of the job problems that may result from winter installation of gypsum board. Some of these problems may include: joint compound bond failures, delayed shrinkage, beading, nail popping, joint shadowing and sagging gypsum board. Cold and damp winter weather conditions are often a major or contributing cause to these problems all-too-familiar to the veteran drywaller.
In order to minimize these problems it is recommended that a minimum room temperature of not less than 40° F (4° C) be maintained during the application of gypsum board, except when adhesive is used for the attachment of gypsum board. For the bonding of adhesive, joint treatment, texturing and decoration, the room temperature shall be maintained at a minimum 50° F (10° C) for 48 hours prior to application and continuously thereafter until completely dry.
It is critical to maintain adequate ventilation in the working area during the installation and curing period. When using a temporary heat source, the temperature shall not exceed 95° F (35° C) in any given room or area.
Previous applications of finish materials must be completely dry before making additional application of finish materials or beginning texturing. Protect ready-mixed joint compound and textures from freezing during storage.
When installing a ceiling to be textured with a water based texture, use 5/8-inch gypsum wallboard or a specially formulated 1/2-inch High Strength ceiling board when framing exceeds 16 inches o.c. in order to avoid sagging.
Where a vapor retarder is required, use foil-backed gypsum board, vapor retarder faced mineral wool or faced-glass fiber insulation batts. When a polyethylene vapor retarder film is installed on ceilings behind gypsum board it is important to install the ceiling insulation before the gypsum board. Failure to utilize this procedure can result in moisture condensation on the backside of the gypsum board, which will cause the board to sag.
A special maximum joint strength drywall system such as the Gold Bond Sta-Smooth System reduces beading or ridging. The combination of Gold Bond Sta-Smooth gypsum board, with its unique tapered-beveled edge or round-edge configuration, and Sta-Smooth Joint Compound, relieves joint deformity problems caused by twisted framing, damaged wallboard edges, poor alignment and extremes in humidity and temperature.
The Sta-Smooth joint shape and the joint compound are developed to provide greater mass and integral bond for increased strength. Sta-Smooth Joint Compound, a “hardening” or “setting” compound, adds considerable strength that is unaffected by the amount of moisture normally introduced into a structure that could cause ridging or beading with conventional drying compounds.
Following these procedures during cold and damp weather periods will significantly reduce the incidence of winter job problems.
Original Source: http://nationalgypsum.com/resources/tech-talk-winterize.htm
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