partition wall for shop in basement questions

[billfrommich]

I will be partitioning off a portion of my basement for my woodshop. My house was built in the 1960's and has exposed 2 x 10 ceiling joists, 16 inches on center. The wall I will be constructing runs parallel to the ceiling joists. The books on basement renovation which I have read state that if a partition wall runs perpendicular to the joists, the top plate can be nailed directly to the joists. However, unless I am misunderstanding the authors, they state that if the partition wall runs parallel to the joists then blockers (short pieces of 2 x4) should be installed between the joists, and the top plate nailed to the blockers. I undertand that you would need blockers if the wall does not fall directly below a joist, but in my case I would like my partition wall to be directly below a joist. Can I just nail my 2 x 4 plate directly to the bottom of the joist (centering the nails in the 2 x4 and joist) or is this a violation of acceptible construction practice or code? A second question concerns the drywall installation on the partition walls. I would like to avoid the whole mess of taping the joints, sanding, etc. As I'm not all that concerned with appearance I thought I would apply the drywall vertically (that is, I would only have vertical seams every 4 ft.) and just cover the seams with some thin wood trim. Again, I am wondering if this is a violation of acceptible construction practice or code?

[shoottx]

I don't know about the zoning questions, that answer depends on the local authority and codes.

But if the codes allow it think about using plywood instead of dry wall. You can throw a quick coat of paint on it to brighten the shop and you can build all kins of attachments for the wall with out marking up the wall.

[LarryG]

If the new partition occurs directly under a joist, you can nail the top plates to the joist. That's the way it's done in new construction.

Single-family residences are typically of non-rated construction, with fire-rated gypsum board (which depends on the taping to complete the envelope) required only between garages and the living area. In your case the gypsum board will be purely cosmetic so what you propose will be fine. (The plywood suggestion is good and is something to consider, however.)

[JimD]

I used 7/16 wafer with a skim coat of drywall compound and then white paint. It is not pretty but works fine. I am thinking of changing the waferboard ceiling in case we ever move. My shop has a garage door and driveway but to count it as a garage I think I need a 5/8 fire rated drywall ceiling. I didn't know that when I built it. I did the interior wall going to the living area that way but not the ceiling. The walls that do not go to the living space are waferboard which works well.

Jim

[twistsol]

A reason for using the 2x4 blockers even if the wall falls below the joist is that they'll give support to the ends of the drywall if you decide to cover the ceiling. In this case, it is actually better to have the wall not fall directly below a joist because you can use the blockers on both sides of the wall to attach the ceiling.