Sanford & Hawley, Inc.
Quality Lumber and Building Materials Since 1884

BUILDER TIP:
Cutting Cost Corners with Drywall Clips

Drywall clips and stops support drywall or wood paneling at corners and replace blocking at top plates, end walls, and corners. They eliminate U- Boxes, partition tees backup lumber at ceiling joists, and make possible two-stud corners instead of the common three-and-four-stud corners. Two stud corners not only help plumbers and electricians to snake wires and pipes, they also reduce heat loss by allowing uncut insulation behind the studding without the risk of un-insulated cavities and cold corners. At top plates, drywall fasteners reduce call-backs for ceiling and partition separation from truss uplift.

Drywall fasteners are either clips or stops. The sheet metal clips are fitted onto the edge of the dry wall by hand as it is installed on wood or steel studs. Stops, like wood blocking, are fastened to structural members before drywall installation.

At two-stud corners, the stops are installed 16" o.c. at the top and bottom of the wall. Then the first sheet of drywall is hung against the stops. At top plates, the stops are installed 16" o.c. and at all corners and intersections. The drywall is installed with the ceiling panels first, as usual.
Manufacturers claim $100 per 1,000 sqf. of living space can be saved on material by using drywall clips and stops.

A good guide to Drywall Clips and Truss Uplift can be found here in Adobe PDF format.