½ or ⅝ Drywall for Your Garage? – The One to Use.

If you are newly building your garage, you want to install the best drywall in it. The thickness of the drywall is an essential part of it. And it can cause some great concern.

So, which one is best to use; ½ or ⅝ drywall for the garage? 

If you are building the side walls, then ½ inch is standard. This will give you the best protection. But for the ceiling, ⅝ inch is the best selection. And if you’re building an attached garage, you should use ⅝ for the walls as well. They perform just as good as ½ inch in an attached garage. 

Sounds informative enough? Then read along till the end. We have brought you a detailed discussion comparing both thicknesses. So, hop on. 

½ or ⅝ Drywall for Your Garage -Quick Comparison

If you are just starting your research, it’s natural to be confused. So, to make your life a bit easier, we have brought you a quick comparison. 

Factors	½ inch drywall	⅝ inch drywall
Attached Garage	Not good to use	Good to use
Detached Garage	Good for use	Usable and provides more durability
Non-climate controlled weather	Performs similar	Performs similar
Workshops	Not good to use	Good to use
Fire Resistance	Provides less safety	Provides more safety

Here is a quick comparison for your understanding. This will help you to choose between the two. 

In-Depth Overview: Choosing Drywall for Your Garage

As we have already provided a short comparison, now let’s get into the details. This will give you much more clarity on the differences,

Before you decide the thickness of your wall, definitely check your area guidelines. Every area has a standard guideline for every sort of wall. Look through them to see what thickness is applicable in your area.

Usually, multiple area building codes instruct you to install drywall on the garage door. This is due to the safety purpose against fire hazards.

There are plenty of other reasons behind choosing drywall. They involve aesthetics, insulation, and other multiple reasons.

Drywalls work as a great sound barrier between the garage and the house. Therefore, you can work in your garage without disturbing people inside the house.

Also, since drywalls are great insulators, it won’t retract heat from the entire house in the winter. If you look at the options, drywall is a great option to install in your house. Especially, standard or type X drywalls are highly recommended for your garage. 

Attached Vs Detached Garages

If your garage is detached from your home, then definitely use ½ inch thick drywall. In terms of distance, detached garages are far away from your actual home. Therefore, you will be able to drywall all the walls. 

Good thing that comes with it is, it will be cheaper for you. Using all ½ inches throughout is less expensive. 

Even if you can get away installing ½ inches in walls, ⅝ is essential for the ceiling. Otherwise, the ceiling will bow against the trusses. 

Since the majority of detached garages are square footed, they don’t need soundproofing. Also, most likely they are situated relatively far from home. So, using ½ inches wall in detached garages is the best choice for you. Also, it saves you money and time.

Are you thinking about buying ½ or ⅝ inch drywall sheets for your house? If so, You can give the given below drywall sheets a try. They are really good at their job.

1. Drywall Panel by Stella Sealants
2. BPMI FP586 5/8-Inch thick 6-7/8-Inch Diameter Fireguard Drywall Plug

These are some of the really good drywall sheets. Also, they are really durable. So they should last for a long time. 

Workshops

Sometimes, people use their garages as part-time or exclusively as their workshop. In that case, you need something else for a multi-purpose garage. 

You are likely to have a lot more noise coming from your garages. Also, they will carry heavy equipment such as power tools, or even loud music. In such cases, a sound barrier is essential to have. 

Furthermore, if you’re living in a cold area then heated insulation is mandatory. You need drywall that retains heat for working year around.

So, in scenarios such as such, ⅝ inch drywall sheets perform the best. Although it is a bit more expensive than ½-inch drywalls but ⅝ would be highly preferable. 

⅝ inch walls have more insulation and also will provide a good sound barrier. Since most of the workshops contain small areas, it will be cost-efficient. Additionally, it will provide better insulation too. 

Fire Resistance

Fire-resistant drywalls are often referred to as fire-rated drywalls. And type X is the best among all the fire-rated drywall. 

Let’s be honest here. We will not ensure that they will prevent you from any fire hazards. Or, they will magically stop the fire if there is any. But type X drywalls are made with special non-combustible fibers. They are best at slowing the fire down which will give you enough time to reach a safe distance.

Type X drywalls usually are 4-foot by 8-foot diameters. They are denser than ⅝ inch drywalls and are used in most homes. Their installation procedure is similar to the typical drywall sheets.

Now for the other type, the fire rating for the ½ inch drywall is 30 minutes. But the rating for ⅝ inch is around an hour. So undoubtedly the ⅝ inch drywalls are better.

Fire-resistant drywalls are more expensive than regular drywall sheets. You will see an approximately 20 percent increase in the price range. But they are stronger and soundproof your home better. Typically inserting a fastener every 6 inches provides more safety from fire.

So, there are drywalls that you should use according to your geological condition. Each drywall performs better under different circumstances. So, read your area’s building codes and understand the weather you are living in. This will give you a greater understanding on which drywall would provide you with the best utility. 

The Verdict

As we have compared the two, here is a final recommendation from us. Between using the two, ⅝ would be a much better option to use. It’s more durable and provides more resistance against fire. So, even though you may not need to use ⅝ specifically, it’s best to use it. 

FAQs

Endnote

So that’s all from our end. I hope you’re now clear on which one is the better one; ½ or ⅝ drywall for the garage.

It’s a task related to home manufacturing. So, do follow safety measures when you are working with drywalls. Also, make sure to read your area’s building codes. 

And if you are still uncertain, contact a professional home builder. They will guide you toward a better clarity

Till then, Good luck with your drywall sheets!