# Waking On



## John1 (Mar 9, 2009)

Had a drywall "contractor" tell me he always lies his sheets on the floor instead of standing and says it's ok to "walk on a stack" , if room is a problem such a s in a gargae,as long as you don't step on the edges.

Is this guy nuts or anyone think this is ok??

John


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

if you dont mind soft spots in the middle of the sheet sure . work boots have hard heels and gypsum isn't concrete. i wont say i havent done it but when someone walks on my stack its hard not to launch my hammer at them


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## John1 (Mar 9, 2009)

evolve991 said:


> if you dont mind soft spots in the middle of the sheet sure . work boots have hard heels and gypsum isn't concrete. i wont say i havent done it but when someone walks on my stack its hard not to launch my hammer at them


 
Thanks for your reply

John


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## Custom Drywall Svc. (Oct 31, 2008)

John1 said:


> Had a drywall "contractor" tell me he always lies his sheets on the floor instead of standing and says it's ok to "walk on a stack" , if room is a problem such a s in a gargae,as long as you don't step on the edges.
> 
> Is this guy nuts or anyone think this is ok??
> 
> John



no hes not nuts.

stacks on the floor are the only thing i know where i am from (and im from a fairly big city, not a population 200 city)......i dont think i have EVER....seen them 'standing'....unless it is just several sheets.

am i understanding this correctly? so, if you have a stack of 50 sheets.....do you have them stocked standing up....?

i think im missing something.

and yes, its perfectly fine to walk on top of a stack........is it recommended? of course not.....

just as long as the stack is sturdy and at least 10 sheets deep, i dont see whats wrong with this.

would i flip out if i saw someone walking on top of just 2-3 sheets? of course......but a stack of at least 10 sheets is sturdy enough, i mean cmon people......

now, if you are 250 lbs+.....i wouldnt recommend doing that, but someone under 200 lbs should be fine. throughout the many years i have been doing business, i never once had received nor given any lip or dirty looks towards anyone walking on a 'stack' (if necessary).

and yes, i agree with the contractor, as long as its not on the edges.

and yes drywall is not 'concrete'.....but please guys, its not made of Twinkies either. the construction industry obviously deems it appropriate for the use for your freakin walls and ceilings.

lets be real people, once the drywall goes up....its literally just that 1/2" or 5/8" of thickness ALONE that acts as your 'wall'. you think an 8th of an inch of mud over it (not even that at most times) is an extra barrier enough to strengthen the wall?

pshh...get real.

John1 ....im not tryin to sound like an azz, seriously.....but it almost sounds "diva-like" the way you scoff at that contractor in your post hahah...

i just had to say something. maybe i completely read it wrong....or am holding it in the wrong context...please forgive and correct me if so.

but thats my .02 cents.


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## [email protected] (Dec 23, 2008)

Round here its stacked on the floor for commercial (steel studs wouldn't support) but stocked against the walls for residential. And no, wouldn't put 50 12's against the same wall, maybe 30.

But I have seen (& freaked on) a HVAC guy rake his muddy a$$ boots on the taper edges of a pile on a commercial job. A$$hole did it right in front of me, grinning like $#it til I knocked him on his butt. Asked him, how bought I take a steamer over there in your duct-work?


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## Custom Drywall Svc. (Oct 31, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> Round here its stacked on the floor for commercial (steel studs wouldn't support) but stocked against the walls for residential. And no, wouldn't put 50 12's against the same wall, maybe 30.
> 
> But I have seen (& freaked on) a HVAC guy rake his muddy a$$ boots on the taper edges of a pile on a commercial job. A$$hole did it right in front of me, grinning like $#it til I knocked him on his butt. Asked him, how bought I take a steamer over there in your duct-work?


yea, case like THAT i can definitely unload on someone....thats just plain stupidity, walking on the factory edges like that...muddy shoes, jeez.

although i still have yet to see 30 sheets stacked against a wall.....just gotta be the region im in i guess. i can say easily that 100% of the time, commercial or residential, itll be stacked on the floor.


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## [email protected] (Dec 23, 2008)

Well it does save on the ole back. The sheet has get upright at some point and that's the direction the sheets are coming off the boom anyway. Thirty against any one wall (and over one or two floor joists is about the max.) Maybe we're lazy here, but I'll bet our hangers have fewer back problems form not standing every single sheet. Something to consider as all are trying to control WC claims these days.


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## eastex1963 (Nov 6, 2008)

John1 said:


> Had a drywall "contractor" tell me he always lies his sheets on the floor instead of standing and says it's ok to "walk on a stack" , if room is a problem such a s in a gargae,as long as you don't step on the edges.
> 
> Is this guy nuts or anyone think this is ok??
> 
> John



To answer your question, in short......
Yes, it's perfectly fine. Being careful as he said, not to damage the edges. In fact, I prefer it this way.


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## Custom Drywall Svc. (Oct 31, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> Well it does save on the ole back. The sheet has get upright at some point and that's the direction the sheets are coming off the boom anyway. Thirty against any one wall (and over one or two floor joists is about the max.) Maybe we're lazy here, but I'll bet our hangers have fewer back problems form not standing every single sheet. Something to consider as all are trying to control WC claims these days.


cant argue against that.


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## evolve991 (Jan 24, 2008)

They stand stacks of 34,or 17 bundles,around here...any more than that can damage walls/floors. Its fine to walk on the rock if no one breaks the edges or stomps a soft spot in the middle,especially on USG or Lafarge(junk anyway), but no one seems to know HOW to walk when it comes to a stack. And a stack lying down is just too irresistable for other trades to use as a table.....scoring insulation,beating duct together,spilling drinks on it etc,etc. We all know how well we drywallers are respected among other trades and the same respect extends to our materials. Nothing like flipping a sheet up and it breaks over your heads or has huge bubbles on the face for finishers to patch. No it should not happen but it does. Another disadvantage is the loaders who slam it down like they're on Monday Nite Raw and the bundle is Mick Foley. A VERY rare problem once was a framer working outside in ice and snow was wearing boots with ice kleats,he had to do something inside and proceeded to rip across our rock,the white side was up, and it looked like hamburger. Personally if the sheets didn't get broken/damaged by putting them on the floor I'd prefer it....less walls to leave off,less sheets to move when you have to hang the bottoms...but theory is a long way from the jobsite. I guess it all depends on the supplier and the subs who work on the jobs but around here its an invitation to add problems to your job.


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## joepro0000 (Jun 14, 2008)

In most commerical jobs here, and lay them down on the concrete floor. If we stack them on the walls, they will be in everyones way and be getting moved around and damaged. I like to put a thick plastic on top of the last sheet, so no ones drinks messes up my boards.


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## Whitey97 (Jan 27, 2009)

They're all stacked against the wall here, in res. houses. I commonly walk onto a job that has a hundred per level stacked up.


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## Gryphon (Aug 10, 2012)

all good points, but thought I would put in my two cents too, lol. Here in Louisiana, the humidity is over 50% most of the year. It is almost mandatory to stack the sheets laying down because if they are stood on the wall longer than a few hours, they are curved like a boomerang when you go to hang em! When we hang em, we usually stand them up to cut em, and never stand up more on the wall than we can use that day. Still, if I caught somebody wiping mud off their boots on my stack I'd put my boot in his a**!!!!!! lol.


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