Always leave a 1/2-inch gap at the floor. This allows for floor and wall expansion without cracking the drywall. It also helps prevents moisture wicking if the floor floods. Wear work gloves, safety goggles and a dust mask when hanging drywall.
Installing drywall with at least a ½ inch gap between it and the floor will save you many headaches later on. While it may be easier to secure the lower sheets of drywall first while they rest on the ground, the potential for problems both immediately and in the long run far outweighs the ease of installation.
It's standard to have between 1/4'' and 1/2'' of a gap between the floor and the sheetrock. This is to help prevent any moisture on the floor from destroying the sheetrock. Even that bigger gap on the right should be fine if it is not above the bottom plate of wood.
A gap at the bottom of drywall is left so that if any water penetrates under the skirting, it will not cause the dry wall to deteriorate.
Normally there is a 1/2 - 5/8'' gap between the floor and the drywall. This is done because floors and walls expand and contract with weather changes, or they shift a tiny bit with the natural settling of the building. Baseboards are then added to cover the gap and provide a decorative touch.
Temperature fluctuations, a sagging subfloor, or missing baseboards can create gaps between a wall and the floor beneath it—luckily, caulk can fill most small gaps. Fill large gaps with spray foam insulation, scrap wood, or a long piece of foam insulation.
Leave a gap between the floor and the boards for movement to occur. On a ground level, it's worth making this gap larger by a couple of inches at least, to ensure that damp cannot get from the floor to the boards, as they are very hydroscopic and will absorb any moisture around if they can.
Differential foundation settlement can occur for various reasons, such as changes in soil moisture due to weather conditions and poor soil compaction during construction. Another potential cause of gaps between the wall and the floor is poor workmanship during construction or remodeling.
Building codes require that a drywall control/expansion joint be placed every 30 feet along uninterrupted wall or ceiling partitions. These flexible joints basically provide a form of relief for these long drywall runs, as too much tension causes cracks, or worse.
So to allow the expansion and contraction, a small gap is left behind the walls while mounting a girder for roofing.
Most gaps between drywall sheets can be taped and mudded over like usual. But gaps of up to 1/2-inch between drywall sheets are significant. Paper drywall tape itself is only 2 inches wide, so that type of gap is a quarter of the tape's width.
Keeping the joints between sheets of drywall too close is an invitation for troubles along the way. Professional drywall installers allow for ⅛-inch space between sheetrock placement, and this allows for expansion and contraction for the frame of the building, avoiding cracks and damage to the drywall.
Should drywall touch the floor? No, because many floors, especially in the basement, have a slight floor height difference from one end of the floor to another. An uneven floor usually has a difference of less than half an inch, which is also the minimum distance drywall should sit above the floor.
Generally speaking, drywall screws should be placed 8-16 inches apart on each side of a 4×8-foot sheet of drywall. If using a larger sheet of drywall, such as a 4×10 or 4×12, then the screws should be spaced 10-20 inches apart.
Always leave a 1/2-inch gap at the floor. This allows for floor and wall expansion without cracking the drywall. It also helps prevents moisture wicking if the floor floods. Wear work gloves, safety goggles and a dust mask when hanging drywall.
Brecon is a very popular choice for bathroom and/or kitchen flooring as it usually needs no expansion gaps, is fully waterproof flooring, and comes with a built-in underlay, so installation can be quick and efficient.
If you want to fix the gap use a colour matched filler. Either a paste manufactured by Bruce Hardwood floors or one from Dura Seal. Rub and push the filler into the crack and wipe the residue off the floor surface. Then use a soft cloth and with mineral spirits and it should lood good.
Also, even if your drywall was installed correctly, changes in temperature and humidity can cause expansion and contraction that lead to cracks in your walls.
If you notice gaps forming between the walls and floors in your home, it's a sign that something is wrong with your foundation. These gaps not only look unsightly but can turn into serious structural issues if left unchecked.
Fit the GIB® plasterboard in position against the framing. Press the sheet firmly against the framing to ensure a good bond with the adhesive. Sheets must be 5–10mm from the floor. Place packers to suit OR use a flat bar to lift the sheet off the floor.
Fix GTEKTM Wet Area sheets horizontally to wall framing and/or metal framing, with the bottom sheets first, at 6-10mm clear of the finished floor.
The RSIC installation guide calls for a 1/4″ gap between the ceiling gypsum board and the perimeter of the ceiling. This gap should then be filled with acoustical caulking. The gap is then taped and finished like a regular ceiling / wall intersection.