Drywalls are excellent building materials. Storing them can be tricky.
When looking for an ideal place to keep them, plenty of options could be available.
But safety issue is where you draw the line.
A garage is a popular place to store things; you could consider putting your drywalls there.
So, Can You Store Excess Drywall in The Garage?
Yes. Under the right conditions, you can safely store your drywalls in the garage for a couple of months. As you will find out in this article, you must execute plenty of preparation and storage tasks before keeping excess drywall in the garage. Such activities include heating the garage to remove moisture and setting up raised platforms to prevent contact with the floor and keep pests away.
Six Ways to Store Drywall in The Garage
1. Keep It Away from Moisture
Do not store it anywhere near a moist surface in the garage.
If you notice wet spaces, ensure that water is wiped away before laying the drywall there.
Water can pose disastrous consequences on your drywall. Mold and mildew start growing on the surfaces of the drywall. It equally compromises the integrity of the materials.
2. Store Them Vertically
One of the best ways to store drywalls in the garage is to place them vertically.
This placement is ideal because of two significant reasons.
- First, it saves on space and allows you to pack more drywall in one place.
- Second, it reduces the possibility of it being destroyed by moisture and water if your garage is wet.
3. Wrap Your Drywall to Keep Them Firmly in Place
Another idea is to wrap them with a formidable material. You want to keep your drywall firmly in place.
Over time, drywalls can scatter all over the place.
Wrapping them also helps to prevent accidents.
Scattered drywall can become an obstacle and render operations in the garage very difficult.
4. Use A Vacuum-Sealed Plastic Material
Another idea is to seal your drywall in a vacuum seal in the garage.
A vacuum is the best place to keep them since it prevents contact with moisture that is disastrous to drywall.
Vacuum seals are often used in major construction sites, but you can also have one for your drywalls in the garage.
The reason is to keep them safe; if that is what it takes, you have no choice. This choice, however, may prove very expensive and space-consuming.
5. Use Pallets to Raise Them Off the Ground
Even if your garage is dry on the floor, raising your drywall will help combat pests that might invade your garage.
It equally saves you the trouble of having to deal with moisture.
Once you have laid the drywall on the pallets, use a tarp or a plastic sheet to cover its top.
Garages do get humid, and there is every chance that moisture will land on the drywall from the top. After covering the top, use plastic sheeting to wrap the edges.
You must ensure that all parts are correctly sealed to ward off moisture.
6. Keep Out Pests
Let’s face it. Pests are annoying creatures. They invade without notice, and there is no limit to where they can reach and what they can do.
Your garage is no exception. Pests like rodents and mites are arch enemies when handling drywalls.
They chew and damage anything that comes their way. Your drywalls are a grave risk if these pests maraud your home.
It would help to seal all entryways to ward off these destructive creatures. Also, execute routine examinations of the drywalls and the entire garage for any signs of pests.
If you find any, carry out the necessary activities to clear off the garage and safeguard your drywalls from imminent danger.
It includes setting traps at designated locations and using selective pesticides to eliminate them.
How to Store Drywall Vertically to Reduce Risk of Harm and Damage
As we mentioned, storing your drywalls in a vertical position is one of the most remarkable ways to avoid damage.
1. Protect The Bottom
It is equally vital that you understand how to do this right. The number one thing is to protect the bottom edge from moisture.
Make sure that the surface of the garage is dehydrated. Of course, you must add another soft material to prevent potential abrasions on the edges facing down.
2. Lean It – Carefully
Secondly, lean the first drywall on about five inches from the wall.
A serious tipping hazard will occur on the first drywall if you lean them less than five inches to the wall.
On the other hand, do not lean over six inches from the wall, as this can inflict structural damage.
Cracks are bound to develop in the drywall due to significant lateral pressure, which increases as you add more drywalls.
In worst cases, it can even curve and may eventually break.
The last thing you want to see is damaged drywall.
They are expensive, and you should handle such materials with great care.
3. Weight Considerations
Again when deciding whether to store them in this vertical position, consider their weight. Lightweight drywall easily breaks.
And for obvious reasons. You need to keep such materials with a lot of considerations in mind. You can pile them in groups to avoid damage.
4. Lengths
Also, do not store different lengths of drywall against each other.
Tipping occurs when one shorter sheet is pulled out. It can severely damage other drywalls as they slam against each other.
Can You Store Drywalls in an Unheated Garage?
It is not prudent to store drywall in an unheated garage for a long time.
Unless you keep your drywall there for a short time, do not store your drywalls in such a place.
Moisture poses an imminent danger to drywalls, and an unheated garage is laden with humidity.
Your drywalls will not last here for long before you notice signs of damage: molds and mildew growing on soft building materials like drywall.
How Long Can You Store Drywall in The Garage?
Provided you can get it airtight; you can store drywalls for a couple of months.
The environmental conditions they are subjected to dictate the length of time you can keep them in the garage.
So, if you can stack your drywalls properly and seal them from weather elements like humidity and extreme temperatures, they can stay there for long without any issues.
They virtually have an unlimited life shelf!
As we mentioned, more long-term storage of drywalls is guaranteed by keeping them off wet surfaces.
You also want to cover it with appropriate airtight materials from the top to keep them safe.
Final Words
Storing drywalls has never been easy.
They are delicate building materials that demand a lot of attention, whether you are storing them or using them for construction.
Special measures should be put in place when storing them in the garage to prepare the storage area well.
Keep them out of each moisture by carefully wrapping them with protective materials.
Also, watch out for pest infestation and secure your drywalls from potential damage.
