Why were the screws set in pairs in my drywall?

Question

I'm currently removing a wall that separates my kitchen and living room. 1/2" drywall on 16" o.c. studs, typical. What I found to be strange was that the drywall was fastened with 2 drywall screws placed 2 inches apart, in pairs about every 18" up a stud, where a single screw would definitely suffice. May be I'm overthinking it, but is there any reason someone would use so many screws for a simple wall? House is a 1990 Bi-level, or raised ranch as I've seen them called. I just want to make sure that this isn't some specialized/important wall due to the odd overuse of screws.

Answer 1

Like others have said in comments, drywall was commonly nailed in pairs to help prevent punch-through--hammers had a tendency to crush the drywall and weaken the hold of the nail. When screws were first adopted the practice was continued until it was known that precisely set flute-head screws hold better than nail heads, or until old-timers retired away.

Fun fact: Purpose-built drywall hammers had convex (mildly domed) head faces to help set nail heads below flush without tearing the drywall surface, so that tapers could cover them with compound.

Answer 2

My guess:

1. The drywaller (novice) sank the screws too deep and broke the paper; yes, all of them!
2. Their boss/inspector came by and told them it's not acceptable
3. The drywaller had to re-screw their work
   • Putting in a new screw close to the original screw is an easy way to make sure they hit a stud

Answer 3

I do this with new drywall. It holds better and is easier to mud. (as compared to doing more screws further apart)

Answer 4

Sometimes if there's a crooked stud or if there's insulation not installed properly that is bulging the wall sometimes you might piggyback two screws and sink them up so as not to break the drywall and keep popping screws. It's more likely that an old nailer screwed up your wall though

Answer 5

I’ll go with it was his first screw gun that held a clip of screws . And he got carried away . Reminds me of my first time installing baseboards and using a trim gun. Let’s just say I learned my lesson when it came time to fill nail holes and paint. It’s just so damn fun to shoot though.