Walls and Ceilings - When to hang drywall and mouldings??

My husband is getting ready to start drywalling our kitchen and dining room. They are currently decent paneling, I just don't like paneling!

My husband was talking to someone about it yesterday, and they told him he shouldn't drywall until the summer.

We had talked about not doing the crown moulding until summer as we did look at a home where the guy told us that he had done the crown moulding in the winter and now there was a slight gap in the top of the moulding and the ceiling because it was summer. He said you should always hand crown moulding in the summer to allow for expansion of the walls.

So, is it possible to drywall now and then put up the crown moulding when it is warmer.....or should we wait on all of it until summer?

Also, would it be better to hand the drywall over the paneling, or tear the paneling out?

Thanks so much!

If the HVAC system is on, let building products acclimate (adjust) to temperature and humidity before installation. Drywall mud should be fully cured before installing crown molding after acclimation due to moisture issues.

If installing drywall over panelling, you will have to take into consideration the increased thickness adjacent to interior trim. Acclimation of solid hardwood products is very important because of expansion and contraction issues. If acclimated and temperature and humidity maintained at a constant year round, expansion and contraction tends not to be an issue. Interiors of homes are finished both in summer and winter.

An occupied home should have a fairly constant humidity rate so there shouldn't be a big difference in what time of year you do the work.

Drywall can be hung over the paneling if you wish. The benifits are obvious. Removing the paneling, while more work/mess will allow you to add insulation [if needed] and move/add any electrical devices. You could also add nailers if needed for the cabinets.

Electrical boxes will need to be extended - easy, use box extenders. All woodwork trim will need to be removed prior to hanging rock. Some trim will need modifing to fit the new measurements [if reusing the same woodwork]

I am in West Ky, and it does get quite humid in the summer....does that matter? We keep the house around 72 in the winter, and 76 in the summer. We hardly open the windows as they are very old and need replacing.

Running your HVAC system pretty much keeps humidity levels constant year round although the winter may be a little drier [unless you run a humidifier]

As 12pole stated letting any new woodwork acclimate [conform to the temp/humidity levels of the home] will help to minimize any shrinkage [due to drying] or swelling [if extra moisture]