Fire-rated gypsum board systems may be damaged during the life cycle of a building. To maintain the required fire-rated separation between occupancies or areas, damaged systems must be repaired so that they are restored to their original fire-resistive condition. The repair must follow procedures dictated by the severity of the damage.
Small holes, such as those caused by a door knob, can be repaired by patching. To maintain the integrity of the surface membrane, the gypsum board patch must be mechanically secured in the layer or layers of board that have been damaged; attachment with joint compound only is not acceptable. The patching material should be cut from type X or proprietary-type X gypsum board of a thickness and type equal to that of the original materials.