Last year, one of my frequent golf buddies called me in a panic: two corners of a small piece of wallboard attached to his garage ceiling had come loose. Could I come over and look at it before it fell on his car?
I don’t know why, but the columns we contribute
on drywall finishing generate more response and discussion than any other
topic-and not all of the response is friendly.
Like any gangly teenager you simultaneously love
and loathe, the “Levels of Gypsum Board Finish” document has grown up-it just
celebrated its twentieth year of distribution.
When compared to the application process for
other construction materials, attaching a sheet of gypsum board is a reasonably
simple task. After all, how difficult is it to find a stud and run a nail or a
screw through the board?
Because
all three are installed to prevent the passage of fire and heat, it’s not a
stretch to say that a fireblock, a draftstop and a firestop system each serve
a similar purpose in a building’s fire protection.
To assist in understanding of the newest edition of Application and Finishing of Gypsum Panel Products GA-216, we summarize and discuss some of the most
significant modifications.
The Final Action Hearings to create the 2012 International Residential Code and the 2012 International Building Code concluded in mid-May. Three items of interest to drywall contractors were approved during the meeting.
A column is a vertical building element that provides structural support by carrying a load in compression. Columns, one of the oldest designed structural elements, were used by the Greeks and Romans to construct massive temples and bridges.
Gypsum
board systems can either be non-rated or rated for fire, sound, or shear
resistance. The joint tolerances in gypsum board systems rated for fire, sound,
or shear resistance need to be tighter than the joint tolerances in non-rated
systems. In total, higher levels of expected performance require higher levels
of precision in construction.
It’s always interesting to write a column two months in advance of when it actually hits the street. As this column is being composed, it’s about 25 degrees Fahrenheit outside in the Washington D.C. suburbs, and the snow that fell six days ago is a frozen mass. Not much liquid moisture outside for the past two weeks. It’s been cold.
