fire protection

[Ed]

Hi,

I have some walls made from gypsum board which I need to replace with

30 minute fire resistant boards.

I'm not a DIYer so have no idea about these things, I'm just doing what the council wants, but I'd really like to leave the walls as they are. Does anyone know how to get round this? Can I cover the walls with some kind of fire protection?

Thanks,

Ed.

[Pete C.]

Assuming you can live with the additional 5/8" of wall thickness, you can just install a new layer of 5/8" type X firecode sheetrock on top of the existing layer of presumably 1/2" non firecode sheetrock. There is no particular reason to remove the existing drywall. Extension rings for the electrical boxes are well under $1.

Pete C.

[Tom The Great]

Good advice, just wanted to add that 1/2 rating might not require 5/8" rock, this site says type X 1/2 will give no less than 3/4 hour rating.

later,

tom

[Bill]

It's really best to do as they say. In the past people have died as a result of fires and the codes are there to try to keep these things from happening again.

Also if you don't bring the wall up to code and there is a fire which spreads due to this and it is discovered you did not install the required fire protection, then all sorts of nasty things can happen. (Legal liability, insurance not paying for damage, lawsuits, etc.)

[HeyBub]

Gypsum board is inherently fire-resistant. Did the council actually SAY the wallboards needed to be replaced? Or did they say you need 1/2 hour protection? If the latter, you may need only to augment what you have. If the former, you may already be in compliance.

A bit more info, please. What exactly do you have in place (how thick is your gypsum wall)?