The U.S. Gypsum Corporation created the original drywall, trademarking it as Sheetrock. It's still trademarked today, but Sheetrock has become almost a synonym for any kind of wallboard installed as a substitute for plaster. Original Sheetrock was gypsum plaster compressed between two sheets of heavy paper. It made covering interior walls much easier, faster and less expensive. It is naturally resistant to fire because gypsum has a high moisture content and does not burn. Fire-resistant drywall has fiberglass components added and uses a more resistant paper facing. It also is thicker, 5/8-inch as opposed to 1/2-inch for basic drywall.
Instructions
1. Install fire-resistant drywall any place subject to extreme heat or fire danger. Use it in walls around furnaces or utility rooms, on walls and ceilings of attached garages, near fireplaces and on walls that separate living units, such as duplexes. Place it on both sides of a wall subject to extreme fire hazard.
2. Check local building codes for places to use fire-resistant drywall and the type to use. Use "Type X" for most residential applications; Type X has fiberglass components and is rated for 60 minutes of fire resistance. Use "Type C" fire-resistant drywall in areas where greater resistance is required; it is similar in composition but has higher fiberglass content.
3. Fasten fire-resistant drywall to wall studs with drywall screws and a screw gun just like regular panels, but use longer screws to compensate for the 1/8-inch thicker material. Get 1 1/2-inch, fine-threaded drywall screws. Ask the supplier about special screws; some manufacturers produce special screws for their fire-resistant drywall.
4. Cut fire-resistant drywall with a drywall saw or by scoring it and snapping it like regular drywall; it will be harder to cut because of thickness and fiberglass reinforcing. Cut a deep groove with a utility knife in the face and gypsum with a straight edge along the cut line, then snap the panel against the straight edge to break it. Smooth rough edges of the cut with a drywall rasp.
5. Use standard drywall installation techniques to set panels into place and secure them, but adapt techniques to the thicker and heavier panels. Tape and secure seams with drywall compound like regular drywall. Paint or cover the fire-resistant wall like any other drywall.
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