what sheetrock thickness to use in shop
I am finishing out a large home shop that will be used for woodworking and metal fabricationblacksmithing. I will be doing a lot of welding and work with a gas forge. I was wondering if I should use 58 sheetrock on the walls. The walls are all 2×6 stick frame construction. I will further protect the sheetrock in the welding area with either cement board or sheet metal. Is the one hour fire rating of 5/8 sheetrock also intended to protect the structure from an internal fire ? My shop is a separate building away from the house. I think here in Texas they usually use 5/8 in walls between an attached garage and the house to protect the house in the case of a fire in the garage but I wasn’t sure if it would also be beneficial to protect my shop in the case of an internal fire. I live in the county and am not subject to city codes. Is there any other benefit to using 58 ” ?
I also plan to have a firesmoke alarm zone for the shop.
Is the 58″ overkill for my shop ?
Thanks
Chris in Austin
Replies
You're being unclear about whether you're asking if 5/8" sheetrock will protect the shop's interior, or if it will reduce the spread of fire. It won't do a thing to save anything inside your shop, but it will help prevent the spread of fire outside it, as the fire-rated rock covering the wall bet a garage and house protects the living area for a minimal amount of time.
Use the 5/8" rock bec it's stiffer, esp if your outbuilding framing members are on 24" centers..
Sheet steel is a great way both to refract heat and protect from sparks. In my shop, i put it behind the woodstove (You've gotta have a woodstove, right??? <G>) spaced 1" from the wall for ventilation all the way to the ceiling behind the pipe, and two layers w/two vent spaces right around the firebox. This works remarkably well and bec i fabricate it of metal roofing, it's very inexpensive, too. Best choice is galvanized.
Edited 4/6/2002 5:55:35 PM ET by splintergroupie
chris - I'm building a shop later this year and planning to use abuse-resistant drywall.
T. Jeffery Clarke
Jeff, What's abuse resistant drywall ? The only other stuff I know about is the water resistant type that has green paper. Can you tell me where to get more info on this or where I might purchase it.
Thanks
Chris
Chris,
It's drywall made for guys like Jeff, who have a unique disease (thought to be caused by high levels of stress) and react violently every time they are inside a room made of regular drywall. They take the nearest piece of shop equipment and try to throw it through the walls. Therefore, the stuff has to be pretty tough.
MD
I was thinking of Type X 5/8"inch.
It's a fire rated, wet resistant for exterior use.
It takes more than one man to lift though...
Excellence is its own reward!
Chris,
Here is some info on ALL of the various types of drywall panels that USG makes (Sheetrock brand and Imperial brand).
http://www.usg.com/Product_Index/_product_index.asp?vProdCat=1&vFamily=1&vGreenLink=1
And type X is fire rated, not exterior rated. They do make an exterior panel as well as some really strange panles for anything you could imagine.
Even have a new product called Levelrock for floor underlayment. I'd like to find someone who has used this stuff. Sounds interesting.James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service
"Southeast Texas"
Off topic: I've been using regular sheetrock for floor underlayment in my closests. The 1/2" is equal to the carpet pad, but i like the stiffer surface in case i want to put a dresser inside the closest--it doesn't wobble.
I've seen bullet proof drywall. They use it in banks, I haven't been able to get my hands on a sample as they tend to keep a tight grip on it.
Got it all locked up, eh?Excellence is its own reward!
Well there seems to be a lot of support for using the abuse resistant drywall. But is there any real advantage to 58 when your studs are 16" OC ? I'm thinking the longer fire rating of the 58" would give the fire dept a little longer to get there to put out an internal fire before the frame goes up in smoke. But man that stuff is hard to hang by yourself. Guess I'll have to fabricate a panel lift first :)
I'm not sure I need the abuse resistant stuff, I'm pretty anal about not messing up my walls. I'll probably use some sheet metal against the wall where I do grinding and abrasive cut off.
Thanks for all the info guys.
chris - click on James' USG website for a thorough description of abuse-resistant drywall. The disadvantage is that it is not normally stocked and you will probably have to buy a full load of sheets (54?) which may be too much.
T. Jeffery Clarke
MD - LOL - You're right (actually mostly clumsiness). I haven't decided yet but I think I'm going to go for it.
Quidvis Recte Factum Quamvis Humile Praeclarum
Edited 4/8/2002 12:37:18 PM ET by Jeff Clarke