What Is Fireboard Drywall?
Many fireproof or fire retardant building materials exist today, and among them is a material called fireboard drywall. A hybrid material, it offers a protective surface that repels fire, and it is commonly used in industrial construction. Fireboard offers many advantages over traditional drywall or encasement and has many applications. Does this Spark an idea?
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Fireboard
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Fireboard is a combination of fiberglass and drywall made by Knauff Insulation Co. in the United Kingdom. It is a board with one fiberglass layer that reinforces a gypsum layer, very similar to the gypsum substance used to make common, residential drywall. Due to the fire retardant properties of the fiberglass, the building material resists fire, hence the name. The surface of fireboard is smooth and white in color and will accept paint and plaster as a finishing layer.
Uses for Fireboard
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The uses for this material are mainly confined to the industrial space, where it is used instead of drywall in office buildings and skyscrapers. More specifically, fireboard is installed on steel I-beams and structural supports as an encasement to cover up the beam. The material covers the entire surface of the beam, surrounding all four sides.
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Fireproof
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A sheet of fireboard resists fire for up to two hours, according to Knauff. The protective layer of fiberglass resists flaming and is noncombustible based on specific building regulations; it is tested to meet class "O" material standards as well. Installing fireboard on your infrastructure may limit the fire's ability to spread from one room or floor to another. How fireproof the building is depends greatly on the other building materials surrounding the fireboard.
Installation
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Installing fireboard requires a knowledgeable professional installation technician. Someone who is used to working with the material and skilled in handling it is your best choice. The manufacturer provides special materials for installation of fireboard, like spoon-tipped gold screws to fasten the boards together and a special joint compound to fill gaps and seams. In common installations, four panels screw together at the edges around a steel beam, forming a complete encasement that is not supported by or part of the steel beam.
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