Fire Taping Drywall Garage

When drywall is installed in a garage utility room or a furnace room some states and or municipalities require the installer to use fire tape to tape the joints between fire resistant drywall hung on the wall.

Fire taping drywall garage. If you have any doubts about your ability to get the walls smooth you should consider hiring a professional to fire tape the walls. Most customers find this acceptable since it s the garage and they are just looking to clean up the look by making everything the same color. However drywall on the non adjoining walls was hung with scraps and is not taped just but edges.

The gypsum association has a 1 hour fire assembly that includes 5 8 inch thick type x drywall and taping and mudding of all joints. Fire tape does not exist but as these previous answers point out taping and mudding the joints in your garage prevents flame spread by keeping the flames and smoke out of your wall cavities. It also will make it seem more like proper living space instead of a cold or sterile feeling garage.

In a new subdivision of single family homes with attached garages and no second floor or attic the drywall on the wall adjacent to the house is fire code and fire taped. Garages utility rooms and furnace rooms are often hung with fire resistant drywall. In these nonliving areas there s clearly no need to do three coats of taping but you do have to apply one coat of joint tape and compound to achieve the desired fire rating.

Code for drywall in garage. Fire rated drywall commonly called type x fire rated drywall panels come in 1 2 inch and 5 8 inch thicknesses offering three quarter hour and one hour firewall protection respectively. An inspector cited the the non taped drywall as a violation saying you are not required by code to drywall those walls but onece you have hung it you must tape it.

The term fire taping is misleading to some and really the procedure is to block gases and toxins in cases of fire or other air born harmful toxins like carbon monoxide dioxide form running cars the biggy from entry into or out of an area like garages in homes and separation walls in commercial buildings. This tape as the name suggests is a fire resistant construction material that is designed to slow or prevent household fires. Fire taping the drywall in the garage may not require such meticulous attention to detail if you do not intend to finish the sheetrock.

As mentioned the drywall in your garage likely has a level 2 finish.