Fire separations are required between garages and living spaces, around furnace rooms, between dwelling units and in many commercial interiors. The rating comes from the whole assembly, installed correctly.
Type X board is the starting point, not the finish line. A fire-rated assembly depends on board type and layers, framing, fastening pattern, joint treatment and the sealing of every penetration.
Common residential requirements include the wall and ceiling between an attached garage and the house, and enclosures around furnaces in some configurations. Multi-unit buildings and commercial spaces have broader requirements under the Ontario Building Code.
If your project involves a permit, the drawings or inspector will specify the required rating. Share those requirements with us and the assembly will be built to match.
See also: Garage drywall
A rated wall fails at its weak points: unsealed joints, gaps around pipes and wires, the wrong fasteners or missing layers. Every penetration needs proper firestopping.
This is why rated work should be done to the specified assembly, not approximated. We follow the tested assembly details so the rating holds.
Cutting into a fire separation for access or repairs breaks the rating until it is properly restored. If you have had work done that opened a rated wall, it should be closed back up to the same assembly.
A rating belongs to a tested assembly and must match what your permit or the Ontario Building Code requires.
Clear expectations. A considered plan.
A finish that brings the room together.
Room sizes, ceiling heights, photos and any drawings — and whether framing, electrical, plumbing and insulation are finished.
Agree on board types (standard, moisture-resistant, fire-rated or acoustic), the finish level and what is excluded from the scope.
Sheets are hung to minimise joints, fastened, then taped and finished in coats with drying time between them.
Check the surfaces together under normal lighting and settle any touch-ups before the space goes to primer and paint.
A closer look at each type of project. See all projects.
Tell us what needs doing and where. Prefer to talk? Call (613) 319-4768.
A fire-resistant board with glass fibres in the core, used in rated assemblies. The board alone is not a rating — the full assembly of board, framing and sealing is what is tested.
The separation between an attached garage and living space generally must be a fire separation under the Ontario Building Code. Check the requirements for your specific project.
Yes. The opening is closed with the same board layers and detailing as the original assembly, with penetrations firestopped.
Permits and inspections are the responsibility of the property owner or general contractor. We build to the specified assembly and can describe the work for your permit documents.
Tell us what you have in mind. Let’s talk about your drywall project.
