Chinese Drywall Florida

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CHINESE DRYWALL Florida FIASCO

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I recently wrote an article titled “ HOW THE DREADED CHINESE DRYWALL INVADED AMERICA!” Since writing it I have done additional research and because it is such an unresolved, fluent issue, I would like to update the information in that article with new developments

One new development is that the problem seems to be isolated to ½ inch thick Chinese drywall which was used on most interior walls in homes! Many local building codes throughout the country require thicker 5/8 inch thick drywall be used in the ceiling areas, so in most cases looking at the accessible drywall from the attic is not a reliable way to determine the labeling on the product throughout the home.

Some of the labeling on the back of the drywall may have a Knauf label or some other supplier label instead of a Made in China label. Check the internet for the names of the supplier who sold this product in America!

Another unfortunate fact is during the Chinese drywall heyday 2003 through 2008, many homeowners did extensive remolding in their homes to update and modernize. Adding new rooms, garages, second floors, game rooms which complicates things because isolated rooms of the home may have the bad drywall and is away from the main part of the home. The corrosion issues may be isolated to those areas only.

Some studies have determined the sulphuric content in the mix of gypsum to make the product is higher in some than others and this is what seems to be the cause of the corrosion on copper, chrome, and metals within the home.

The difficulties of detecting the problem multiplies because some of this product was recycled into other drywall products and I do not have all the facts on that but stay tuned for more updates! As to the protocols for remediation of your home it appears that each local building department has different rules and guideline for the removal of the affected areas, so it is best to check with them before undergoing remediation.

I suspect that there will be some federal guideline forthcoming to be followed in the removal of this product, mainly because the opportunity for unscrupulous people getting into the remediation business. I would advise you to hire a licensed State Certified Contractor when you are ready to have this remediation done in your home.



Jerry Tetro is a State of Florida Certified Contractor in the Tampa Bay region and has been building homes for 35 years. www. chinesedrywallflorida.org