Hello fellow woodworkers. I'm in a very unique situation

I'm waiting for approval from the president of an association for a building I'm looking to buy a shop within for the following reason:

He said a few years back, a wood shop blew up, just blocks away, so he, along with other members of the board really don't want a woodworker to move into the building

The issues are really with the profession of the two would be next door neighbors

One- A welder, sparks all the time
Other- repairs compressors

The association pres is very nervous, especially considering the one business creates spark and we all know what can happen with flam chems and sparks

I don'y think this would be such a huge concern, except the fact is, there aren't block walls between. It's drywall with insulation.

Now, i will have a spray booth monitored with the fire dept and the required three sprinkler heads in the booth

So my question is as follows:

Is there a coating I can apply to the drywall walls to either prevent or help prevent the fumes/offgassing of the chemicals penetrating through and hopefully ease their intentions. If I can do this, im certain they will say yes and then the final negotiations can happen and I'll own my first shop

Thanks and pls provide links and any experience with the products

I never heard of a coating on drywall to stop fumes only to make it fire proof . If you're trying to stop the guessing off fumes after you spray you would need an enclosed spray booth such as they use an auto body shops and have replacement air so that the fumes to be exhausted to outside .

A wood shop "Blew up?" I really find that hard to believe.

I own a Commercial Condo and in the Association By Laws, any tenant has to be approved by the Association. The Association By Laws have a non compete clause and also, businesses that cater to Adult content or drug items are prohibited.

Provided that your business does not fall into these categories, they must approve the purchase or tenant or the Association must pay the lost rent. I would suspect that your Association has similar By Laws. I would get a copy of the By Laws.

Even if the separation wall is not block, it will be 5/8" drywall on both sides which will give you a three hour fire rating.

I would get the owner involved, maybe call the local Fire Chief and ask for an inspection. As for the Compressor repair business, it is illegal to weld a compressor tank as a repair so there should not be much risk of welding from that business.

I have had OSHA in my shop and every few years, I get an inspection from the local Fire Department. There is really very little risk of fire or injury in our industry. Dust and the possible long term effects of dust are the primary risk.

Good luck, it is a benefit to own your own building.

With a properly sized spray booth, and keeping the fan running during outgassing, what fumes do you have building up? I'd say the association is in trouble if the barrier wall between any two businesses is not fire rated. Ask them about the fire rating of that wall, and certification from a city fire inspector. I'd say it's a statistical improbability to get a correct buildup of fumes to get an ignition on the other side of gypsum board wall. Just because you could smell it, doesn't mean it will explode. Ignition requires the correct proportion of flammable plus oxygen plus ignition. You can safely spray sparks into a pan of gasoline. But let the vapor build up above or around the pan, and you get a different story.

Thank you to everyone who has responded. You have all provided feedback that allow me am opportunity to consider different avenues.

As long as I'm using my booth, I can't imagine why the sparks from the welding company on the one side would even matter.

I'm not exactly sure what the compressor company on the other side exactly does.

Now I cross my fingers and 🙏🏻

Mike,

There are different kinds of drywall. In residential houses we typically use 1/2". In our area the building code mandates fire rated 5/8" on the wall of an attached garage. Its in case of a car fire. Likewise the Garage door that leads into the house must be fire rated gypsom core.

I don't think a coating will help. More wall board will. One of my friends hangs commercially. I remember this job where he had to hang two layers of 5/8" in an elevator shaft. The first layer had to be taped no top coat.

Adam,

That. Brings an interesting point

Is it (3 hours per layer)? If i can only do an extra layer on my side, would that technically give me (6 hours)?

If allowed, would i be better off putting a secondary layer on each side?

Also,

Is there a (fire resistant) insulation?

just curious. why don't you find a different building if the association is so fussy.
never know what they will demand next.

Good question Chris and here's why

The owner of this building is willing to finance. I just went back to full time self-employment last may, since 2008. I don't have the w-2's to substantiate getting a mortgage, so this is a perfect opportunity for me.

It's a 2,000 sq ft shop and for my note, taxes and assessments to be about a grand a month, I can't touch that anywhere

Mike,

What's in the wall doesn't really matter. The fiberglass insulation is designed not to burn anyways. If the studs are wood they obviously catch on fire. If the studs are steel and they see high temperatures then they lose their heat treatment(much of the strength) and fail.

If you are hell bent on making it work: Offer to rehang the walls. Put up another layer of 1/2". First find out what's on it currently. The type is on the back. Get him to pay for the material and you hang it. The sheets can go vertical because the old sheets were horizontal. You can go either or on the 2nd layer.

Use stud adhesive on the middle of the sheet in dobs. Only screw the perimeters. Put a few screws in the center to pull the sheet down until the stud adhesive drys. 2 coats of compound. He can pay you to do the topcoat if he wants it done perfectly.

Adam,

This is ALL on me, because I'll be BUYING the building, not renting. If i were renting, id say screw it and find another place

So if 5/8" has a rating of 3 hrs, would it follow in sequence that 2 sheets would be 6 hrs of fire rating and is there a certain type of drywall that is specific to being fire rated or is all 5/8" that way?

I think the point has been missed as to the real concern which is dust. Any dust that migrates into the walls, settles on rafters, heaters etc is the danger. We have take great pains to insure our offices are dust free yet still have to remove drop ceilings and clean out the dust on occasion. I want to add a metal shop to my operation but will not do so until I have constructed a separate building on my lot away from the woodworking operations. This risk is too great. All it takes is something like a little thunder knocking some of the settled dust loose causing a dust vapor that finds a spark from the welder and the percussion knocks all loose dust in the air and you have an explosion. I value my and my employees lie too much to risk that.

2x4 wall 16" oc studs with 5/8" type X drywall both sides = 1 hour fire rating. Adding a sheet to both sides increases it to 2 hours. Three sheets per side MAY increase it to 3 hours BUT it must be tested. See drywall manufacturer for fire wall test data.

The real question here is if the divider walls are truly fire rated walls, that means all the way to the deck,proper materials,
all penetrations caulked with fire rated caulking, etc. I have personally seen fumes from 5 gallon bucket of contact cement seep down inside a steel stud wall, and then explode and blow the 5/8 board completely off both sides of the wall and catch the 5 gallon bucket of a contact adhesive on fire. I am certain that is what happened as I was the one who started the chop saw that caused the explosion,from at least 20 feet away from the wall. So the threat is real...Be safe.