Brian G. Randall, product development manager of G-P Gypsum Corp., has been an innovator and authority on building sheathing and building practices since 1980. He has served on ASTM committees, such as Committee C11 on Gypsum and Related Building Materials and Systems and Committee E05 on Fire Standards. He is currently serving on Committee E06 on Performance of Buildings. He is also currently serving on the Technical and Building Code committees of the Gypsum Association, as well as the Technical committee of EIMA and the Technical Committee of the Tile Council of America. He has been a member of the three model building codes and is a current member of the ICC. He is named on 17 patents for glass-reinforced gypsum board, and has several patent applications in process.
Because glass-reinforced gypsum has been such a familiar item for more than two decades, not a lot of education about it goes on anymore. Consequently, many people who have come into the building industry recently don't understand exactly how the material works mechanically or appreciate why it is a standard for exterior building sheathing. Here are some useful facts about glass-reinforced gypsum board.