Trim-Tex Fire Bead Case Study | Fire Bead Replaces ‘Hit and Miss’ Fire Sealant | Judson University

At a renovation project for a small, private university in Elgin, Ill., contractors have gotten their hands on one of Trim-Tex’s fire rated drywall accessories, Fire Bead, for the first time. And the differences between Fire Bead and fire sealant, which the crew has been using up until now, have been unmistakable: it’s been faster, more streamlined and more aesthetically pleasing, in more ways than one.

Read on to find out how Fire Bead brought a new level consistency to code compliance — where fire caulks are “hit and miss,” according to this project’s superintendent — even when the concrete decks abutting the drywall are anything but consistent.

The project: concrete beams bring code-compliance challenges for $2.5 million renovation

This nearly 21,000-square-foot former bank is being converted into a new, state-of-the-art space for Judson University’s celebrated Master of Architecture program, including 13 dorms and plenty of room for classrooms and studios.

The project brought with it a number of unique challenges, but when we visited the jobsite, there was one that would be immediately recognizable to anyone who's ever worked in drywall: its zig-zagging, exposed concrete beams running along all the ceilings (pictured below). For the dormitories on the upper floor, where head-of-wall firestop materials would need to be placed between any drywall and these beams, this was going to mean a massive-suck. For one, fire caulking all these gaps would be especially messy, and the dosages tricky to get right, around every bend and curve. Then you’d also need to add a bead to protect the rough edge of the drywall, cutting small pieces for each section.

These beams would not be especially easy to firestop and finish any way you sliced it (especially when you add working around all the exposed pipes in your way). But by selecting Trim-Tex’s Fire Bead for their head-of-wall joints, contractor SMC Construction and drywall subcontractor Heitkotter would be able to consolidate these two steps into just one, with a solution that's code compliant, easily conforms to the uneven edges of the concrete deck and save tons of time on clean-up.

The solution: ‘It's just streamlined versus physically going through and caulking it with a caulk gun’

Fire Bead — consisting of a pink vinyl mud leg, flexible vinyl gasket and intumescent tape that expands when exposed to heat, sealing off these gaps from the spread of fire and smoke — was able to provide a few benefits for the Judson University renovation crews in a single step.

First, the intumescent tape would enable the head-of-wall gaps between units to be code compliant. Second, the bead’s flexible gasket would bend around its somewhat jagged edges to form a tight seal along the entire abutting concrete deck, providing protection for up to ½" of building deflection. And, third, it just looks great — the attached tear-off strip, once removed after mudding, will leave a clean, finished edge behind.

As aforementioned, one of Fire Bead’s chief benefits for the contractors on this job was its remarkable consistency; intumescent sealants are well-known to be harder to quality-control throughout an entire project, often contributing to failed inspections.

“Cosmetically, [Fire Bead] is streamlined, versus physically going through and caulking it with a caulk gun,” says SMC Construction Superintendent Jon Canvin. “The detail is what sold me on it. You can take the time to put it on straight, versus caulk coming out of the tube, where it can blow out of the tube or you hit an air pocket, then you get a big splat and you're like, ‘Oh! It's red!’ One and done — that's all you get with fire caulk. But the bead you're able to take your time and really get it streamlined.

“The bead is the same, no matter what, but the fire caulk, it's hit and miss, hit and miss, hit and miss. You're not getting the same consistency as the bead.”

Learn more about the Judson University renovation project and how they used Trim-Tex's Shower Bead to speed up finishing all the dorms' bathrooms here. Want to get an up-close look at Fire Bead for yourself? Request a free sample by hitting the button below!

Judson University: Fire Bead Replaces ‘Hit and Miss’ Fire Sealant

The project: concrete beams bring code-compliance challenges for $2.5 million renovation

The solution: ‘It's just streamlined versus physically going through and caulking it with a caulk gun’

Request a Free Sample of Fire Bead