LESLIE: Craig in Texas has a question about sheetrock. What can we do for you today?
CRAIG: Yeah, I just barely caught the tail end of one of your shows and you were talking about painted sheetrock of China.
TOM: Yes, mm-hmm.
CRAIG: And I’ve looked it up online and I mean I’ve looked everywhere. I couldn’t find out anything about it. What brand was it or is there any in Texas at all, do you know?
TOM: Well, you know I think it’s spreading across the country. I mean it started with Florida homes that were built between 2004 and 2005. The reason it was discovered is because the heating and air conditioning systems started to fail prematurely as well as folks having odors and other air quality issues. And it all came down to this Chinese-sourced drywall made by Knauf Plasterboard. And basically, because it had such a high sulfur content to it, it was causing some corrosion issues.
CRAIG: Wow.
TOM: Basically, the drywall was releasing sulfur-based gases and it was corroding the air conditioning coils, the computer wiring and, some say, even metal picture frames that were hung on the drywall surfaces. There also is somewhat of a rotten egg smell to it that’s released when the drywall is cut into for repairs and for structural investigations.
Now the Florida Department of Health has been testing it to try to determine whether it poses a health threat. They’ve not discovered that it poses any immediate health threat but it certainly is an ongoing concern to homeowners and I do think we’re going to hear more about this, especially all along the Gulf Coast.
If you want some more information, there is an article that I wrote about it and it’s on WalletPop.com. So go to WalletPop.com and search on Chinese drywall. It should pop right up.
CRAIG: Hey, hey, thanks. I appreciate that.
TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us, Craig, at 888-MONEY-PIT.
Leave a Reply