BU548 Repairing plasterboard after an earthquake (2012)

After the Canterbury earthquakes, some homeowners reported that their houses were noisier than before. This free bulletin provides guidelines for repairing plasterboard-lined walls to assist reinstating strength and stiffness and to help modify this effect.

BRANZ conducted laboratory experiments to determine how much more flexible houses become following earthquake shaking and the effectiveness of different repairs. A small test house was built, and it was exposed to various levels of lateral displacement.

The bulletin describes the test house and test programme and describes suggested repair methods, based on the testing undertaken. The method most suitable for application in a particular situation depends on the assessment of actual earthquake induced damage.