Office, retail, restaurant — built to schedule.

Commercial drywall services across the GTA

Commercial drywall is a different game from residential. The deadlines are tighter, the inspections are more rigorous, the assemblies are mostly fire- or sound-rated, and the tenant is usually paying rent on a space they cannot use until you are done. We have spent the last decade building commercial drywall around that reality, working with general contractors, property managers, and tenant improvement firms across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, and the rest of the GTA.

From a 600 sq ft retail flip in a Yonge Street storefront to a 40,000 sq ft office tenant improvement in a Bay Street tower, the playbook is the same — accurate bid, full-rated assemblies built to code, on-schedule delivery, photo documentation for inspection, and a wall finish the painter actually wants to roll over.

What we build

• Office tenant improvements — fit-outs, demising walls, drop-ceiling work, executive suites, perimeter office buildouts, open-floor partition work.
• Retail buildouts — flagship stores, pop-ups, mall units, full storefront refits, fitting rooms, back-of-house storage areas.
• Restaurant interiors — kitchens, dining rooms, washrooms, bar walls, back-of-house finishes, washroom partitions.
• Condo amenity spaces — gyms, party rooms, lobbies, corridors, theatre rooms, co-working spaces in new and retrofit buildings.
• Medical and dental clinics — operatory walls, exam rooms, sterilization areas, washroom and clean-area partitions, lead-lined assemblies for X-ray rooms.
• Schools and daycares — classroom walls in abuse-resistant board, code-compliant fire-rated assemblies, washroom buildouts.
• Warehouse and industrial — office mezzanines, fire-rated walls, shipping/receiving offices, breakroom buildouts.
• Hotel guest room and corridor work — STC-rated demising walls, corridor fire-rated assemblies, washroom refurbishments.

Steel stud framing

Most commercial drywall in the GTA is hung on metal studs. We frame steel stud partitions in 25, 20, and 18 gauge depending on the load and span. 25-gauge is standard for non-load-bearing partitions up to 10 feet. 20-gauge for taller walls or walls supporting cabinetry. 18-gauge for high-impact areas, doorframe-loaded walls, and corridors over 14 feet. We work to architectural drawings, and we coordinate with electricians and HVAC trades for in-wall services before close-up.

Fire-rated and sound assemblies

Office demising walls usually require 1-hour or 2-hour fire ratings. Hotel and condo party walls require sound transmission ratings (STC). We build to assemblies from the Ontario Building Code (OBC) and the GA-600 fire-resistance design manual, and we document layer-by-layer for your inspector. Common assemblies we build:

• UL Design U419 — 1-hour rated wood-stud wall with 5/8" Type X each side.
• UL Design U465 — 2-hour rated steel-stud wall with two layers of 5/8" Type X each side.
• STC 50–55 demising assemblies — single steel-stud wall with insulation and resilient channel for hotel and condo party walls.
• STC 60+ assemblies — double steel-stud staggered or chase walls for music rooms, recording studios, and theatre walls.
• Shaft walls — fire-rated 2-hour and 3-hour assemblies for elevator shafts, stairwells, and mechanical chases.

Materials and standards we use

• Type X fire-rated board: CGC Firecode C, CertainTeed ProRoc Type X, USG Sheetrock Firecode X.
• Type C fire-rated board: CGC Firecode X for higher-rated assemblies (2-hour and beyond).
• Abuse-resistant board: CGC Sheetrock Mold Tough AR, USG Fiberock Aqua-Tough — for corridors, schools, daycares, hospitals.
• Glass-mat exterior board: Georgia-Pacific DensGlass for exterior soffits, overhangs, and weather-exposed ceiling areas.
• Lead-lined drywall: available for X-ray rooms and lead-shielded medical assemblies.
• Steel stud: Bailey Metal Products or ClarkDietrich, in 25-, 20-, 18-, and 16-gauge.
• Acoustic insulation: Roxul Safe'n'Sound or Owens Corning Quietzone for STC-rated walls.
• Resilient channel: ClarkDietrich RC1 for sound-decoupled assemblies.

Our commercial process

1. Drawing review and bid (5–7 days). We bid from your architectural drawings, broken out by assembly type, area, and finish level.
2. Site walk-through. Lead taper walks the site with the GC, confirms access, freight elevator, dust-control requirements, and tenant constraints.
3. Schedule alignment. We hit the GC's look-ahead. Multiple crews on parallel work areas if the layout permits.
4. Steel stud framing (where in scope). Track and stud per drawings, in-wall blocking for cabinetry and millwork.
5. In-wall trades coordination. Electricians, plumbers, HVAC, low-voltage all run their services before we close up.
6. Hang. Type X or specialty board per assembly. Documented layer-by-layer for fire-rating inspection.
7. Tape, fill, finish. Three-coat process to Level 4 standard. Level 5 in storefronts and feature walls.
8. Inspection sign-off. Photo documentation, layer count, board type, fastener spacing — everything the inspector needs.
9. Final clean and turnover. Vacuum, debris removal, walk-through with GC.

Common project types

Office tenant improvements

The biggest single category of our commercial work. From a 1,500 sq ft start-up office buildout to a 25,000 sq ft floor in a downtown tower, we build the demising walls, perimeter offices, conference rooms, washroom partitions, and IT/storage closets. Most office TI work is at Level 4 finish with Level 5 in lobbies and reception areas. Common in downtown Toronto, Mississauga's Hurontario corridor, and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre office towers.

Retail and restaurant buildouts

Higher finish standards (Level 5 typical in storefronts and dining rooms), tighter schedules (often around mall opening or franchise launch dates), and after-hours access in occupied centres. We have built out flagship retail in Toronto Eaton Centre, restaurant interiors across King West, and full mall units in Square One, Sherway, and Yorkdale.

Condo amenity buildouts

Gym walls (often abuse-resistant board), party room finishes (Level 5 typical), corridor work (1-hour fire-rated), and lobby buildouts. We coordinate with property management for elevator access, work-hours rules, and material storage.

Medical, dental, and clinical

Lead-lined drywall for X-ray rooms, smooth Level 5 finishes for clinical settings, abuse-resistant board for high-traffic corridors, GA-600 rated assemblies for fire compartmentation. Photo documentation provided for clinical accreditation reviews.

Schedule and access

Commercial work usually has narrow access windows. We routinely run after-hours shifts in occupied office buildings and shopping malls, weekend shifts in retail, and overnight shifts in restaurants. Our crew leads coordinate directly with your construction manager or property manager so there are no surprises at security in the morning. We carry our own scaffolding and lifts for ceilings up to 22 feet so we do not slow your other trades waiting for rented equipment.

Working with general contractors

We are most often a sub on a GC-led project. We bid from your drawings within 5–7 business days, hit the schedule on the look-ahead, and provide weekly progress reports if you want them. We have repeat-business relationships with a number of GTA GCs across office TI, retail, and condo work, and can provide references on request.

For commercial finish-level decisions (Level 4 standard vs. Level 5 in retail and hospitality storefronts), our taping levels post explains where the upgrade is worth specifying. For pricing context, the installation cost guide lays out per-square-foot ranges that scale to commercial work, and our hiring guide covers the questions GCs and property managers should be asking any drywall sub.

Why hire a specialist commercial sub

Commercial drywall is not residential drywall scaled up. The assemblies are different, the inspections are stricter, the schedule is unforgiving, and the tenant relationship is everything. Generalist contractors who do "some commercial" tend to under-price the rated assemblies (because they have not built them before), miss the documentation requirements (and end up rebuilding), or simply cannot keep pace with a GC's look-ahead. We do commercial drywall every week — it is roughly a third of our annual volume — and the result is a sub that hits the schedule, passes inspection first time, and gives the GC and the tenant clean walls on opening day.